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

[Haljackey]

I had no idea about this Westbound backup that everyone was talking about when I went to my parents place for dinner on Monday night. I was expecting things to be so much smoother now that both the express and collector lanes are open, and ended up stuck in traffic that barely moved in the collector lanes (I came from the 427), while the express lanes were pretty much empty. Flaw in the design possibly?

It's a design flaw because traffic entering 401 westbound from the 427 and 410 feed into the collectors with no chance to transfer to the express. This should be relieved a little when a new basketweave opens in the next part of the project.

Also there's diver stupidity for the eastbound direction. Back before this project began most westbound drivers who wanted to take the 401 to the 427 exited to the collectors at the basketweave by the airport. Now they are taking the new collector/express split west of Hurontario which makes the collectors crowded and the express relatively empty.

I have a bad feeling that his won't be getting any better until the express/collector system is extended further west.

You are probably right, but driving patterns may change once people get used to the new layout, easing things up a bit.

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Also I found new photos of the project at http://asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/Hwy401_HurontarioCons_images.htm (scroll to the bottom for the most recent ones)

 

[vebski]

So I know that the 401 expansion project is, for some reason, nowhere to be found on the `Southern Highways Program`website, but I found this little tidbit about 2nd Line being removed on the City of Mississauga website:

http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/secondlinewest

It states that the 2nd phase is tentatively scheduled to start in 2013. This is the ONLY website where I could find any information on the start date of the 2ns phase. So maybe, just maybe, they may decide to start some construction this year, but more likely next year.

 

[Dan416]

Good find!

From the link you listed:

Phase 1 of the construction is underway and includes the expansion of Highway 401 from the Highway 410/403 interchange to east of the Mavis Road interchange. Phase 2 includes the expansion of Highway 401 from east of the Mavis Road interchange to east of the Credit River. The MTO is currently working on the detailed design of Phase 2 including the permanent removal of the Second Line West structure. The Phase 2 construction is tentatively scheduled to commence in 2013.

However, if you look at the actual scanned notice http://www.mississauga.ca/file/COM/secondline_PublicMeetingNov16.pdf that information was posted on November 4, 2011, so plans very well could have changed in the last 2 years.

 

[vebski]

However, if you look at the actual scanned notice that information was posted on November 4, 2011, so plans very well could have changed in the last 2 years.

I will continue to hope and dream....

 

[Dan416]

Me too

 

[Haljackey]

I'm heading this way tomorrow (from London). Are there still a lot of delays here with the construction? Thinking of taking the 403 at Woodstock to bypass the area and rejoin the 401 past it at 401/403/410.

 

[timio]

Shouldn't be an issue on the weekend. Not enough to take that much of a detour, at least.

 

[Haljackey]

Ok thanks! Was just wondering.

Most of the time it's faster for me to take the 401/403/QEW/Gardiner if I'm heading downtown, but the 401/427/Gardiner can be faster when there's construction or congestion.

 

[Transportfan]

I'm heading this way tomorrow (from London). Are there still a lot of delays here with the construction? Thinking of taking the 403 at Woodstock to bypass the area and rejoin the 401 past it at 401/403/410.

What!? You're not driving through the competed CD section and posting a time-lapse driving vid on YouTube?

 

[Haljackey]

What!? You're not driving through the competed CD section and posting a time-lapse driving vid on YouTube?

Actually I got it in the other direction at night!

[video=youtube;tmStI3YmlfA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmStI3YmlfA[/video]

This was my first time driving on the new express lanes.

 

[ninetykman]

I have a bad feeling that his won't be getting any better until the express/collector system is extended further west.

Its already a nightmare past Mavis. Premium outlets have made it around Trafalgar.

 

[Transportfan]

Cool vid. I notice they are preparing for the future C-D extension by showing the next three exits on the signs.

PS: You should turn off your autofocus at night to prevent blurring.

 

[Haljackey]

New pics from Asphaltplanet: http://asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/Hwy401_HurontarioCons_images.htm#Aug13

Looks like the grading for a future 401-403 ramp is underway. The sign gantry looks long enough for it too.

 

[nfitz]

Looks like the grading for a future 401-403 ramp is underway. The sign gantry looks long enough for it too.

Presumably it's just the EA. I don't think it's in this contract.

 

[mtomo]

I don't understand something. Generally if you are in the express lane and you wish to exit the highway you switch the collector lanes and then exit from there. Going EB on 401 express, if you want to exit to 427 you switch to collector and then exit. And similarly those in the collector wishing to continue on 401 stay to the left. And hence the transfer. However going WB express, the exit to Hurontario seems like it totally goes under the collector lanes and directly onto the exit ramp. So when I was approaching the hurontario exit on EB collectors, I stayed to the left expecting to merge onto express however I was still on collectors. So in the future, where will be the transfer to the express in the WB lanes? Hopefully before Mavis.