Highways in Canada

[Calebb]

When its outside of the lower mainland they use the "its expensive to build on mountains" excuse and when its within the lower mainland they use the "soft ground" excuse. BC really has its excuses covered for its poor infrastructure

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by Calebb

When its outside of the lower mainland they use the "its expensive to build on mountains" excuse and when its within the lower mainland they use the "soft ground" excuse. BC really has its excuses covered for its poor infrastructure

BC is only ahead of Quebec in how they build their roads. Their interchange designs and design criteria to building major highways and expressways are horribly planned. They seem to do OK within the mountaneous regions, but man, their highway design is so out-dated in Metro Vancouver. They use in places an 80 km/h design speed where the speed limit is 80 km/h, and there are some locations on freeways where the design speed is equal to the speed limit (100 km/h). I don't know how they get away with it, when you hop over the border into Washington and they have fantastic highway designs, or go over into Alberta where it is the same.

Always seem to cheap out on design, never leave items for future expansion, and build EVERYTHING as ultimate, even if there may be a need to upgrade or tweak things in the future.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

BC is only ahead of Quebec in how they build their roads. Their interchange designs and design criteria to building major highways and expressways are horribly planned. They seem to do OK within the mountaneous regions, but man, their highway design is so out-dated in Metro Vancouver. They use in places an 80 km/h design speed where the speed limit is 80 km/h, and there are some locations on freeways where the design speed is equal to the speed limit (100 km/h). I don't know how they get away with it, when you hop over the border into Washington and they have fantastic highway designs, or go over into Alberta where it is the same.

Always seem to cheap out on design, never leave items for future expansion, and build EVERYTHING as ultimate, even if there may be a need to upgrade or tweak things in the future.

It's all about trying to compromise when you have to deal with tree huggers who want no roads at all.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

BC is only ahead of Quebec in how they build their roads. Their interchange designs and design criteria to building major highways and expressways are horribly planned. They seem to do OK within the mountaneous regions, but man, their highway design is so out-dated in Metro Vancouver. They use in places an 80 km/h design speed where the speed limit is 80 km/h, and there are some locations on freeways where the design speed is equal to the speed limit (100 km/h). I don't know how they get away with it, when you hop over the border into Washington and they have fantastic highway designs, or go over into Alberta where it is the same.

Do you think that this is still the case for modern roads? The new segments of A-25 and A-30 in Quebec seem to be pretty good roads, neither seeming to be built or designed on the cheap. Can the same be said about modern highways in BC?

[Metro-One]

BC highways are not as bad as some paint them out to be. Trust me, i have my issues with them, but when considering our population vs. land area vs. topography in conjunction with the lack of a federal highway programs in Canada, they are pretty good, especially given all the huge upgrades that are currently occurring. People tend to forget just how much has been improved over the last 10 years (especially in areas such as the Okanagan and lower mainland) and how much more is coming down the pipe. The Gateway program which will completely modernize the #1 through Metro Vancouver is only one of many programs. I am not going to bother listing all of them again, people can search that themselves. But all i will say is driving through BC this summer was a real treat seeing all of the newly completed twinned sections, bridges and all of the twinning sections and bridges currently u/c. Getting to Pemberton is now a breeze along the Sea to Sky, all the new 4 lane sections along the 97 in the Okanagan are amazing (all built along cliffs essentially), the new Kicking Hose Canyon sections are likely the most impressive highway segments in Canada (and the final section will be amazing with its tunnels, snow sheds and bridges), the new twinned sections in the Cariboo are fantastic, etc...

i am though, going to post a few sweet pictures of the new McTavish interchange north of Victoria on the #17. The long term goal is to make the entire #17 from the ferries to Victoria a full freeway.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/tranbc/6400777223/in/set-72157626457329656


http://www.flickr.com/photos/tranbc/6377789351/in/set-72157626457329656

Pics are from TranBC

[Metro-One]

And here are some construction pics from the Winfield to Oyama section being built (highway 97) This section will be 4 lanes divided, 100km/h speeds with an interchange at each end of the segment and replace the old 2 lane section that runs along the lake. When this is completed one will be able to drive Vancouver to Vernon on all 4 lane+ highways.











All pics are from TransBC flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tranbc/6501717917/in/set-72157626588186937/

Cheers

[sonysnob]

:bump:

[haljackey]

Ah the good old Gardiner... I wonder what they'll do with you if Toronto gets the Olympics.

[MolsonExport]

Great to hear about the new 97 between Winfield and Oyama. When I lived in the area (early 90s), I always found that stretch along the Lake (Wood Lake) to be very dangerous and extremely busy (esp. during summer months with endless motorhomes, 5th wheelers, plus transport trucks).

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by haljackey

I wonder what they'll do with you if Toronto gets the Olympics.

Do you think that the Olympics would have any effect on the Gardiner at all? I think that the Gardiner's fate will be sealed long before Toronto gets the Olympics.

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Do you think that the Olympics would have any effect on the Gardiner at all? I think that the Gardiner's fate will be sealed long before Toronto gets the Olympics.

I doubt there will be no money to do anything but patch the Gardiner unless Toronto gets a cash injection to do something. Seeing what they're getting for the Pan-Am games (which is a minor event compared to the Olympics), I can only imagine what they will get to play with for the Olympics.

Toronto may have a shot at grabbing the 2024 games.

[Andrewjm3D]

I love hwy 69 , like hwy 11 it was blasted out of the Canadian Shield and both hiways are being doubled in size and separated into divided hwys.

Here's a video by some people leaving a cottage and going back to Ohio. BTW they named the video wrong as hwy 69 ends at hwy 400 in Barrie, this is hwy 69.
• Video Link

[Wharn]

Originally Posted by Andrewjm3D

I love hwy 69 , like hwy 11 it was blasted out of the Canadian Shield and both hiways are being doubled in size and into separated into divided hwys.

Here's a video by some people leaving a cottage and going back to Ohio. BTW they named the video wrong as hwy 69 ends at hwy 400 in Barrie, this is hwy 69.

No, the video name is correct, they are driving on Highway 400. The section you're thinking of near Barrie hasn't been numbered as the 69 since the late 1970s. As the 400 creeps northwards, Highway 69's routing will be renumbered as Highway 400. In fact, the way construction is planned, Highway 69 will eventually be nothing more than a short 26-kilometre road running along the shores of Lake Joseph, roughly between ex-Highway 169 and Highway 141.

Actually, the Highway 17 freeway is supposed to be extended along Sudbury's Southeast Bypass all the way to Nickel Centre, as a part of the general Highway 69 improvements. Does anyone have any links to official plans for this?

[Andrewjm3D]

Originally Posted by Wharn

No, the video name is correct, they are driving on Highway 400. The section you're thinking of near Barrie hasn't been numbered as the 69 since the late 1970s. As the 400 creeps northwards, Highway 69's routing will be renumbered as Highway 400. In fact, the way construction is planned, Highway 69 will eventually be nothing more than a short 26-kilometre road running along the shores of Lake Joseph, roughly between ex-Highway 169 and Highway 141.

Actually, the Highway 17 freeway is supposed to be extended along Sudbury's Southeast Bypass all the way to Nickel Centre, as a part of the general Highway 69 improvements. Does anyone have any links to official plans for this?

I didn't know they were having the 400 creep up 69. They should keep it 69, better name. The section that video was taken is still 69 though. And the section you are speaking of near Lake Jo is already called Old Hwy 69, so will they be dropping the Old off of it?

All names aside that stretch of hwy is awesome year round.

[sonysnob]

I completed a page about a week ago that has a series of comparison views of the Hwy 69 construction through Parry Sound and Nobel. The page shows the completed twinned highway, but it also shows some views from consistent vantage points taken both pre- and mid-construction.

It can be seen here:
http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_60-69_images/Hwy69_p2_images.htm

Also, I have heard that the section of Hwy 69 through Lake St. Joseph is going to have its Hwy 69 shields removed in the next year or two.

[eemy]

It's actually designated both 400 and 69 in that section.

It never made much sense to me that they continued 400 up 69 instead of 11. Highway 400 originally paralleled Highway 11 from Toronto, and the highway is even constructed such that you have to exit to remain on 400.

[vid]

It probably goes to Sudbury because there is more traffic along that route. It's being given a new number anyway, so it doesn't really matter. If it was called Highway 411 then maybe it would be confusing, but it isn't being called that.

[sonysnob]

^ Highway 11 was at that time, and is still busier than Hwy 69. I think that the decision to route Hwy 400 along its present alignment stems from the need in the 1950s to connect the newly completed Hwy 103 from Waubashene to MacTier with Toronto by way of a direct route. Prior to the completion of Hwy 103 (today's Hwy 69) in 1958 the only link to Sudbury from Toronto was via Hwy 11 and 169 through Gravenhurst.

The current four lane iteration of Hwy 11 between Orillia and Barrie was four-laned in the mid 1950s. Why they chose not to construct the four-lane highway as a freeway is beyond me.

[eemy]

The MTO is actually planning expansion of Hwy 11 up to Gravenhurst which would involve upgrading it to full freeway standards and widening it to six lanes.

[Symz]

Driving Highway 69 now is like driving on a highway in the Twilight Zone, everything's empty and abandoned (the last time I was on it) because of the 400 extension. It was sort of creepy.