Highway 401: Proposed Province-Wide Widening

[Transportfan]

Changing topoics slightly, but I've always wished the province would re-stress the actual names of many of our provincial highways. For example, The MacDonald-Cartier Freeway (401), The Belfield Expressway (409), etc. It doesn't mean we need to get rid of the 400-series designations, but I think using the non-numeric names as well gives our highways a bit more personality. Where highways aren't named (ie. 410) it would be an opportunity to give them one. Bill Davis Expressway anyone?

I also think the QEW should be given a 400-number too, but of course keep the Queen Elizabeth Way moniker as well.

People would never use them. They don't even use the names for highways that are streets in many cases, especially in the suburban GTA (eg: Hurontario, Kingston, Markham).

 

[adma]

Besides, does anyone commonly refer to the Thomas E. Dewey Thruway?

 

[Gladman]

The QEW has a 400 number, though it is used internally - Highway 451.

I always thought it was the 405.

 

[DavidH]

No, the 405 is considered a separate highway from the QEW.

 

[Lone Primate]

Just the other weekend I was driving east from Toronto to Montreal, and to my astonishment there was a traffic jam going the other way from all the way past Belleville. It was a holiday long weekend, but it was still unbelievable. I also remember a drive home from Ottawa once where the traffic was stop-and-go right from Kingston.

I remember driving back to the GTA from Kingston about 15 years ago; it was two lane each way. I was in the slow lane, the traffic was packed, and -- I'm not kidding -- the cars behind me we pushing me at 150 km/h. 90 miles an hour in the SLOW lane. I have to admit, even as a guy used to big city traffic, I was a little frightened by that.

 

[Lone Primate]

But will anyone actually call it that?

Oh, I know I'm always referring to the 401 as "the Highway of the Heroes Macdonald and Cartier", aren't you?

 

[waterloowarrior]

something like variable speed signs would really help manage traffic better... I hope Metrolinx spends a lot on implementing these kinds of measures on the 401 rather than trying to simply widen roads (I know they were discussing road technologies in the green paper)

They are quite useful for warning you of an upcoming traffic jam/slow down... or if a lane is closed for construction, accident etc (an 'X' is displayed)

here's an interesting technology in the UK

2.6 This infrastructure allows the hard shoulders to be used as running lanes. This was implemented initially only during maintenance and incidents to prove that the concept was workable and was followed by full-scale operation of peak time hard shoulder running, with the full involvement of the emergency services.

2.7 MIDAS detector loops in the carriageway measure traffic flow and as certain traffic levels are reached, a variable speed limit is automatically displayed above the lanes. When appropriate, the hard shoulder can be opened to traffic, to minimise congestion. When the hard shoulder is in use, a maximum 50mph speed limit is applied across all lanes. This speed was adopted for the purposes of the pilot as it balanced the need to improve journey times and reliability, whilst ensuring at least the same levels of safety.

This pdf presentation outlines some of the traffic management techniques Dutch planners are using on highways

http://www.trb-freewayops.org/repor...anaged Lanes in Netherlands Bert Helleman.pdf

the pic below is of lights that turn on to let merging drivers know they can use the shoulder.... which extends the merging lane to smooth traffic slow. it's used on friday's and other busy times.

Another method used in the Netherlands is a ban on overtaking in a truck during peak hours (four lane freeways). It leads to higher left lane speeds, a slight capacity gain, more balanced use of lanes, and an increase in safety as fewer trucks change lanes and traffic flows more smoothly.

 

[ShonTron]

I remember driving back to the GTA from Kingston about 15 years ago; it was two lane each way. I was in the slow lane, the traffic was packed, and -- I'm not kidding -- the cars behind me we pushing me at 150 km/h. 90 miles an hour in the SLOW lane. I have to admit, even as a guy used to big city traffic, I was a little frightened by that.

I could not believe the traffic on Canada Day long weekend - slow all the way to Belleville. We left the Saturday morning, around 8:30 AM, hoping a lot of the traffic, especially cottage country traffic, would already have left. It was fine up to Pickering, where the collectors merge. We thought it might get better past Oshawa, then when it was almost stop-and-go in Clarington, we thought it would get better once the lagging cottagers go to the Kawarthas at 35/115. Nope. Stop-and-go again around Cobourg where it now goes down to 2 lanes from 3. I'd expect this on the northbound 400 on a Friday evening, but not Saturday on the 401 east.

Again, it's interesting that highways in the US along major corridors, like I-94 between Detroit and Indiana (to Chicago), and the New York Thruway from Buffalo to Albany (where traffic splits to New York or Boston) are two lanes each way, and work fine. Maybe that there are good alternates (NY 17/I-86 in New York), Indiana Toll Road and I-75 between Detroit and Chicago, but I'm not convinced.

 

[marcus_a_j]

I could not believe the traffic on Canada Day long weekend - slow all the way to Belleville. We left the Saturday morning, around 8:30 AM, hoping a lot of the traffic, especially cottage country traffic, would already have left. It was fine up to Pickering, where the collectors merge. We thought it might get better past Oshawa, then when it was almost stop-and-go in Clarington, we thought it would get better once the lagging cottagers go to the Kawarthas at 35/115. Nope. Stop-and-go again around Cobourg where it now goes down to 2 lanes from 3. I'd expect this on the northbound 400 on a Friday evening, but not Saturday on the 401 east.

Again, it's interesting that highways in the US along major corridors, like I-94 between Detroit and Indiana (to Chicago), and the New York Thruway from Buffalo to Albany (where traffic splits to New York or Boston) are two lanes each way, and work fine. Maybe that there are good alternates (NY 17/I-86 in New York), Indiana Toll Road and I-75 between Detroit and Chicago, but I'm not convinced.

I've been in that traffic jam heading east several times this year. Going to Quebec it was slow until Port Hope. Coming home last year from Ottawa for Canada Day it was slow from the Big Apple all the way to Pickering.

I used to take I-69 when I would drive to Chicago from Sarnia (a lot quicker at the border) where I would then get on I-94 east of Battle Creek. A bus I was on one time took 69, 96 and 196 before getting on 94.

 

[ShonTron]

I sometimes wonder what a majorly improved Highway 7 from Peterborough to Carleton Place (where an expressway is already being built to the 417) would do. I wouldn't be opposed to extending the 115 freeway to at least where Highway 7 meets Highway 28 North, and from Carleton Place to Perth, with more passing lanes and upgrades the rest of the route.

 

[marcus_a_j]

I've never gone the Hwy 7 route to Ottawa, so I can't speak on the traffic volumes on it and how many passing lanes there are. Maybe an upgrade of Hwy 7 to 4 lanes to Havelock similar to Hwy 6 between Hamilton and Hwy 401, with alternating passing lanes to Perth.

 

[nfitz]

Maybe an upgrade of Hwy 7 to 4 lanes to Havelock similar to Hwy 6 between Hamilton and Hwy 401 ...

What, the highway the Hamilton media refers to as "Killer 6"?

 

[marcus_a_j]

^ I was not aware of the Highway's high number of fatalities and collisions.

 

[waterloowarrior]

from The Record

A $60-million plan to widen the freeway [401] between Highway 8 and Hespeler Road has been appealed under provincial environmental assessment act, said ministry spokesperson Bob Nichols. The project had angered residents along Royal Oak Road, fearing increased traffic noise and air pollution, along with light shining into their homes at night from proposed new tall lights along the median.

The project includes replacement of the Fountain Street and Speedsville Road bridges. The Environment Ministry is reviewing the appeal of the proposed widening project. There's no timeline for a decision.

Meanwhile, the province has two more studies underway to upgrade Highway 401 near Cambridge. On average, 122,000 vehicles a day use the 401 between Highway 8 and Franklin.

An environmental assessment is underway to look at interchange upgrades along Highway 8 at Sportsworld Drive and Highway 8, looking to give better access to the westbound 401. The project will also study building an interchange at Speedsville Road.

That study started in May and a public meeting is likely this fall, Nichols said. A recommended solution is expected by the end of March 2009.

A study looking at widening Highway 401 from Hespeler Road east to the Halton Region boundary near Milton is just getting underway.

An engineering consultant is in the process of being hired to start work late this year.

The ministry is also in the process of hiring consultants to plan for repairs to bridges over the 401 east of Cambridge: Highway 6 (Hanlon) and the Wellington Road 32 and 35 bridges. That work is planned for 2009 to 2011.

 

[nfitz]

That stretch is already 6 lanes; the proposal here is only to expand it to 10 lanes from through Cambridge.