Trans Canada Highway Twinning: Segments U/C

[casper]

Originally Posted by thewave46

Indeed.

It cost the Province of Ontario $174m in 2016 to build 14km of fully-divided Highway 69 freeway through Canadian Shield.

$162m for 2.6km of two-lane road? Yikes.

Would be better to spend that kind of money on helping to bring back the island passenger railway service.

[Metro-One]

A better alternative would have been to build a new crossing from Deep Cove to Cowichan Bay, and having forgone any upgrades to the Malahat.

This would then reroute the #1 down the 17 to Victoria (which would also be upgraded in this fantasy project)

This new bridge would also be both highway and passenger rail.

This is what would have been done in any other developed nation.

As for the project that’s actually happening.

It’s so expansive for so little for many reasons, partly because of the blasting required, but mostly because of the extreme environmental protection lengths being done with the stream. And even this, as shown in the article, isn’t enough to satisfy.

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

A better alternative would have been to build a new crossing from Deep Cove to Cowichan Bay, and having forgone any upgrades to the Malahat.

This would then reroute the #1 down the 17 to Victoria (which would also be upgraded in this fantasy project)....

It's certainly an interesting idea, although it might be better to route Highway 1 closer to 17A's route through Saanich. Highway 17 already slows down significantly with ferry traffic.

[Dengler Avenue]

WSDoT is creative in widening I-90 through Snoqualmie Pass: https://maps.app.goo.gl/j6PCCtLFucEFCWga8?g_st=ic
(Related article: https://www.enr.com/articles/50734-e...s-dam-phase-1c)
Here, the widening requires replacing the snowshed with a viaduct: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jNENCG3gmaiMJLHi6?g_st=ic
(Related article: https://highways.dot.gov/public-road...noqualmie-pass)

This project may provide clues on twinning TCH through the Three Valley Gap (i.e. putting EB lanes on a higher ground with retaining walls) and through the snowsheds in National Parks (i.e. replacing the snow shed with a bridge).

[feepa]

I finally got to drive the completed section of the kicking horse portion of hwy between field and golden. Even though they had it down to one lane each direction, it made quite the difference. Calgary to Golden in the 80s was a 3 hour drive. It's now closer to 2. Would be nice if Parks Canada could do the section from the ab border to kicking horse.

[craner]

Originally Posted by feepa

I finally got to drive the completed section of the kicking horse portion of hwy between field and golden. Even though they had it down to one lane each direction, it made quite the difference. Calgary to Golden in the 80s was a 3 hour drive. It's now closer to 2. Would be nice if Parks Canada could do the section from the ab border to kicking horse.

It sure would - it is ready to go but alas, no funding

http://https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/gestion-mgmt/rtc-tch

http://https://parks.canada.ca/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/wet4/pdf/tch-twinning/apercu-du-projet_phaseivb_project-overview.pdf?_ga=2.148606199.1305111974.1581079983-1263092526.1581079983

[craner]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

WSDoT is creative in widening I-90 through Snoqualmie Pass: https://maps.app.goo.gl/j6PCCtLFucEFCWga8?g_st=ic
(Related article: https://www.enr.com/articles/50734-e...s-dam-phase-1c)
Here, the widening requires replacing the snowshed with a viaduct: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jNENCG3gmaiMJLHi6?g_st=ic
(Related article: https://highways.dot.gov/public-road...noqualmie-pass)

This project may provide clues on twinning TCH through the Three Valley Gap (i.e. putting EB lanes on a higher ground with retaining walls) and through the snowsheds in National Parks (i.e. replacing the snow shed with a bridge).

Thanks for posting this Dengler (I love ENR).
I hope this a real possibility (and not just fantasy) for widening the TCH through the Three Valley Gap and Rogers Pass snow sheds sections.
Would be great to drive from Calgary to Vancouver on a fully 4-laned modern highway in my lifetime.

[craner]

So is the 3rd and final phase of the A85 twinning in Quebec still on track to be completed in 2026 ?

[Mr Tall Forehead]

The new 7 km twinned stretch on the Ontario side of the ON/MB border is now mostly open.

[q12]

Originally Posted by craner

So is the 3rd and final phase of the A85 twinning in Quebec still on track to be completed in 2026 ?

Looks like it based on this recent Satellite shot from 2 weeks ago:

[Marshsparrow]

Originally Posted by Mr Tall Forehead

The new 7 km twinned stretch on the Ontario side of the ON/MB border is now mostly open.

What was the point of this twinning project?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

What was the point of this twinning project?

Winnipeggers going back and forth to their vacation properties near Kenora.

[harls]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Winnipeggers going back and forth to their vacation properties near Kenora.

A few more tenths of a percentage point towards a dual carriageway across Canada.

[craner]

^Ha - That’s the way I look at it too harls.

Thanks for the satellite image of the A85 q12 - very cool.

[craner]

Originally Posted by Mr Tall Forehead

The new 7 km twinned stretch on the Ontario side of the ON/MB border is now mostly open.

Is the plan to roll right onto the next section (on the Ontario side)?

Also, when is the Manitoba side due to be completed?

[Metro-One]

Canada will kind of have an interstate system now between North Bay, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

West of North Bay.... oh boy. All we got are a few islands of urban freeway systems, particularly in Alberta, and a couple isolated segments of true regional freeways (primarily the QE2 between Edmonton and Calgary, which I believe even that still has a few at grade crossings, and the Coquihalla / #1 between Kamloops and Horseshoe Bay.)

[ericmacm]

Originally Posted by craner

Is the plan to roll right onto the next section (on the Ontario side)?

Also, when is the Manitoba side due to be completed?

Yes, it seems like it. The province held a Public Information Centre for the second segment just last month, they will be moving forward with a different alignment for a portion of the twinning of the next section than what was previously approved.

It looks like most of the Manitoba portion is still under study/in-design. A newsletter from Winter 2024 shows the first 700m closest to the border as under construction to align with the Ontario work, but the remaining section to west of Falcon Lake still appears to be under study.

[Innsertnamehere]

I imagine it’ll proceed like the Thunder Bay - Nipigon stretch - slow but consistent.

Now if MTO could just get around to finishing the Highway 69 twinning. Glacial progress there.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Canada will kind of have an interstate system now between North Bay, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

West of North Bay.... oh boy. All we got are a few islands of urban freeway systems, particularly in Alberta, and a couple isolated segments of true regional freeways (primarily the QE2 between Edmonton and Calgary, which I believe even that still has a few at grade crossings, and the Coquihalla / #1 between Kamloops and Horseshoe Bay.)

Not really. More like from Halifax to Arnprior or Renfrew, about 100 km NW of Ottawa. That's where the firm plans (construction actually happening) of Highway 417 end. I believe the plans for extending it further to the Pembroke area are in the machine as well, though nothing confirmed on that side.

And even after Pembroke, it's another 200 km to North Bay. I don't foresee that stretch being done in my lifetime as it's remote and very lightly-travelled.

I think the North Bay-Sudbury segment of Highway 17 will become four lane divided long before that.

Now, in terms of an Interstate-style route, Windsor, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia will be completely done in a year or two, when the final 20 km of A-85 are done.

That's 2150 km.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Now, in terms of an Interstate-style route, Windsor, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia will be completely done in a year or two, when the final 20 km of A-85 are done.

That's 2150 km.

I prefer to think of it as "Windsor to Windsor", since the 101 highway in NS is divided to the northern edge of the Annapolis Valley at Windsor.