Ontario Highway 405 - Route Description

Route Description

The primary purpose of Highway 405 is to connect the northern end of Interstate 190 in New York at the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge to the QEW, and as such it follows a somewhat direct path between the two. Throughout its length, the highway gently climbs the Niagara Escarpment, reaching the top east of Stanley Avenue before crossing the Niagara Gorge. The highway is surrounded by forest to either side for most of its length, and the only notable settlement is the village of Queenston.

Highway 405 begins by diverging from the QEW at St. Catharines. It continues north-east for 1.5 km, then gently curves south-easterly. The opposing lanes, initially separated by a wide gap, converge towards each other to form a 15-metre (49 ft) grass median. The highway dips into a shallow gully, widens to five lanes (three eastbound, two westbound), and then curves northeast to pass to the north of a hydroelectric reservoir. The opposing lanes converge, with an Ontario Tall Wall separating them, and pass beneath Niagara Regional Road 102 (Stanley Avenue). The freeway's lone interchange is with Stanley Avenue, and traffic continuing east must cross the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge into the United States. The additional lane provided along this section is for the queueing of trucks. After passing the top of the reservoir, the highway reaches the Canadian border plaza. It then passes over the Niagara Parkway and begins to cross the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge. The Highway 405 designation ends at the border with New York, where it becomes I-190.