A major new GTA highway extension remains off limits to motorists because there are “safety concerns” around how it was built, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) says.

Drone shots posted online of the Hwy. 427 extension — between Hwy. 7 and Major Mackenzie Dr. — show what appears to be a completed empty highway in full view of motorists on nearby, often congested routes.

“Highway 427’s expansion is not complete,” IO spokesperson Ian McConachie said in an email to the Toronto Sun last week when asked about the opening. “Specifically, the roadway was not built to the specifications in the contract. This results in highway surface drainage and related safety concerns.”

Jim Faught, spokesperson for LINK427, the winning bidder to design, build and maintain the highway extension, said IO and the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) have not issued a Substantial Completion Certificate for the project — a requirement for opening.

“Discussions around achievement of Substantial Completion, and the province’s safety concerns of the constructed highway, are currently being addressed through the allowed processes in the context of our contract and we are unable to discuss specifics at this stage,” Faught said in an email. “LINK427 cannot comment (on) any other commercial matters related to the highway opening.”

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