Construction on Premier Doug Ford’s marquee Highway 413 will kick off in the coming months, the government said, even as the overall costs and completion date for the project remains a tightly guarded secret at Queen’s Park.

The Ford government announced two construction contracts — to upgrade Highway 10 in Caledon and the 401/407 interchange in Mississauga — have been awarded, paving the way for the premier’s long-promised 52-kilometre highway connecting drivers from Milton and Halton to Vaughan.

When pressed for construction timelines and overall cost estimates for the highway project, however,  the government offered few details.

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Ford government considered ‘developer-proposed’ Hwy. 413 route alteration

“What I have been told, this is going to start in the next few days. And the other the other interchange is going to start in the next couple of weeks,” Ford said.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the project falls under the government’s overall 10-year, $30 billion public infrastructure capital plan but declined to give a specific number citing the process of awarding contracts.

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“Over the next couple of years, you will see the contract has been broken up into many different pieces. That enables more workers to get to work quicker,” Sarkaria said.

“We’ll continue to work with, those in the industry to accelerate it and get it done as quickly as possible,” Sarkaria said.

Ford also confirmed his efforts to shift a significant portion of the highway to accommodate a request from a Canadian developer looking to save a planned housing project in the area.

Global News revealed Ford was considering a “developer proposed alignment” which would have shifted the 413 by approximately 600 meters in Caledon to prevent it from cutting though the development.

At a news conference, Wednesday, Ford confirmed the effort and called it “common sense.”

“You’re taking away over 3,000 homes and good jobs and so on and so forth,” Ford said, adding the project could be saved “if they just moved it up 600 metres.”

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Ontario government ordered, then replaced Highway 413 signs

Documents obtained by Global News showed the premier was warned by ministry officials that realigning the highway would trigger a two-year delay because portions of the project would require a new environmental assessment.

Any realignment from the current “preferred route” would have also impacted other road construction projects, regional infrastructure plans and home construction as well.

After Global News reached out to the government after the confidential document, the Premier’s Office said the route change was no longer under consideration.

“They’re saying it would take two years,” Ford said of the briefing he received. “They were giving me every excuse in the world for why it can’t be done.”

Caledon Mayor Anette Groves said the request from the developer “isn’t unusual” and had been considered by the town council as well.

“But as the premier said … if it’s going to delay projects and it can’t be done, it just can’t be done,” Groves said.

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