Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

[kamira51]

Is there a collection of easily accessible archived highway plans, studys, etc.

 

[Jonny5]

Toronto, Canada and Global Breaking News – CP24

Most recent News News business news stories and video from CP24

www.cp24.com

Effective July 11 or as soon as possible after that date.

• Hwy 403 from Brantford to Hamilton
• Hwy 401, Tilbury, extending the existing 110 km/h zone further east by 7 km
• Hwy 401 from Colborne to Belleville
• Hwy 401 from Belleville to Kingston
• Hwy 401 from Hwy 16 to Quebec boundary
• Hwy 406 from Thorold to Welland
• Hwy 416 from Hwy 401 to Ottawa
• Hwy 69 from Sudbury to French River

 

[Dan416]

Toronto, Canada and Global Breaking News – CP24

Most recent News News business news stories and video from CP24

www.cp24.com

Effective July 11 or as soon as possible after that date.

• Hwy 403 from Brantford to Hamilton
• Hwy 401, Tilbury, extending the existing 110 km/h zone further east by 7 km
• Hwy 401 from Colborne to Belleville
• Hwy 401 from Belleville to Kingston
• Hwy 401 from Hwy 16 to Quebec boundary
• Hwy 406 from Thorold to Welland
• Hwy 416 from Hwy 401 to Ottawa
• Hwy 69 from Sudbury to French River

I want to like this but there’s not a single section that I drive on frequently. Why are they doing this so piecemeal?

 

[innsertnamehere]

My understanding is that MTO is making small upgrades to the stretches beforehand - i.e. upgraded guardrails, etc.

I do know the 403 through those stretches was resurfaced last year - I imagine they looped in some minor upgrades with that before increasing the limit.

It's good to see more increases, but I definitely see a lot more room for reasonable stretches to be increased to 110 still:

- 400 Vaughan - Barrie, north of Barrie to MacTier
- 401 Kingston to 416
- 401 London to Kitchener, Cambridge to Milton
- 407 in it's entirety
- 418
- 401 Cobourg to Colborne
- 17 west of Sudbury
- 11 Gravenhurst to Bracebridge


I also think the twinned parts of 11/17 east of Thunder Bay desperately need a limit higher than 90 km/h, be it 100 or 110.

 

[ShonTron]

My understanding is that MTO is making small upgrades to the stretches beforehand - i.e. upgraded guardrails, etc.

I do know the 403 through those stretches was resurfaced last year - I imagine they looped in some minor upgrades with that before increasing the limit.

It's good to see more increases, but I definitely see a lot more room for reasonable stretches to be increased to 110 still:

- 400 Vaughan - Barrie, north of Barrie to MacTier
- 401 Kingston to 416
- 401 London to Kitchener, Cambridge to Milton
- 407 in it's entirety
- 418
- 401 Cobourg to Colborne
- 17 west of Sudbury
- 11 Gravenhurst to Bracebridge


I also think the twinned parts of 11/17 east of Thunder Bay desperately need a limit higher than 90 km/h, be it 100 or 110.

The 400 will not get a higher speed limit between Barrie and Toronto for years to come, because of all the construction along the corridor. I would agree with the 401 between Woodstock and Kitchener (Homer Watson), as that is built to the latest standards and has very few exits. Highway 400 north of Barrie is not built to the latest MTO standards. The traffic is light (except cottage country weekends) but it doesn't have the wide shoulders or upgraded guard rails.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Yea. I assume the 400 could be phased as widening construction finishes. Vaughan to Newmarket will be done in a year or two so they could do that stretch then.

It'll clearly be the same thing for the 401 south of London, which looks like it will be increased as it's widened to 6 lanes.

The 400 north of Barrie may not be fully built to standard, but upgrades should be relatively easy, and it's traffic patterns suggest behavior closer to a 110km/h road already anyway.

The lowest hanging fruit right now as it stands is the 401 from London to Kitchener and the 407, IMO. the rest are perhaps a bit more difficult, but not unreasonable as a whole.

 

[11th]

Toronto, Canada and Global Breaking News – CP24

Most recent News News business news stories and video from CP24

www.cp24.com

Effective July 11 or as soon as possible after that date.

• Hwy 403 from Brantford to Hamilton
• Hwy 401, Tilbury, extending the existing 110 km/h zone further east by 7 km
• Hwy 401 from Colborne to Belleville
• Hwy 401 from Belleville to Kingston
• Hwy 401 from Hwy 16 to Quebec boundary
• Hwy 406 from Thorold to Welland
• Hwy 416 from Hwy 401 to Ottawa
• Hwy 69 from Sudbury to French River

Official news release with map

 

[lenaitch]

My understanding is that MTO is making small upgrades to the stretches beforehand - i.e. upgraded guardrails, etc.

I do know the 403 through those stretches was resurfaced last year - I imagine they looped in some minor upgrades with that before increasing the limit.

It's good to see more increases, but I definitely see a lot more room for reasonable stretches to be increased to 110 still:

- 400 Vaughan - Barrie, north of Barrie to MacTier
- 401 Kingston to 416
- 401 London to Kitchener, Cambridge to Milton
- 407 in it's entirety
- 418
- 401 Cobourg to Colborne
- 17 west of Sudbury
- 11 Gravenhurst to Bracebridge


I also think the twinned parts of 11/17 east of Thunder Bay desperately need a limit higher than 90 km/h, be it 100 or 110.

Hwy 11 between Gravenhurst and Bracebridge has a couple of at-grade intersections, which might a hard stop for the MTO. If memory serves, 17 west of Sudbury and 11/17 east of TBay does as well.

 

[Northern Light]

Official news release with map

I'll bring the map forward for everyone:

 

[innsertnamehere]

There is one at-grade next to Gravenhurst, then it's fully separated until north of Bracebridge. It's a good 15-20 kms without an at-grade intersection.

11/17 has many at-grade intersections, yes.

 

[Deadpool X]

The 400 will not get a higher speed limit between Barrie and Toronto for years to come, because of all the construction along the corridor. I would agree with the 401 between Woodstock and Kitchener (Homer Watson), as that is built to the latest standards and has very few exits. Highway 400 north of Barrie is not built to the latest MTO standards. The traffic is light (except cottage country weekends) but it doesn't have the wide shoulders or upgraded guard rails.

There are several highways in US and elsewhere with much lower safety standards (narrow right shoulder, no left shoulder, short merging lanes, etc), yet much higher speed limits.

Even 401 within GTA is good for 120 speed limit. All merging lanes are 300 m long with a few exceptions and there are wide right and left shoulders pretty much everywhere.

 

[2323]

There are several highways in US and elsewhere with much lower safety standards (narrow right shoulder, no left shoulder, short merging lanes, etc), yet much higher speed limits.

Even 401 within GTA is good for 120 speed limit. All merging lanes are 300 m long with a few exceptions and there are wide right and left shoulders pretty much everywhere.

A lot of the western US has an 80 (130) limit, even in more mountainous stretches like throughout a lot of the Rockies in Montana. BC even signs the 5 as 120, despite being far windier and with far more elevation change than any major highway in Ontario. Here's an example:

Note the absence of any accel/deccel lanes, and narrow inside shoulders.

 

[turbanplanner]

A lot of the western US has an 80 (130) limit, even in more mountainous stretches like throughout a lot of the Rockies in Montana. BC even signs the 5 as 120, despite being far windier and with far more elevation change than any major highway in Ontario. Here's an example:

View attachment 559279
View attachment 559280
View attachment 559281

Note the absence of any accel/deccel lanes, and narrow inside shoulders.

Doesn't Ontario have the "safest" roads in the continent? I feel like that reputation is part of why they're so conservative

 

[turbanplanner]

I was driving on the 412 today and noticed some weird rectangular what I’m assuming are sensors glued into the middle of the lane! Does anyone have an idea of what these might be? I can try to pull a photo for my dash cam, but it won’t be that great.

 

[Steve X]

There are several highways in US and elsewhere with much lower safety standards (narrow right shoulder, no left shoulder, short merging lanes, etc), yet much higher speed limits.

Even 401 within GTA is good for 120 speed limit. All merging lanes are 300 m long with a few exceptions and there are wide right and left shoulders pretty much everywhere.

The speed limit would be staying put not because the road can't accommodate faster speed but the volume is too much to support it during most times of the day. 120 to 130 is possible on 69/400 north of Barrie where traffic is light but it's too fast for busy routes where some don't even drive at 100.