News   Oct 02, 2024
News Roundup for October 2, 2024
 135     0 
News   Oct 02, 2024
Pieces of the Puzzle
 437     0 
News   Oct 01, 2024
Amexon Partners With Luxury Italian Designer for Missoni Sky on Jarvis
 1.7K     2 

Canadian Highway Fantasy Thread

crimson_moon said:
Bypass Fantasy For North Bay and Timmins

Since getting through Timmins and North Bay is a time consuming and annoying process what if there’s a bypass for both. For North Bay it connects Northern Highway 11 to Highway 17 West and East of it. For Timmins and Porcupine it passes by it avoiding the hell that is downtown Timmins.View attachment 575399View attachment 575400
Click to expand...
As someone from North Bay, all I have to say is ... Yikes! You would be destroying a lot of prime recreational areas including the Mattawa River Provincial Park.
 
It seems drawing random lines on maps is fun for some. In North Bay's case, the proposed bypass seems to ignore a Hwy 11 south connection, so another random line is required.

There is provision for an improved North Bay bypass (I won't call it a 'plan') by locking up zoning in a corridor running behind Northgate Mall. I've seen a map from the MTO on here before that someone posted but for the life of me I have been unable to find since.
 
lenaitch said:
It seems drawing random lines on maps is fun for some. In North Bay's case, the proposed bypass seems to ignore a Hwy 11 south connection, so another random line is required.

There is provision for an improved North Bay bypass (I won't call it a 'plan') by locking up zoning in a corridor running behind Northgate Mall. I've seen a map from the MTO on here before that someone posted but for the life of me I have been unable to find since.
Click to expand...
That is called route 6.
 
crimson_moon said:
Bypass Fantasy For North Bay and Timmins

Since getting through Timmins and North Bay is a time consuming and annoying process what if there’s a bypass for both. For North Bay it connects Northern Highway 11 to Highway 17 West and East of it. For Timmins and Porcupine it passes by it avoiding the hell that is downtown Timmins.View attachment 575399View attachment 575400
Click to expand...
I would be impressed if that bypass of North Bay is somehow faster. I count at least 25 sharp turns there, and the distance looks long. As far as I'm concerned, 11/17 through NB is eventually slated to become a freeway. As it stands currently, the configuration isn't even that bad IMO.
 
micheal_can said:
Back when paper maps were a thing, agreed. Now a days, it makes no different.
Click to expand...
I use Trans Canada and it covers all the different route numbers. It could be call Canada 1

When we did parts of the east coast we haven't been to a few years ago, I just looked for a sign with Trans Canada on the route sign, Can say we have driven from coast to coast using Trans Canada route.
 
drum118 said:
I use Trans Canada and it covers all the different route numbers. It could be call Canada 1

When we did parts of the east coast we haven't been to a few years ago, I just looked for a sign with Trans Canada on the route sign, Can say we have driven from coast to coast using Trans Canada route.
Click to expand...
I live where 2 Trans Canada routes intersect. Other than a shield, it has no bearing on any of the discussions around those highways.

Both Toronto - -the largest city in Canada and Halifax - the largest city in the Maritimes are bypassed by it. To redo all of the signs and numbering would be rather pointless these days.
 
micheal_can said:
I live where 2 Trans Canada routes intersect. Other than a shield, it has no bearing on any of the discussions around those highways.

Both Toronto - -the largest city in Canada and Halifax - the largest city in the Maritimes are bypassed by it. To redo all of the signs and numbering would be rather pointless these days.
Click to expand...
Number changes would be more-so for the benefit of travelers along the highway than the residents who already live there. I recall reading about when road travel by car was in its infancy, there was resistance from towns putting up signage indicating the town name, the attitude being that they already know what town they're in...

Rerouting the TCH through Toronto via Hwys 400 & 401, even if it's using the current Ontario standard of a KH numbered shield + blank TCH shield, seems like an obvious improvement to it following Hwys 12 & 7 through Orillia and Peterborough. As for other shield and numbering changes, I agree in a vacuum the cost-benefit probably doesn't work out, other than for those who prefer consistency; but this is a "highway fantasy" thread. :) However, if it was incentivized with funding for improvements, then maybe there might a case. For example, if there was a hypothetical agreement where the province adopts a new number and shield, but the feds agree to fund the highway being a four lane, divided highway (or other needed capital improvements) within x number of years, would they go for it?
 
MuzikMachine said:
Number changes would be more-so for the benefit of travelers along the highway than the residents who already live there. I recall reading about when road travel by car was in its infancy, there was resistance from towns putting up signage indicating the town name, the attitude being that they already know what town they're in...

Rerouting the TCH through Toronto via Hwys 400 & 401, even if it's using the current Ontario standard of a KH numbered shield + blank TCH shield, seems like an obvious improvement to it following Hwys 12 & 7 through Orillia and Peterborough. As for other shield and numbering changes, I agree in a vacuum the cost-benefit probably doesn't work out, other than for those who prefer consistency; but this is a "highway fantasy" thread. :) However, if it was incentivized with funding for improvements, then maybe there might a case. For example, if there was a hypothetical agreement where the province adopts a new number and shield, but the feds agree to fund the highway being a four lane, divided highway (or other needed capital improvements) within x number of years, would they go for it?
Click to expand...

I understand this is a fantasy thread.I am just trying to see the point. Fifty years ago out west, and in the Maritimes, the single number TCH made sense to help cross country travel. Back when we traveled by paper maps, knowing that if you stay on this highway the whole way, you get where you need to go was important. Now with GPS navigation, you just follow what the instructions tell you.

Now, if you did it as an incentive to fund divided highways through BC and ON to create an interstate like system, I could agree with. But then you run into the fact that all ,and I do mean ALL cross country traffic must pass through a single choke point that is the Nipgon bridge and that area. Maybe if we also pushed for a second route between ON and MB to ensure that one spot does not shut down traffic, it would also be worth a re organization. If that were done, I would suggest the TCH routes all be single digits.

Here would be my E-W numbering in that case:

TCH 1 - existing TCH 1 (BC highway 5 4 lanes), ON 17, ON 417, A 40, QC 130, QC 300 NL 500 NL 510, NL 430, TCH 1to St John's

TCH 2 - ON 401, A 20, A 30 (not included sections between A30) A 85, NB 2,, NS 10, NS 102

TCH 3 - Yellowhead highway, New routing through existing MB roads and highways over the north of Winnipeg, ON new highway through Sioux Lookout, over the top of Lake Npigon, ON 11, ON 400

TCH 4 - NB 16, PEI 1

TCH 5 - Rest of NS 104, NS 105, NL TCH 1

TCH 6 - NT 3, NT 3, AB 35, AB 2

TCH 7 - YT 1, BC 97

In general, none are concurrent with any other TCH. They go to all major cities and all capitals that are connected by road to the rest of Canada.
 
micheal_can said:
I understand this is a fantasy thread.I am just trying to see the point. Fifty years ago out west, and in the Maritimes, the single number TCH made sense to help cross country travel. Back when we traveled by paper maps, knowing that if you stay on this highway the whole way, you get where you need to go was important. Now with GPS navigation, you just follow what the instructions tell you.

Now, if you did it as an incentive to fund divided highways through BC and ON to create an interstate like system, I could agree with. But then you run into the fact that all ,and I do mean ALL cross country traffic must pass through a single choke point that is the Nipgon bridge and that area. Maybe if we also pushed for a second route between ON and MB to ensure that one spot does not shut down traffic, it would also be worth a re organization. If that were done, I would suggest the TCH routes all be single digits.

Here would be my E-W numbering in that case:

TCH 1 - existing TCH 1 (BC highway 5 4 lanes), ON 17, ON 417, A 40, QC 130, QC 300 NL 500 NL 510, NL 430, TCH 1to St John's

TCH 2 - ON 401, A 20, A 30 (not included sections between A30) A 85, NB 2,, NS 10, NS 102

TCH 3 - Yellowhead highway, New routing through existing MB roads and highways over the north of Winnipeg, ON new highway through Sioux Lookout, over the top of Lake Npigon, ON 11, ON 400

TCH 4 - NB 16, PEI 1

TCH 5 - Rest of NS 104, NS 105, NL TCH 1

TCH 6 - NT 3, NT 3, AB 35, AB 2

TCH 7 - YT 1, BC 97

In general, none are concurrent with any other TCH. They go to all major cities and all capitals that are connected by road to the rest of Canada.
Click to expand...
I like the concept, but have couple tweaks to the routes:

TCH 1 - instead of following the Trans-Labrador Hwy, maybe it could continue along QC 138 from Quebec City along current and missing sections to Blanc-Sablon and follow either a ferry or fixed link to Newfoundland.

TCH 6 & 7 - the main connection between Edmonton and NWT/Yukon is AB 43 rather than AB 2. A TCH corridor could follow AB 4/3/2/16/43, BC 2/97, & YK 1, linking the Lower 48 with Alaska. The second corridor could follow AB 49/2/35 from AB 43 at Valleyview to the NWT border (your TCH 6). The could be an all-BC route between Dawson Creek and the Lower Mainland, but that might not be necessary.
 
MuzikMachine said:
I like the concept, but have couple tweaks to the routes:

TCH 1 - instead of following the Trans-Labrador Hwy, maybe it could continue along QC 138 from Quebec City along current and missing sections to Blanc-Sablon and follow either a ferry or fixed link to Newfoundland.
Click to expand...

The point of following the Trans Labrador highway is because it goes to many of the towns in Labrador.

MuzikMachine said:
TCH 6 & 7 - the main connection between Edmonton and NWT/Yukon is AB 43 rather than AB 2. A TCH corridor could follow AB 4/3/2/16/43, BC 2/97, & YK 1, linking the Lower 48 with Alaska. The second corridor could follow AB 49/2/35 from AB 43 at Valleyview to the NWT border (your TCH 6). The could be an all-BC route between Dawson Creek and the Lower Mainland, but that might not be necessary.
Click to expand...
Part of the thought would be to keep the 2 territory capitals separate, but straight down.
 
Ottawa
This concept envisions a full grade-separated freeway network for Ottawa-Gatineau. Coming up with this plan was a lot more complicated than I originally thought it would be. I had to get familiar with how Ottawa's road network is setup, and throughout this process, I have come to the conclusion that Ottawa's transportation network is on a unique level of bad, with many important roads/corridors (Kichi Zibi Mikan, Sir George Etienne Cartier Parkway, Aviation Parkway, Airport Parkway, Riverside Drive, Route 148) that simultaneously embody carry all the baggage and anti-pedestrian environment associated with freeways, without actually being properly grade-separated themselves. A national capital should be well-connected, with both a robust metro system and an efficient, fully-connected freeway network. As part of my proposed network, I have gone through and have looked at all of these terrible corridors and have upgraded a select few of the most important corridors into freeways, while relegating the others. Route 148 has been upgraded to a freeway extension of A50 with a small underground section for a part of the road that runs through a neighbourhood. Riverside Drive and Airport Parkway have been upgraded to a full freeway connector for the Ottawa Airport. I have also come up with a hypothetical alignment for the proposed Ottawa Bypass, running between HWY 416 and HWY 417, with a connection to Airport Parkway. This bypass ultimately does run in the Ottawa Greenbelt, but pushing this further outside the greenbelt lands renders the majority of the highway further away from the populated areas, makes an airport connection challenging, and results in some complicated and disruptive situations when attempting to cross the Rideau River. Additionally, I also looked into the best locations for some long-discussed cross-provincial freeway connections, resulting in two separate locations - one fixed-link bridge connecting A50 and HWY 174 just east of Orleans, and one fixed-link tunnel (this is a real option that was studied, I have followed most of the recommended alignment) connecting A5 and HWY 417 near downtown. Everything in the network would be twinned to a freeway standard. This also includes new road realignments, service roads, and connecting roads. Interchange locations for Ottawa (60) and Gatineau (27) are as follows:
  • HWY 7 and Ashton Station Road (existing)
  • HWY 7 and Upper Dwyer Hill Road (existing)
  • HWY 7 and Hazeldean Road (existing)
  • HWY 7 and HWY 417 (existing)
  • HWY 416 and Bankfield Road (existing)
  • HWY 416 and Barnsdale Road (planned in EA)
  • HWY 416 and Strandherd Drive (existing)
  • HWY 416 and Ottawa Bypass (conceptual)
  • HWY 416 and West Hunt Club Road (existing)
  • HWY 416 and Richmond Road (existing)
  • HWY 416 and HWY 417/Holly Acres Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Panmure Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and March Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Carp Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Palladium Drive (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Terry Fox Drive (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Kanata Avenue (existing)
  • HWY 417 and March Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Moodie Drive (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Richmond Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Greenbank Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Woodroffe Avenue (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Maitland Avenue (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Kirkwood Avenue (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Parkdale Avenue (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Rochester Street (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Bronson Avenue (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Catherine Street/Kent Street (existing)
  • HWY 417 and O'Connor Street/Metcalfe Street (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Nicholas Street (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Vanier Parkway/Ottawa Tunnel/Airport Parkway (existing, conceptual modification)
  • HWY 417 and St. Laurent Boulevard (existing)
  • HWY 417 and HWY 174/Aviation Parkway (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Innes Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Walkley Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Hunt Club Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Anderson Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Ottawa Bypass (conceptual)
  • HWY 417 and Boundary Road (existing)
  • HWY 417 and Rockdale Road (existing)
  • HWY 174 and Blair Road (existing)
  • HWY 174 and Montreal Road (existing)
  • HWY 174 and Jeanne-d'Arc Boulevard (existing)
  • HWY 174 and Champlain Street/Place d'Orleans Drive (existing)
  • HWY 174 and Tenth Line Road/St. Joseph Boulevard (existing)
  • HWY 174 and Trim Road (conceptual)
  • HWY 174 and Ottawa River Bridge (conceptual)
  • Airport Parkway and Terminal Avenue (conceptual)
  • Airport Parkway and Smyth Road (conceptual)
  • Airport Parkway and Bank Street (conceptual)
  • Airport Parkway and Bronson Avenue/Riverside Drive (conceptual)
  • Airport Parkway and Brookfield Road (existing)
  • Airport Parkway and Walkley Road (planned)
  • Airport Parkway and Hunt Club Road (existing)
  • Airport Parkway and YOW/Uplands Road/Lester Road (conceptual)
  • Airport Parkway and Ottawa Bypass (conceptual)
  • Ottawa Bypass and Fallowfield Road (conceptual)
  • Ottawa Bypass and Limebank Road (conceptual)
  • Ottawa Bypass and Albion Road South (conceptual)
  • Ottawa Bypass and Hawthorne Road (conceptual)
  • Ottawa Bypass and Anderson Road (conceptual)
  • A5 and Ottawa Tunnel (conceptual)
  • A5 and Boulevard Fournier (existing)
  • A5 and A50 (existing)
  • A5 and Boulevard Saint-Raymond (existing)
  • A5 and Boulevard Saint-Joseph/Boulevard du Mont-Bleu (existing)
  • A5 and Boulevard des Hautes-Plaines (existing)
  • A5 and Chemin Old Chelsea (existing, conceptual modification)
  • A5 and Chemin Scott (existing)
  • A50 Extension and Chemin Tremblay (conceptual)
  • A50 Extension and Chemin de la Riviere (conceptual)
  • A50 Extension and Chemin Elm (conceptual)
  • A50 Extension and Chemin Pink (conceptual)
  • A50 Extension and Chemin Eardley (conceptual)
  • A50 Extension and Boulevard Wilfrid-Lavigne (conceptual)
  • A50 Extension and Chemin Vanier (conceptual)
  • A50 Extension and Boulevard Saint-Raymond (existing)
  • A50 Extension and Gatineau Parkway (existing)
  • A50 Extension and Gatineau Tunnel/Lac-Des-Fees Parkway/Boulevard des Allumettieres (existing, conceptual modification)
  • A50 and Gatineau Tunnel/Boulevard des Allumettieres (existing, conceptual modification)
  • A50 and Rue Saint-Louis (existing)
  • A50 and Boulevard de la Gappe/Boulevard Maloney O (existing)
  • A50 and Boulevard la Verendrye O (existing)
  • A50 and Montee Paiement (existing)
  • A50 and Boulevard Labrosse (existing)
  • A50 and Route 366 (existing)
  • A50 and Boulevard de l'Aeroport/Chemin Industriel (existing)
  • A50 and Rue des Laurentides (existing)
  • A50 and Ottawa River Bridge (conceptual)
Ottawa Highway Plan FIN.png
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top