$500M is estimated cost for 2 bus rapid transit routes in Mississauga

Bus rapid transit routes being built on two major roads in Mississauga are on track to be completed in the next five to six years at a combined cost of nearly $500 million, the city says.

Early construction on the Dundas BRT’s Mississauga East section and the Lakeshore BRT — two main east-west routes in the city — is scheduled to start in late 2026 (perhaps early 2027 for the Lakeshore project).

The Mississauga East project, with an estimated cost of $405.7 million, is expected to be completed at some point in late 2031/early 2032, according to Carolyn Ryall, director of the city’s Rapid Transit Program Office.

In a presentation to the City of Mississauga’s transit advisory committee scheduled for Tuesday evening, Ryall also notes that project includes contributions to Dundas-Dixie flood mitigation work. Mississauga’s east end was especially hard hit by flooding in the summer of 2024 when two major rainstorms hit the area within several weeks of one another.

The Lakeshore BRT, meanwhile, is moving forward at an anticipated cost of $89 million and is on track for completion in 2031, according to Ryall.

Rendering shows what part of the Lakeshore BRT would look like at Lakeshore Road East and Haig Boulevard in Mississauga. (Image: City of Mississauga)

The two initiatives are described by the city as being among Mississauga’s “key transformative” transit projects moving forward.

The Dundas BRT is a 48-kilometre express bus line that will cut an east-west path from the Kipling Transit Hub in Toronto to Highway 6 in Hamilton by way of Mississauga and Halton. It’s being built over the next number of years and will run 17 kilometres along Dundas Street in Mississauga.

Included in the Mississauga segment of the new route is a seven-kilometre stretch that runs from Etobicoke Creek in the east to Confederation Parkway, near Hurontario Street, in the west.

That portion of the line, dubbed the Mississauga East section, is where construction is to begin later this year.

Provincial transit agency Metrolinx and the City of Mississauga are working together to complete the huge bus line.

It’s expected that millions of commuters in Mississauga and places west of Canada’s seventh-largest city will benefit from the Dundas BRT once it’s up and running in five to six years (see video below).

There are three other segments to the massive project: Mississauga West (Confederation Parkway west to Ninth Line), Toronto (Kipling Transit Hub to Etobicoke Creek) and Halton/Hamilton (Ninth Line west to Highway 6).

The project calls for about 20 kilometres of the route to be a bus-only lane or dedicated right-of-way, separate from other traffic. 

For more details on the project, visit the Dundas BRT project web page.

The Lakeshore BRT, when completed, will run along the centre median on the busy waterfront street in Mississauga for two kilometres between Etobicoke Creek in the east and East Avenue in the west, the city said earlier.

Given the large amount of residential growth in that area, including the massive Lakeview Village development, the Lakeshore BRT route is being designed in a way that allows for future conversion to a streetcar system or light-rail transit design, an earlier report from city staff noted.

New boulevard space that includes cycle tracks, a sidewalk and a landscape zone are also part of the vision.

More generally, city officials said earlier this year, Mississauga continues to advance its rapid transit programs on several fronts, “with 2026 marking a pivotal year for development. Light-rail projects are progressing in construction, while bus rapid transit initiatives advance through detailed design in preparation for future construction.”

Multiple “key transformative projects” on the horizon

The Dundas and Lakeshore BRT initiatives are among multiple “key transformative projects” related to transit in Mississauga that also include the $4.6-billion Hazel McCallion Line light-rail transit line, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension LRT route and the Downtown Mobility Hub and Transitway Connection.

“These not only improve local mobility, but also strengthen regional transit connections, enhancing the flow of people and goods across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area,” a city staff report noted.

Additionally, the city is also looking to construct an east-west rapid transit line on Derry Road in Mississauga’s north end.

Details have yet to be finalized, but officials are interested in marking the busy Derry Road area as Mississauga’s next priority corridor for higher-order transit, either bus rapid transit or light-rail transit.

That major east-west route is in dire need of a dedicated BRT or LRT route, city staff said earlier.

Map shows higher-order transit routes already existing and planned for in the city. (Map: City of Mississauga)