Roads: Highway 401 Widening - Highway 8 to Highway 410 (MTO, U/C, Planned)

[Transportfan]

That dead space at the northeast corner of the interchange looks awful. I'd think the MTO could have built the new bridge to the east of the old one and avoided the need for it. Also, why didn't they put up steel gantries for the entrance signs like they did in Milton, Kitchener, and London when they rebuilt interchanges there instead of those wimpy wooden ones?

 

[ShonTron]

That dead space at the northeast corner of the interchange looks awful. I'd think the MTO could have built the new bridge to the east of the old one and avoided the need for it. Also, why didn't they put up steel gantries for the entrance signs like they did in Milton, Kitchener, and London when they rebuilt interchanges there instead of those wimpy wooden ones?

That dead space will be useful if the LRT is built in a few years' time.

 

[Transportfan]

I somehow doubt that's what it's for. What purpose would it serve?

 

[ShonTron]

I somehow doubt that's what it's for. What purpose would it serve?

I'm not saying that's its purpose, but having some extra land to work with for the next project (say storing construction equipment and materials) would be useful to have, wouldn't it?

 

[Transportfan]

You think leaving a large ugly space permanently on a major street just to park construction equipment when working on now-distant-future projects is a good idea? Yuck.

 

[Haljackey]

Found some new images here: http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/Hwy401_HurontarioCons_images.htm

It's kind of sad that the the left express HOV lane will sit vacant for about a decade. All that work and no use. Phase II won't begin until 2017 at the earliest, and I would assume the HOV lane won't open until phase III is done.

 

[vebski]

Found some new images here: http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/Hwy401_HurontarioCons_images.htm

It's kind of sad that the the left express HOV lane will sit vacant for about a decade. All that work and no use. Phase II won't begin until 2017 at the earliest, and I would assume the HOV lane won't open until phase III is done.

Extremely sad, also extremely sad they did not make it a 4-lane express, with 3 regular lanes and 1 HOV lane!!

Arhrhghgh! 2017!? How do you know that the next phase won't start until then!?

 

[Haljackey]

Arhrhghgh! 2017!? How do you know that the next phase won't start until then!?

See my post on the previous page. There is nothing planned for this section when this phase is done until the 'beyond 2016' timeframe. The next phase won't start untill 2017 at the very earliest. The HOV lane will remain unused for about a decade.

Going out on a limb and saying construction on the next phase will start next year. It may even happen this winter. Mavis Rd is going to be a mess for the next 2 years along with the 401 as the existing ramps are rebuilt as well the extension of the existing bridges.

There is nothing in Ontario's southern highways program that says the next phase will start anytime soon: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pu...hern-highway-2012/expansion-projects.shtml#s2

The stretch of the 401 between Mississauga and Milton remains a priority on the 'beyond 2016' list of projects. I assume this is when the next phase of the widening will take place: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pu...highway-2012/planning-for-the-future.shtml#s2

 

[vebski]

See my post on the previous page. There is nothing planned for this section when this phase is done until the 'beyond 2016' timeframe. The next phase won't start untill 2017 at the very earliest. The HOV lane will remain unused for about a decade.

Garhghg, you are exactly right Haljackey. Oh well, one can only hope that maybe they will insert this next phase sometime sooner than 2016. Anyway, I found a page to someone who knows something about the study for the further phases past the credit rivier. They did the EA study and released reports.

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ontroads/message/22369

Check out the links on the page and you can "login" to view the documents using the stated "public" term as the username and password. A long but interesting read.

 

[nfitz]

See my post on the previous page. There is nothing planned for this section when this phase is done until the 'beyond 2016' timeframe. The next phase won't start untill 2017 at the very earliest. The HOV lane will remain unused for about a decade.

The "beyond 2016" is for the Mississauga-Milton section. The widening from Hurontario to Winston Churchill is conspicously absent from any schedule!

The Missisauga-Milton is a separate EA. (Trafalgar to Highway 25 - http://www.gta-west.com/). There's also an ongoing EA from Trafalgar to the Credit River - http://www.highway401credit-to-trafalgar.com/ (and one from Milton to Cambridge - http://www.highway401-hespeler-halton.ca/)

However the next phase is entirely within Mississauga, from the current end, to just east of the Credit River - http://www.401expansion-mississauga.ca/project_overview.html - The scope is defined as "the widening of Highway 401 to a 12-lane core/collector system from west of Hurontario Street to the Credit River, including median side HOV lanes, reconstruction of the Mavis Road interchanges, removal of the 2nd Line West structure, extension of the Fletcher’s Creek Culvert and construction of the Highway 401 West to Highway 403 South and Highway 403 South to Highway 401 West ramps at the Highway 401/403/410 interchange. ". The EA seems to have been stalled ... or the website is very out-of-date. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if it comes sooner than 2017.

BTW, the TESR for the Credit to Trafalgar is out. The 12-lane Express-Collector system (with 2 HOV lanes) will taper out around Winston Churchill to a 10-lane configuraton (with 2 HOV lanes) however west of the 407, the express-collector system will be resotred, and it will be back to a 12-lane configuration again. See http://www.highway401credit-to-traf...face=download&act=get&name=238/Final+TESR.pdf (I think someone might have mentioned this already).

 

[Basshats]

construction of the Highway 401 West to Highway 403 South and Highway 403 South to Highway 401 West ramps at the Highway 401/403/410 interchange. ".

Am I misunderstanding something or should that be 401 East to 403 South and 403 North to 401 West?

 

[drum118]

Am I misunderstanding something or should that be 401 East to 403 South and 403 North to 401 West?

The missing connections at 410 & 401 is to happen and this phase was the setup for it. No idea when that will take place and long over due.

The eastbound 401 lanes at the 410 cut off will see lanes for the southbound 410 that turns into the 403 south of the 401 at Eglinton. Northbound 410 will see a ramp to the westbound 401 collector lanes.

 

[nfitz]

Am I misunderstanding something or should that be 401 East to 403 South and 403 North to 401 West?

Hey, I just cut-and-paste from the EA website.

It's the missing two ramps, whatever you want to call them. It's all relative, if you stand at the centre of the intersection, the missing ramps are all from the 403 south to the 401 west. I don't know how they are supposed to refer to them though.

 

[Basshats]

Hey, I just cut-and-paste from the EA website.

It's the missing two ramps, whatever you want to call them. It's all relative, if you stand at the centre of the intersection, the missing ramps are all from the 403 south to the 401 west. I don't know how they are supposed to refer to them though.

When I read (for example) 401 east I always assume that means eastbound. The wording of the MTA site seems strange.

 

[TOareaFan]

The missing connections at 410 & 401 is to happen and this phase was the setup for it. No idea when that will take place and long over due.

The eastbound 401 lanes at the 410 cut off will see lanes for the southbound 410 that turns into the 403 south of the 401 at Eglinton. Northbound 410 will see a ramp to the westbound 401 collector lanes.

No chance there is a 410 southbound to 401 Eastbound Express ramp in that is there? It is a missing link for sure.