The 401

[sonysnob]

Easterly view of the 401 and the 412 interchange from Lake Ridge Road in Whitby. I've shot this interchange a bunch of time. Despite the fact that the ramps aren't curvilinear (as they should be), it's still quite a photogenic interchange.


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/401_cl_406_east_EB-ramp_Oct23_24x16.jpg

[TownGuy]

^ Took that interchange twice today

[MolsonExport]

Is that highway toll-free?

[Innsertnamehere]

it is now, yes.

[sonysnob]

Easterly view of the now closed westbound transfer from the express to collector transfer between Kennedy Road and Warden Avenue in Scarborough. This transfer is being replaced by a new one that will be immediately upstream of the Kennedy Road off-ramp:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/401_cl_376_east_WB-transfer_Nov23_24x16.jpg

[TownGuy]

^ What's the reasoning behind a different transfer location?

[sonysnob]

Moving the transfer upstream of the Kennedy Road interchange will prevent slow moving traffic entering the collector lanes from the Kennedy Road interchange from weaving across all of the lanes trying to enter the express at the top of a long grade. It will also see the express get a fourth lane up the long grade from the Kennedy interchange which is somewhat of an ancilliary benefit.

tldr: it will somewhat improve traffic.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Easterly view of the now closed westbound transfer from the express to collector transfer between Kennedy Road and Warden Avenue in Scarborough. This transfer is being replaced by a new one that will be immediately upstream of the Kennedy Road off-ramp:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/401_cl_376_east_WB-transfer_Nov23_24x16.jpg

The behemoth looks like it is a hundred lanes wide here.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The behemoth looks like it is a hundred lanes wide here.

nope "just" 12 lanes here, at least right now. I believe the construction is taking it to 13 or 14 though.

[sonysnob]

Lanes:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/401_cl_DSC08703_24x16.jpg

[MolsonExport]

good ol' induced demand. No matter how many lanes, the 401 will always end up getting clogged.

[haljackey]

Great pic of the big boi

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

good ol' induced demand. No matter how many lanes, the 401 will always end up getting clogged.

Single point of failure too. Alternative routes? Laughs in Ontario.

We have most of our big cities on a pretty straight line with few geographical/topographical features in the way like big/deep rivers or mountains. High speed rail? How about just one (or more) more lane(s) on the 401 bro?

401 is dam impressive, both from positive and negative perspectives.

[Djeffery]

Induced demand? How about actual demand? It's not like the population and industry is shrinking along the 401 corridor.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Induced demand? How about actual demand? It's not like the population and industry is shrinking along the 401 corridor.

Indeed.

Ontario has gone from 10.7 million people in 1996 to 15.7 million today, much of that growth in the GTA. In less than 30 years, a 30%+ increase in population.

The 401 has grown too, but the major improvements through the GTA yielded about as much as they could by the late 1990s and early 2000s. Certainly 30% additional capacity on the 401 over that time span was always going to be a big ask, if not outright impossible for some places.

Big growth can be great, but in the same breath complaining about the contradictions big growth imposes seems kind of silly.

[thewave46]

The amusing bit to me is the small 100 km/h speed limit sign posted on the centre median post. Exactly where I'm looking when I'm in the rightmost lane of the Express.

I wonder if Ontario might eventually do like other countries and place overhead speed signs as they do in Germany on their Autobahns. Especially for very large cross-section highways.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by thewave46

The amusing bit to me is the small 100 km/h speed limit sign posted on the centre median post. Exactly where I'm looking when I'm in the rightmost lane of the Express.

But everyone knows if you're not going 120+ you're standing still!

[sonysnob]

The temporary lane markings make it look like a highway in the UK:
(Looking westerly from Avenue Road)


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/401_cl_367_west_WB_Nov23_42x28.jpg

[ScreamingViking]

Those orange lane markers in construction zones are fine during the day, but does anyone else find them more difficult to see at night? Especially if the pavement is wet?

[Dengler Avenue]

“Follow the car in front of you, just like during snow days.”

[ScreamingViking]

Ya, that only works if the vehicle in front of you is driving in the right place.

A few months ago I was coming home from Stratford late at night, and it was raining hard. The construction on the 401 through Kitchener had everything eastbound merging down to two and then one through lane. Trucks were having a hard time staying in their lanes, despite the slower flow.

Usually in a bad snowstorm, I'll stick behind one of those trucks. Despite me doing so in a driving rain, I had to swerve over as much as I could a few times and I think I may have come close to becoming much thinner that night. It got better when we reached the actual construction zone and there were bright lights set up for the work and the through-lane was next to a barrier, but before that the lighting was horrible and the trucks were bunching up.

Thick fog is the worst though. Not much one can do except hope and pray and get off the highway when possible.