Construction has started and will continue until Highway 407 East is open to traffic at Highway 35/115 in Clarington in 2020. As announced, there is a seamless plan to extend Highway 407 East from Brock Road in Pickering to Highway 35/115 with the following key dates:

• By late 2015 – Phase 1 from Brock Road in Pickering to Harmony Road in Oshawa (22 kilometres), and a 10 kilometre north-south highway called the West Durham Link (WDL) that connects Highway 407 East to Highway 401 will be open to traffic;
• By 2017 – the initial portion of Phase 2 from Harmony Road to Taunton Road/East Durham Link (EDL) will be open to traffic; and,
• By 2020 – the remainder of Highway 407 East (from East Durham Link to Highway 35/115) and the East Durham Link (from Taunton Road to Highway 401) are scheduled to open to traffic, completing the project.

Once complete, Highway 407 East will help relieve congestion and support the efficient movement of people and goods through the eastern Greater Toronto Area and beyond. It will create opportunities for business, accommodate population and employment growth and provide emergency detour routes for Durham Region.

Although connected to the existing 407 ETR, Highway 407 East is a separate entity owned and operated by the Province of Ontario.

Highway 407 East will be a publicly-owned and controlled toll highway. The two north-south highways (West Durham Link and East Durham Link) connecting it to Highway 401 will operate as toll roads.

Highway 407 East will be a provincial asset that will increase in value over time.

The Government of Ontario will regulate and set toll rates and retain revenue generated from Highway 407 East tolls. The initial toll rate will be set prior to opening Phase 1 to traffic in late 2015.

Highway 407 East customers will receive a single invoice for travel on both the 407 ETR and Highway 407 East, with trips on each highway itemized separately. The same transponder will be used for travel on Highway 407 East and Highway 407 ETR. Those with existing 407 ETR transponders will be able to use them on both highways once Highway 407 East opens.

Construction has started on Phase 1 ( from Brock Road in Pickering to Harmony Road in Oshawa and north-south highway called the West Durham Link that connects Highway 407 East to Highway 401). Phase 1 is scheduled for completion by late 2015.

The Province of Ontario has selected a consortium called the 407 East Development Group (407EDG) to design, build, finance and maintain the first section of Highway 407 East for a 30-year period. 

The contract with 407EDG is for a fixed price of $1 billion in 2012 dollars, to be delivered by late 2015.

Currently, the Province of Ontario is working on pre-construction activities for Phase 2, which runs  from Harmony Road in Oshawa to Highway 35/115 in Clarington and includes the north-south highway called the East Durham that connects Highway 407 East to Highway 401.

These activities include acquiring the necessary property along the corridor, field work such as archaeological investigations, obtaining species-at-risk permits, and relocating utility infrastructure such as hydro towers. Consultation with stakeholders is ongoing and the ministry continues to work with Durham Region and local municipalities to assess the impacts of the highway on local roads.

Construction on Phase 2 will begin in 2015, and it will open in two phases:

• Harmony Road to Taunton Road/East Durham Link by late 2017
• Taunton Road/EDL to Highway 35/115, and the East Durham Link will be open by 2020