Ontario Highways
 

As requested by other SSP users, I’m gonna start a new thread on Ontario Highways, especially concerning constructions. For 401, refer to MolsonExport’s thread.
Link: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=209059

For Highway 69, refer to swimmer_spe’s thread: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=234240

For TCH (Trans-Canada Highway, mainly 17, occasionally 11), refer to mine. Link: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=229872

Anyway let’s see what’s gonna happen (and more so what’s gonna be cancelled) under Doug Ford:

Widening 3 between Essex and Leamington (Thanks north42; I thought Essex is part of Windsor too.)

Upgrading 6 between Guelph and Hamilton

Widening 7 between KW and Guelph and between Stratford and New Hamburg on the west, and between Peterborough (freeway) and Havelock, and between Perth and Carleton Place in the east.

407E to 35/115?

Widening 9 between Orangeville and GTA (I know this is not even planned but it’s so congested, and 9&27’s such a bad spot, that people should demand change.)

Extending 410 to Shelbourne (I’m dreaming at this point.)

Widening 11 from 4 to 6 lanes south of Gravenhurst

Widening 26 up to Owen Sound (I’ve seen plans, and I think that traffic between Collingwood and Barrie does warrant.)

Extending 427 to Major Mackenzie

Widening 40 (Lambton Council has mentioned it.)

Extending 404 to north of Sunderland

Extending 406??

Widening 61 (I heard that’s dead for the next 4 years.)

Extending 400?

101 Timmins Bypass?

Upgrading the RIRO part of 115 to freeway standard (and possibly renumbering it 428 because of the old 28 <Peterborough County Road 28 & Northumberland County Road 28>)?

Ps: If some of them aren’t even heard of, I list them simply because I think they need to be done.

A Hwy 101 bypass of Timmins would be wonderful. It had been proposed and planned but provincial funding has never come through. The only section of it that was build was Lafleur Drive. And that part opened in 1995. So all traffic big and small has to come right through the centre of the city including downtown. That includes transports but even worse are the ore trucks which are used in mining.

Our city has given up on the bypass and it's really sad that serious accidents continue to happen with large trucks (especially the ore trucks) where pedestrians are hit and killed and awful collisions happen.

Highway 3 has already been widened between Windsor and Essex a few years ago, it’s only the stretch between Essex and leamington that still has to be done. It was supposed to be finished after the first phase, but the Liberals kept putting it off after that phase was finally completed. Ford said he will make sure that it is completed once he becomes premier, so we’ll see what actually happens!

Transport trucks should never be permitted to pass through any downtown areas!

In Cambridge, trucks roaming down the 24 are a huge concern. I’ve seen the map though: bypassing KW and Brantford requires completely realigning 24, and the ideal route will start from 401 near 97, west of Grand River and end at where 24 leaves the 403 (south of Paris).

Also, I was gonna bring up widening the same highway between Hespeler and Guelph (rush hour traffic is brutal) but that part’s technically a county road now.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the highway network under Ford. I think Hwy 69 will still be twinned between Parry Sound and Sudbury. The twining south of Sudbury started under the previous PC government, so my suspicion is they will keep it up.

Some of the projects from Thunder Bay to Nipigon had joint funding between the governments of Ontario and Canada so it'll be curious to see how much of that work keeps moving forward. Seems like it would be a waste not to take advantage of federal funding commitments.

I'm actually curious to see what happens in Kitchener and Cambridge. The Liberals had planned to widen the 401 between Hespeler and Townline Roads starting next year. That seems like something that could be shelved for a few years to be honest.

It'll also be curious how the PC's will support HOV or HOT lanes. I don't suspect there will be much of a change of approach with these lanes, but it's not impossible that there could be.

Speaking of KW, don’t forget about the new Highway 7. As for Guelph, though, with the city going Green, I suspect that Schreiner will oppose upgrading Hanlon Parkway (the 6) and building Morriston-Puslinch Bypass very fiercely.

Hanlon upgrades will probably actually reduce emissions due to less stopping and starting. Since the road is already there all you really need is bridges and ramps. This isn't really greenfield highway building.

Oh yea I totally forgot a big one: Extension of 407E, would it continue? For me, it’s hard to see the PC kill that project because it’s such a cash cow. :D

407E is almost done. The third and final phase is underway and should open by 2020.

https://www.on407.ca/en/index.html

What the PCs could do is sell the whole extension, along with the two connector highways to 407ETR. Just make sure it's sold for a significant profit or else just operate it like the Liberals. Won't look good for voters though, selling the original 407 was one reason why the PCs lost power in the early 2000s.

I don't see this happening.

Wow, just wow... Who has the contract for that highway?

A large section of Highway 600 was recently realigned for the construction of a new gold mine in the area. Presumably, this sign was ordered and installed by the contractor that built the new road.

And the contractor has no concept of secondary highways...

Correct me if I'm wrong but most if not all highway maintenance in Northern Ontario is now done by contractors which includes signage. You don't have MTO employees making the signs and putting them up anymore.

The contractors still (generally) order the signs from the MTO, so the signs are made by the MTO sign shop, but installed by the maintenance contractor.

Also, a question for eastern Ontarians: would it be a non-starter to twin Highway 7 from Peterborough all the way to Carleton Place in an attempt to “unclog” 401? I mean, in both cases we are adding 2 lanes anyway. ;)

This is the Northern Ontario Party's dream, folks. :cheers:

https://www.discoverestevan.com/loca...-role-new-name

I think that's something that Ontario can definitely consider.

The 407 extension seems to be popular on this friday before a long weekend at 1:30 in the afternoon:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/Ontro...tn_traffic.jpg