Quote:
Originally Posted by jamincan
I think the reason the ramps are setup that way is to allow the QEW to be diverted if the skyway needs to be closed due to high winds or an accident.
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This is true. Eastport Drive (a 4-lane "service road" on the west flank of the QEW) was built when the 1985 bridge was being constructed. While it serves the industrial land that exists and is still being created in the east harbour, it allowed for easier on/off on the Hamilton side of the ship channel. Prior to that it was just the QEW and Beach Boulevard along the east side of the highway, which is a residential street.
In summer of 2014 a dump truck with its bucket raised hit the metal structure of the older bridge. Luckily there was no catastrophic damage, and the bridge was only closed over a long weekend, but the traffic congestion mess that ensued was horrible. Other crashes often close one of the bridges, but only for hours not days... still causes quite a backup on other local roads (through Burlington and Hamilton too, as people try to take the long way around the bay to get back on track)
Eventually there will probably be need for a third span if traffic growth on the QEW continues post-COVID at the rate it was before the pandemic. Shoehorning it in will not be simple, but perhaps it could help alleviate the non-wind closure issue if vehicles can be diverted onto the unaffected bridges.