Manitoba | Highways

[Winnipeg Grump]

Originally Posted by Ozabald

That was clearly evident this past weekend when MB-75 was closed from Morris to the border due to ice. And then magically, once you cross the 49th, I-29 was clear and bare.

We drove back Monday night through the storm. It started south of Fargo not too bad but by the time we hit Grand Forks it was very much full-on storm.

Fargo to Grand Forks was 90 minutes instead of 60, Grand Forks to the border was 2 hours instead of 1 and almost white-out conditions. Remarked more than once 'how bad does it have get before they close this?!?'. I-29 was fully ice-covered with blowing and drifting snow - I basically relied on the tail lights of the semi in front to guide me more often than not.

Pulled in to the border only to find out that 75 was closed at Morris so detoured through Winkler/Carman to come home. Weird thing is visibility was very good once we got to the border so we wondered why the road was closed. And, of course, we got halfway through the detour and then they re-opened 75.

Do NOT want to go through that again!

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by rivercity

While not a mystical forcefield, the USA-Canada border represents a massive jurisdictional change and a 10 fold increase in a population paying federal gas tax that provides 50% of NDDOTs funding.

We huge in gasoline taxes and GST to supposedly maintain our roads, wonder if any is actually directed that way!?

[Ozabald]

Originally Posted by rivercity

While not a mystical forcefield, the USA-Canada border represents a massive jurisdictional change and a 10 fold increase in a population paying federal gas tax that provides 50% of NDDOTs funding.

Well, Manitoba can always direct funds from its $3.5B annual equalization payment to highway maintenance.

[jmt18325]

Originally Posted by Luisito

I just drove through North Dakota a few days ago. Did not notice many potholes, just a few. From what I could tell I29 was in good shape for the most part. Drove all the way to Fargo on I29 then took I94 all the way to Minneapolis which was awesome. Took the same rought back. The interstate system is great. Every road had an overpass.


Coming back to Manitoba, the highway was in good shape on this side also. The only difference was the country roads and having to drive though Morris and long stretch is that is under construction, you have to slow way down. Getting back to Winnipeg is where you notice how bad things are. I think Winnipeg would be well served by turning some major roads into freeways. Is it really such a crazy idea to turn Lag into a freeway? I mean it is pretty much already a highway, why not make it safer and faster? I am glad the south perimeter is finally getting turned into a freeway. This is long overdue. Some people on here are really against freeways, and I understand the reasons why. At the sametime though I think in some cases freeways are a good thing. Specially when looking at the American interstate system. They are not the solution for everything but they can also be very useful and if we're being honest cars are not going anywhere.

The spring before last, I ruined two wheels and three tires on I29. It's the worst damage I've ever done to a car.

[jmt18325]

Seems to be a real lack of acknowledgement in this thread that highways and highway infrastructure have gotten a lot better. None of this will happen overnight, but I remember what roads were like 15 years ago, and there's really no comparison today. They tend to be newer, and better maintained. Of course, there are exceptions, but much of that is in the soon to come category.

[jmt18325]

Oh, also--the new chip seal with fog seal is WAY better than the previous way of doing it. It's like there was no chip seal once it's finished. Visually, it looks identical to a micro surface, and there is almost zero flying gravel.

[Sasquatch]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Oh yea, any thoughts about these two?

I drive through the Elie intersection a lot and I've come to the conclusion that since the businesses around the intersection of 248 and TCH were allowed to build so close to the highway, it would make more sense to reroute 248 about 1/2 mile to the east and have an overpass there.

I'd add a second overpass just to the west of the flour mill. Again, Ag West is too close to the highway to cram something in at the current intersection. What amazes me is that there has not been a bad accident at that intersection due to the truck traffic going to the flour mill.

I drive a semi hauling grain south across that intersection for several days each fall and it often takes about 10 minutes to get a sufficient break in the traffic coming from the west to get safely across or merge onto the highway and get to the Elie intersection.

[WildCake]

Originally Posted by Sasquatch

I drive through the Elie intersection a lot and I've come to the conclusion that since the businesses around the intersection of 248 and TCH were allowed to build so close to the highway, it would make more sense to reroute 248 about 1/2 mile to the east and have an overpass there.

I'd add a second overpass just to the west of the flour mill. Again, Ag West is too close to the highway to cram something in at the current intersection. What amazes me is that there has not been a bad accident at that intersection due to the truck traffic going to the flour mill.

I drive a semi hauling grain south across that intersection for several days each fall and it often takes about 10 minutes to get a sufficient break in the traffic coming from the west to get safely across or merge onto the highway and get to the Elie intersection.

If they stick with just a diamond interchange then they probably have enough room in the current intersection location. Look up the Province MAO map and you'll see that highways owns half the parking lot between TCH and the existing buildings of the Tims/Esso combo. The Ford dealership is all parking lot so some of that could be expropriated. They can probably keep the exit ramps fairly close to the highway too.

If there's loop ramps, that's a different story.

[Sasquatch]

The idea of putting the overpass on the highway with a diamond interchange occurred to me, but then you need two 2 lane bridges and they are prone to icing up in the winter. There is an existing allowance for a service road, but there's barely enough space in front of the Tim's. They already use the allowance as a parking lot and the rear parking area is generally full of trucks as it is.

[WildCake]

Originally Posted by Sasquatch

The idea of putting the overpass on the highway with a diamond interchange occurred to me, but then you need two 2 lane bridges and they are prone to icing up in the winter. There is an existing allowance for a service road, but there's barely enough space in front of the Tim's. They already use the allowance as a parking lot and the rear parking area is generally full of trucks as it is.

I mean if/when this interchange ever gets built, that'll be the up to Esso/Tims to figure out their parking problem without the space in front. They're using MTI's land allowance on borrowed time. They're lucky enough that MTI hasn't chopped off their redneck gravel road access to the WB lanes that's a measly 150m from the intersection. Regardless, not MTI's problem to solve.

As for a service road, there doesn't necessarily need to be one following the highway directly. Take Google Maps down I29 and you'll see most small towns will have their actual street network double as highway service road. A fairly long stretch of I29 doesn't even have service roads attached and so anyone wanting to travel between interchanges would take the nearest mile road. Elie has enough existing roads that I don't see a need for service roads right next to the TCH.

[Sasquatch]

Okay, you've sold me on your plan. Elie's far from the only problematic interchange in this province, so we've got a lot of work to do.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who drives the Manitoba highway network and finds countless examples of glaringly short range thinking when it comes to planning for the future.

As I drove through Headingley the other day, I saw another example of a poorly thought out roadway that has been so boxed in by development that the province now has no option but to build an entirely new and expensive highway to the north when they could have upgraded the existing one to free flowing by embracing some foresight thirty years ago.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Sasquatch

Okay, you've sold me on your plan. Elie's far from the only problematic interchange in this province, so we've got a lot of work to do.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who drives the Manitoba highway network and finds countless examples of glaringly short range thinking when it comes to planning for the future.

As I drove through Headingley the other day, I saw another example of a poorly thought out roadway that has been so boxed in by development that the province now has no option but to build an entirely new and expensive highway to the north when they could have upgraded the existing one to free flowing by embracing some foresight thirty years ago.

That part’s actually easy. You can just demolish everything (abutting the TCH) and force the freeway and service roads through.
The bigger headache is to the east, where you have an amusement park to the north and a cemetery to the south of TCH, right next to its interchange with the perimeter highway.
Remember: if we’re using a median barrier, i expect there to be enough room for 6 lanes in the future. That adds constraints.

[bomberjet]

Interchange at 334, interchange at John Blumberg (which will be closed) and maybe interchange at the downs/car centre. The rest is median barrier with service roads and no access.

[Carboy15]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Interchange at 334, interchange at John Blumberg (which will be closed) and maybe interchange at the downs/car centre. The rest is median barrier with service roads and no access.

Well, Centreport Canada way will be built in the future. And I don't believe in retrofittinginterchanges and habing to destroy businesses. Also, Portage Ave would need to become a freeway too if that were to happen. I'm up for a centreport canada way extension

[Carboy15]

So if an interchange in Elie were to exist, it would not require demolition, but the business parking lots would be taken away and the businesses would have to rearrange their layout.

[Carboy15]

[Carboy15]

[Dengler Avenue]

And I don't believe in retrofittinginterchanges and habing to destroy businesses.

I understand the sentiment, so the shoehorning is really proposed in response to M.I.T.’s myopia.
As for businesses and residences, they’ll be relocated.

Also, Portage Ave would need to become a freeway too if that were to happen.

Not necessarily. It can continue west of Perimeter Highway as divided, unidirectional service roads (with the freeway in between), and join TCH at a unidirectional (WB-entrance, EB-exit) interchange.

I prefer the scenario where businesses line service roads so that drivers on the freeway feel that they’re in a city, not in the middle of nowhere.

[Carboy15]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I understand the sentiment, so the shoehorning is really proposed in response to M.I.T.’s myopia.
As for businesses and residences, they’ll be relocated.

Not necessarily. It can continue west of Perimeter Highway as divided, unidirectional service roads (with the freeway in between), and join TCH at a unidirectional (WB-entrance, EB-exit) interchange.

I prefer the scenario where businesses line service roads so that drivers on the freeway feel that they’re in a city, not in the middle of nowhere.

With Centreport, we could probably go 100KM/H while Headingley freeway would only be 80KM/H anyways.
Regina could have done the same to Victoria Ave, but they made a bypass instead. CCW would be easier for trucks to turn to go to the intermodal terminal

[Carboy15]

https://imgur.com/a/Ew6lpbk

This would be the Elie interchange if it was a diamond. It would only take away a few parking lots really. Using a parclo would be unnecessary