Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

[ShonTron]

Québec's autoroutes to me feel quite American - especially the urban freeways like the trenched Décarie, and the partially elevated Métropolitaine along with the service roads. They're about in as good shape, too.

 

[Leo_Chan]

If you look at the history of the build the community wanted direct access across to the other side. By trenching you don't have huge bridges that are a pain to cross. I personally think that they overspent on this infrastructure but it is a beautiful road and it strikes a balance between the communities needs and the needs of the greater transportation network (but the pendulum may have been solid gold with the costs involved)

Also need to keep in mind how much has to be done on the American side to connect with it. The bridge is only one small part of the third(?) connection between Windsor and Detroit, mostly for truck use.

 

[ericmacm]

I live in Windsor. The new 401 extension had to be built this way for many reasons. Windsor has been screwed by truck traffic cutting through large parts of the city for so long. This extension was pretty much designed to stop trucks from plugging up highway 3. Making it below grade helped with noise problems that South Windsor was experiencing. The large tunnel sections allow for some parkland areas up top and a slightly re-routed highway 3, it makes it easier for communities out in Essex County to get straight into Windsor without encountering massive truck traffic. Not to mention that the new extension looks beautiful and will last for a long time, it was beneficial to overbuild it because it'll be hard to do major maintenance projects when the truck traffic plugs everything up.

Once trucks start to get redirected to the eventual new bridge, it'll be convenient as they won't even have to leave the 401, and the rest of highway 3 that goes straight to the Ambassador Bridge (Huron Church Rd) will get a much needed makeover.

 

[lenaitch]

Québec's autoroutes to me feel quite American - especially the urban freeways like the trenched Décarie, and the partially elevated Métropolitaine along with the service roads. They're about in as good shape, too.

No kidding. I recently came back from a motorcycle trip to the Maritimes via Que 20/30/20. My back still hurts.

 

[KevinT]

The extension down there feels so American - it's a very interesting piece of infrastructure.

As long as the shoulders don't get clogged with old shopping carts and tire carcasses, I'm cool with that.

 

[TransitBart]

On the Highway 404 extension, there is a roughed-in interchange at Doane Road. Why do they build something and then “wait” to open it in a case like this? What is being accomplished?

 

[innsertnamehere]

On the Highway 404 extension, there is a roughed-in interchange at Doane Road. Why do they build something and then “wait” to open it in a case like this? What is being accomplished?

They did the grading with the initial construction contract - but the interchange isn't needed until Queensville develops further. They don't even want the interchange open now as Doane Road is a small rural sideroad that needs to be upgraded to handle increased traffic volumes first.

York Region is planning to upgrade Doane Road in the mid 2020's as Queensville becomes more built out, and open the interchange.

It's essentially future proofing for growth.

 

[gweed123]

They did the grading with the initial construction contract - but the interchange isn't needed until Queensville develops further. They don't even want the interchange open now as Doane Road is a small rural sideroad that needs to be upgraded to handle increased traffic volumes first.

York Region is planning to upgrade Doane Road in the mid 2020's as Queensville becomes more built out, and open the interchange.

It's essentially future proofing for growth.

Reminds me a bit of Phase 1 of the 407E when it ended at Harmony Rd. People starting using the 407E as a short-cut to 35/115, and the local roads that connected to Harmony Rd were nowhere near the standards to handle the volume of traffic that was going through there (particularly around the area of the Oshawa Zoo). At least with this latest extension traffic is being dumped onto Taunton Rd, which is more able to handle the demand until the final phase is opened.

I have no problem with spending a bit extra to rough something in and then waiting for the associated infrastructure to develop in order to actually complete it, especially when doing it from scratch later would cost significantly more than splitting the work in two.

 

[muller877]

Here was a decent local article on concrete barriers vs cables. Found via Google News

http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2018/07/06/concrete-barriers-preferred-option-deluxe-cost

 

[Leo_Chan]

I find it both interesting and sad that York Region put the Highway 404 extension(s) and Bradford Bypass on their Region Maps ever since 1997.

York Region 1997 Revised Map by York Region, on Flickr

 

[innsertnamehere]

The EA for them was completed in 2002 - this was then used to construct the portion that opened in 2014.

It all largely predates the Places To Grow Act. MTO was studying a lot of new highways around the GTA in the early 2000's.. and was ready to move with most of the 404 expansion north. Funding was secured to Keswick, then Places To Grow came around and the Liberals cut the rest of the project off the map.

They did re-add the Bradford Bypass into their long term plans in the last few years of their mandate, but never made any real commitments. We shall see if the PCs move it any more, or re-introduce the 404 extension.

The EA is too old now, it would need to be updated for anything to be built.

 

[TransitBart]

The EA for them was completed in 2002 - this was then used to construct the portion that opened in 2014.

It all largely predates the Places To Grow Act. MTO was studying a lot of new highways around the GTA in the early 2000's.. and was ready to move with most of the 404 expansion north. Funding was secured to Keswick, then Places To Grow came around and the Liberals cut the rest of the project off the map.

They did re-add the Bradford Bypass into their long term plans in the last few years of their mandate, but never made any real commitments. We shall see if the PCs move it any more, or re-introduce the 404 extension.

The EA is too old now, it would need to be updated for anything to be built.

What is the shelf life of a EA?

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

If you could design a unique shield for the 400-series highways, what would it look like (i.e. shape and colours)?

 

[Dan416]

If you could design a unique shield for the 400-series highways, what would it look like (i.e. shape and colours)?

Anything that isn't a crown lol.

 

[steveintoronto]

It all largely predates the Places To Grow Act. MTO was studying a lot of new highways around the GTA in the early 2000's.. and was ready to move with most of the 404 expansion north. Funding was secured to Keswick, then Places To Grow came around and the Liberals cut the rest of the project off the map.

They did re-add the Bradford Bypass into their long term plans in the last few years of their mandate, but never made any real commitments. We shall see if the PCs move it any more, or re-introduce the 404 extension.

When I started to read mention of the Places to Grow Act, I immediately had pangs of the Dougie Dynasty doing what you indicate "We shall see if the PCs move it any more'.

Wouldn't surprise me if the Places to Grow Act is made to disappear altogether. The only real resistance will be from 905 Mayors themselves, almost all of whom have become converts to the reason of it, even the ones well right of centre.

It's going to be interesting...