Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

[W. K. Lis]

Considering how heavily travelled Highway 404 04 are from the 401 the ramps that connect the two highways are very underdeveloped in capacity.

The southbound ramp from the 400 to the eastbound 401 is congested for most of the day. Both lanes disappear too soon. Even the ramp from northbound 400 (Black Creek) to eastbound 401 (actually the northbound 400 merges with the southbound 400 to the eastbound 401) disappears unexpectedly. So its actually THREE lanes that disappear too soon. Go to link and slide it towards Jane Street. The three lanes should be extended more eastwards.

Ditto for the eastbound 401 to the northbound 400/Black Creek.

 

[Jasmine18]

The Ramps to enter the 404 from the East or just horrible.

Then the two lanes to exit off the 404 are just oof.

Unsure what can be done right now but frankly these interchange should have been at least three stack interchanges..

 

[Northern Light]

Province announced today that the provincial highway program now has an interactive map.

Ontario’s highway programs

Learn about the 2024 Ontario highways program. Find highway expansion and rehabilitation projects that are planned or underway.

www.ontario.ca

 

[Mcurtis]

For those who were talking about the Barrie bottleneck it likely will get a little worse over the course of the next couple of years before we see any potential additional lanes or reprieve. A large number of the bridges in Barrie are still rather old and built for a smaller total volume set. Some work has been done to replace bridges in this area but there are still at least 4 significant bridges that need to be done along with the surrounding network improvements going with it. The MTO does have plans to start slowly working on this but the first one isn't expected to start construction until next year with the others following behind in consecutive years. Each apparently taking about 3 years to fully complete so it may not be until 2027-2028 if things go smoothly that the bridge issues are addressed within Barrie for those additional lane or alternative modes of transportation to be added in anywhere.

 

[Kitsune]

Province announced today that the provincial highway program now has an interactive map.

Ontario’s highway programs

Learn about the 2024 Ontario highways program. Find highway expansion and rehabilitation projects that are planned or underway.

www.ontario.ca

Most highway expansion (the green stuff) has a blank Target Date it seems .. except one stretch of highway 69 listed with a 2029 completion date, which if true the local's up north are gonna form a mob to hunt Ford down lol.

 

[terag51]

Province announced today that the provincial highway program now has an interactive map.

Ontario’s highway programs

Learn about the 2024 Ontario highways program. Find highway expansion and rehabilitation projects that are planned or underway.

www.ontario.ca

Not only does this show upcoming highway improvements, it is a map that shows where connecting links for highways start and end, and it shows the 7000 series as well... to see a blank map with provincial highways in black only: select rehab as the program type, and put the program year as “upcoming expansion”

 

[Steve X]

Not only does this show upcoming highway improvements, it is a map that shows where connecting links for highways start and end, and it shows the 7000 series as well... to see a blank map with provincial highways in black only: select rehab as the program type, and put the program year as “upcoming expansion”

Perhaps we should start calling the Bradford Bypass as Hwy 7317.

 

[gweed123]

Disappointed that the 5/6 interchange isn't included on that map. Probably the most important medium-priced MTO infrastructure project in Hamilton (and by medium-priced I mean an extra lane on the 403 doesn't count). The left turn volumes at that intersection are insane.

 

[Jasmine18]

Pretty much the 400 needs added lanes up to the 400/11 interchange. Issue is traffic to the north will increase as more people from the GTA travel to the north for cottages and tourism.

After that hose highways alone are pretty fine for capacity.

 

[Mcurtis]

Pretty much the 400 needs added lanes up to the 400/11 interchange. Issue is traffic to the north will increase as more people from the GTA travel to the north for cottages and tourism.

After that hose highways alone are pretty fine for capacity.

I would be interested to see the benefits of redoing the bridges and the interchanges. Mapleview, Dunlop and Bayfield are often a cause of backup onto the highway which cuts off a lane of traffic. the latter two are scheduled to be replaced in the near future. It would be interesting to see what level of pressure could be taken off the 400 just by making it easier to get into the City of Barrie and having less backup. I have to wonder if they will add a HOV lane as part of an expansion to the highway if/when they add more lanes. With the exception of cottage country traffic to the untrained eye it seems that the highway handles the conditions fairly well at its present design. Barrie is expected to grow fairly substantially over the next 20 years though as well.

 

[anb]

The east end only has the 404 therefore causing a lot of Traffic to use it (even more than 400 on some days). Hopefully we could see a highway soon possibly a little east of Stouffville and it could even be the main feeder to the future Pickering airport

 

[terag51]

Perhaps we should start calling the Bradford Bypass as Hwy 7317.

Yes I guess so... we were all wrong xD

 

[lenaitch]

A provincial highway between 404 and 400, should it be built, will no doubt be assigned a 400-series number once it is built. 7000-series numbers are assigned as project 'place-holders', some connecting links under provincial control and minor provincial roads in the north where there is no local authority. Interestingly (to me anyway), the short. 1.1km section between the 400/11 'Willow Creek split' and the beginning of Hwy 11 at Simcoe County Rd. 93 (Crown Hill) is, according to the MTO, Highway 400A.

 

[ARG1]

A provincial highway between 404 and 400, should it be built, will no doubt be assigned a 400-series number once it is built. 7000-series numbers are assigned as project 'place-holders', some connecting links under provincial control and minor provincial roads in the north where there is no local authority. Interestingly (to me anyway), the short. 1.1km section between the 400/11 'Willow Creek split' and the beginning of Hwy 11 at Simcoe County Rd. 93 (Crown Hill) is, according to the MTO, Highway 400A.

Highway 400A hasn't existed since Mike Harris downloaded a ton of Provincially run highways back in 1997. Back then, Highway 11 exited off Simcoe Rd 93, travelled through Barrie, and ended up as Yonge St. all the way until Downtown Toronto. Since Harris, Highway 11 terminates at Willow Creek split and 400A no longer exists.

 

[lenaitch]

Highway 400A hasn't existed since Mike Harris downloaded a ton of Provincially run highways back in 1997. Back then, Highway 11 exited off Simcoe Rd 93, travelled through Barrie, and ended up as Yonge St. all the way until Downtown Toronto. Since Harris, Highway 11 terminates at Willow Creek split and 400A no longer exists.

It seems some sites say describe it as current and others as former but what you describe makes sense. The MTO site is particularly unnavigable but I saw it referenced in a traffic count in 2011.