The 401

[TownGuy]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Hwy 401 looking westerly from the Highway 30 overpass near Brighton, shot a few weeks ago in June:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...un24_42x28.jpg

One of the more sketchy bends you'll find on the 401, certainly doesn't help that there is the added bonus of on/off ramps. I'm pretty sure that bend is included in the new 110 speed limit zone, which is surprising. It's almost a guarantee of an accident during every storm. Speaking of the speed limit, I'm pretty sure that change happens today. All the signs are certainly ready to go.

Does this mean we can go 130 km/h without fear of being pulled over??

[MolsonExport]

^ah, the priorities of DoFo. Fast 401 and beer/wine in stores.

[ScreamingViking]

Aren't we well into "buck-a-beer" now???

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Sailed through all the way to Mississauga and back, with the exception of some awful crunches in Milton (both ways), on Easter Weekend.

The congestion in Milton was probably due to the beautiful urban tapestry of Milton and the harmonisation of nature and urbanity in one glorious fusion.

[haljackey]

Flew into Toronto Pearson, caught the 403/410 meeting the 401 nearby.

[ScreamingViking]

That's impressive

[MolsonExport]

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Driving to Toronto Pearson on July 10, there was a traffic jam of unbelievable proportions on the Westbound lanes in Milton.

An Eastbound truck carrying thousands of live chickens tipped over the median, releasing dead, dying, and very much alive chickens all over the place.

I couldn't believe what I saw (I was driving, and I couldn't take photos, but I saw hundreds, maybe thousands, of live/dead chickens strewn everywhere.

CTV photo


• Video Link

I hit the scene of the accident around 1130am...something like 5 hours after the accident had occurred.

[Doady]

Update: Memorial Launched to Honour Chickens Killed in Milton Truck Crash

For Immediate Release:
July 24, 2024

Contact:
Reed Bolonyi 202-483-7382

Milton, Ont. – In remembrance of the chickens who were killed when the truck carrying them collided with another vehicle and crashed into a median on Highway 401 earlier this month, PETA has placed a memorial billboard near the site—and close to several restaurants serving chicken—reminding viewers that the crash victims were individuals who suffered immensely only because people wanted to eat them.

“Every one of the chickens killed in this crash was a thinking, feeling being who died in pain and terror, and the traumatized survivors deserve far better than to have their throats slit and their bodies carved up for meat,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA urges everyone to please go vegan and help spare animals a terrifying death in a slaughterhouse or in a cramped transport truck.”

[sonysnob]

View looking easterly from Avenue Road towards North York Civic Centre. Concrete slab repairs are underway on the westbound express lanes:


https://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_...9435_24x16.jpg

[MolsonExport]

has there ever been a day when the 401 was not under construction? ever?

i recognize that with all the wear and tear, it needs work every year. But man, wouldn't be great to be able to drive it without encountering construction...just this once!

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

has there ever been a day when the 401 was not under construction? ever?

i recognize that with all the wear and tear, it needs work every year. But man, wouldn't be great to be able to drive it without encountering construction...just this once!

Highway 401's over 800km long, and old and/or complex in some sections.

You could go a year or two without doing any work on it, but that's kicking the can down the road making the next few construction seasons even worse. A route like this requires a lot of upkeep just for basic maintenance.

[Doady]

Winter season and construction season. Just the reality of living in Canada. Constant freezing and thawing causes a lot of damage to the roads.

[Djeffery]

I'm just glad I moved out of London when I did, with all the 401 construction (never mind the nightmare that is west London between my old house and the highway lol). Bad enough I have to drive between Woodstock and London a couple times a day in my work truck, let alone the morning and afternoon commutes between home and work. At least at work there are several very viable alternate routes to avoid the 401. From/to Byron was pretty much 401 or add another 25 minutes each way (more in the afternoon) to drive through London to get to those other alternate routes.

[Djeffery]

They have put up the steel for the gas station canopy at the westbound service centre at Ingersoll. The gas station was closed and demolished right after New Years and it's been a long process of (I'm assuming) cleanup. I was starting to wonder if they were planning to build something else out front, like some I have seen with a separate Starbucks. Not sure if this will remain an Esso gas station or if it will become Canadian Tire. This is one of the few remaining non-OnRoutes left, as it was totally rebuilt about 25 years ago.

[sonysnob]

Two views looking westerly from Don Mills over the the 401 in North York:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...4-24_42x28.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...4-24_42x28.jpg

[MolsonExport]

Great shots of just an average day on the 401 in North York.

[TownGuy]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Two views looking westerly from Don Mills over the the 401 in North York:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...4-24_42x28.jpg

Holy trucks in the express lanes!

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by TownGuy

Holy trucks in the express lanes!

401 is basically a never ending freight train. While there are certainly very valid reasons to build more transit to get cars off the 401, it doesn't really do much to help with trucks.

If anything, the transit improvements would only keep the 401's traffic what it is now at best since the area is growing so fast. There are specific truck lanes on some highways around the world, but I am not sure how those could be implemented on 401 since it's already a complex setup with the express, collectors and now HOVs in some sections.

413 could benefit select truckers who are going from SW Ontario to the 400 and north. The only other realistic way to improve trucking in Greater Toronto is to work out a deal to get better rates on the 407 for 18 wheelers, which has fallen flat thus far.

[Doady]

I am not sure how many more cars they can get off the roads in North York. Plus the transit projects going on in Toronto are for local trips, while the 401 is for long distance trips.

The biggest impact will come from improvements in regional transit, e.g. the 407 Transitway. The Eglinton Crosstown unfortunately prioritized connection to the Bloor-Danforth Line instead of the Mississauga Transitway.

Since GO RER will prioritize downtown, a GO BRT system built around the 407 and Mississauga Transitways will be the key to reducing the amount of cars used for crosstown long-distance trips. The 407 is already one of GO's busiest corridors.

[Davis137]

I have often wondered why the 401 isn't partitioned the same way some of the major highways are in the US and other places in the world. I have been to more than one area in the US where the highway was partitioned, but not just your traditional express and collector lanes like our highways do, but rather have 2-3 lanes dedicated for tractor trailers and heavy equipment, and all of the passenger/commuter lanes were separated from those 2-3 lanes by k-rails, and the traffic was able to run more fluidly in both directions as a result. Perhaps when the 401 or other major highways in Ontario are widened or re-oriented, the MTO should consider segregated lanes...?