407 Express Toll Route (ETR)

407 ETR is a 67 mile (108 km) toll road in Ontario Providence of Canada near Toronto. The toll road has both four-lane (2+2) and six-lane (3+3) road sections that run from Burlington (QEW/403 near Hamilton) in the west to Pickering in the east.

407 ETR was operated and maintained by the 407 International, Inc. from the time it was opened in 1959 until 407 International, Inc. was awarded a 99-year operating concession in 1999. This was the first privatization of an existing toll road in Canada.

In 1999 the Province of Ontario leased the 407 ETR to a consortium made up of Grupo Ferrovial/Cintra (61.29%), SNC Lavalin (22.6%) and CDP Capital (16.1%). The consortium that became 407 International, Inc. was awarded a 99-year operating concession for 407 ETR for $3.1 billion (US) plus $900 million in future construction and working capital thus becoming the largest toll road privatization in the world at that time. It was also the first privatization of an existing toll road in Canada.

407 International, Inc. is a partnership between Cintra, S.A. of Madrid, Spain; Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG) of Sydney, Australia; and, SNC Lavalin.