AECOM Wins Design Contract for 11 km Highway 400 Widening in King
Ontario has hired AECOM for detail design to widen 11 kilometers of Highway 400 from six to 10 lanes, and no construction bid exists yet, Daily Commercial News reports.
Market Impact
The contract covers the stretch of Highway 400 between Highway 9 and the future Bradford Bypass (Highway 425). The province will add one general-purpose lane and one high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction. The new HOV lanes will connect to the existing HOV lanes south of Highway 9, extending Ontario’s HOV network.
Beyond the mainline lanes, the design contract includes culverts, signs, drainage and storm sewers, lighting and interchange ramps. That list shows the likely trade mix once construction is packaged. The source gives no contract value, design schedule, or construction start date.
The award follows other work on the corridor. The province recently finished widening nine kilometers of Highway 400 from Major Mackenzie Drive to King Road. Farther north, the Dunlop Street bridge in Barrie is being replaced to support a future Highway 400 widening there. Major construction on the Bradford Bypass started in May 2026.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- No bid stage exists. This is a detail design award to AECOM only. No construction tender or subcontract packages have been issued, and the source gives no date for either. Nothing is biddable on this section today.
- Know the scope you’ll eventually price. The design contract names culverts, drainage and storm sewers, lighting, signs and interchange ramps. Those point to future work for grading and earthwork, storm sewer and culvert installation, electrical and lighting, and ramp structures and paving. This is our inference from the scope list, not a procurement statement.
- Position with the design team first. Design firms set staging, utility conflicts and drainage details before tender. Utility relocation and drainage subcontractors can use that window to share constructability and cost input, if AECOM’s team is open to it. The source does not say whether it is.
- Work underway nearby. The Bradford Bypass has been under major construction since May 2026, and the Dunlop Street bridge replacement in Barrie is underway. Bridge, structures and earthwork crews seeking Highway 400 corridor experience should check with the prime contractors on those jobs for subcontract needs and package timing.
- Track the next gate. The next milestone is the construction tender for this 11-kilometer section, which would follow design progress. Check the province’s tendering notices for the Highway 9 to Bradford Bypass section. The widening from Major Mackenzie Drive to King Road, now complete, shows the province is delivering this corridor in stages.
