Construction to begin this year on two major rapid transit routes in Mississauga

Construction is expected to begin later this year — a “pivotal year,” the city says — on two huge bus rapid transit projects in Mississauga.

Early construction on the Dundas BRT’s Mississauga East section and the Lakeshore BRT — two major east-west routes — is scheduled to start in late 2026, a report going to Mississauga city council next Wednesday states.

The 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.

Rendering shows what part of the Dundas BRT, including a transit station, would look like. (Image: City of Mississauga)

That portion of the line, dubbed the Mississauga East section, is where construction is to begin later this year, the city’s transportation and works commissioner Sam Rogers said in his report to council.

“Detailed design study began in March 2025, with utilities work and other early activities expected between late 2026 and 2027,” he stated in the report. “Detailed design and property acquisition, which started in 2025, will continue through 2027. Early construction on select segments of the Dundas BRT Mississauga East is anticipated to begin in late 2026.”

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 (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.

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, the staff report noted.

A detailed design study on the Lakeshore BRT began last August, Rogers said, with “utilities work and other early activities expected between 2026 and 2027, followed by main construction.”

Early construction, he added, is “anticipated to begin in late 2026.”

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

Mississauga continues to advance its rapid transit programs on several fronts, the staff report stated, “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.”

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,” Rogers said in his report’s conclusion.

New plan maps out future of transit in Mississauga 

Last October, the city unveiled its first-ever Transit and Road Infrastructure Plan — or TRIP — that lays out a targeted investment strategy in the city’s transit and road network over the next 20 years.

The comprehensive strategy will guide the city’s actions, policies and investments related to moving people from place to place in the years ahead.

“As Mississauga continues to grow, there is a need for a multi-modal transportation system that is safe, quick and efficient,” Mississauga officials said last fall, adding the plan “will guide Mississauga to prioritize transportation infrastructure more effectively, helping people reach their destinations as efficiently as possible, regardless of the mode of transportation they use. It will also help protect vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists and transit users.”

The city is also looking to construct an east-west rapid transit line on Derry Road in the 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, Rogers said earlier.

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