The provincial government previously announced that the road would be converted to freeway in the 2010s, around the same time that Highway 400 supersedes Highway 69 to Sudbury, although as of 2019 no firm date has been announced for commencement of construction. The Ministry of Transportation prepared and published its preferred plan for the southwest segment in the 2000s; planning on the southeast segment, from Highway 69 to Coniston with a potential further extension to Markstay, began in fall 2010. A preliminary four-lane plan for the southeast segment, as well as a new connection to Highway 69, was prepared in 1987 as part of the original route plan; however, due to a number of changes in the area, including the four-lane realignment of Highway 69 and the creation of Daisy Lake Uplands Provincial Park, modifications were needed to the final route plan.