Most drivers in upstate New York are familiar with Highway 401 in Canada, where a short trip across the border will get you to this highway. Highway 401, officially named the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway, is a prominent 400-series highway in Ontario, stretching 828 kilometers (514 mi) from Windsor in the west to the Ontario-Quebec border in the east, where it connects directly to Autoroute 20 in Quebec.

The part of Highway 401 where it passes through Toronto is considered the busiest highway in the world. It carries more than 500,000 vehicles per day in some sections and is vital for trade and transportation, handling a significant portion of the trade volume between Canada and the United States. At its widest part, this highway has 18 lanes, 9 lanes in each direction. Even with that large capacity, it is often congested.

While other highways are wider or longer, Highway 401’s traffic volume consistently earns it the title of the busiest highway globally.

For comparison, in all five counties in the North Country, the busiest highway is State Route 3 (Cornelia Street) in Plattsburgh, at approximately 37,000 vehicles daily. Second is Arsenal Street (State Route 3) in Watertown with slightly less than 30,000, followed by East Main Street (U.S. Route 11) in Malone with approximately 25,000 vehicles per day in the downtown section.

Last month I traveled the 401 from Cornwall to my cousin’s house in Waterloo, Ontario, normally about an hour west of Toronto. This route took me right through the busiest part of the 401, and it was not fun. Traffic was incredibly heavy — all lanes in both directions were solid with vehicles, traveling at times from 70 mph to sometimes a dead stop.

On my return trip from Waterloo to Malone, I took an alternate route around Toronto on Highway 407, which I have been wanting to try for a number of years.

Comprising a tolled, privately leased segment and a publicly owned segment, the route spans the entire Greater Toronto Area around the city of Toronto, passing through the suburbs of Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Pickering, Whitby and Oshawa.

Similar to most other toll highways, Highway 407 features no toll booths. Rather, a system of cameras and transponders allows for automatic toll collection. It was one of the first highways to exclusively use open road tolling.

For vehicles without a transponder (mine included), an automatic license plate recognition system is used, and a monthly statement is mailed to users. The automatic plate recognition system is linked to several provincial and U.S. state motor vehicle registries. Tolls vary with distance traveled on the 407, size/type of vehicle and time of day use. After I receive my bill, I’ll share the amount I was charged in a future article.