Highways in Canada

[vid]

Originally Posted by isaidso

There certainly is a beauty to northern Ontario, but it's also quite humbling driving through it in -35C. You realize very quickly how much trouble you're in if you run out of gas or the car breaks down. We had the heat on full blast the whole time, but my feet never really warmed up. I had to massage them continuously to avoid frost bite. I ended up sitting cross legged on the seat and covered with blankets for about 3 days straight.

Don't do that trip in a VW during winter; the heater just isn't strong enough.

And when did you do this that it was -35 for three days straight? Most of us put mitten warmers in our boots if it's a problem.

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

There really isn't any room for additional lanes along the existing Highway 17 ROW without a lot of blasting. I wouldn't be surprised if entirely new ROWs weren't considered for such a project.

What will likely happen is a new two lane ROW will be built, and the existing highway will be the east-bound lane. At places they could be half a mile apart; since intersections are so few and far between, it won't be a major issue that they're not exactly parallel.

Originally Posted by jmt18325

Because of where I live though, the remoteness aspect of Northern Ontario isn't at all dissuading. I'm used to it.

Yes, well someone from Southern Ontario might not be used to it. And we've forgotten about another important aspect: Cost of gas. You're going to have to fill up at least twice to drive through Northern Ontario and our gas prices are among the highest in the country.

[jmt18325]

Originally Posted by vid

What will likely happen is a new two lane ROW will be built, and the existing highway will be the east-bound lane.

I find that unlikely. Ontario doesn't like to do things that way if current freeway construction and dual carriageway projects are any indication. What I would expect is for the current road to become safer with more passing lanes over the years, and for more passing lanes and bypasses to be added along the way.

[vid]

Ontario doesn't have terrain like that anywhere else. Short of diverting the highway tens of miles away from its old location, they won't have much choice in many places.

[jmt18325]

Originally Posted by vid

Ontario doesn't have terrain like that anywhere else. Short of diverting the highway tens of miles away from its old location, they won't have much choice in many places.

Which is why I think that 17 will probably never been completely twinned. It will be straightened and improved, as it always is, but twinning in most places between Sault St. Marie and Nipigon....probably not.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by vid

Ontario doesn't have terrain like that anywhere else. Short of diverting the highway tens of miles away from its old location, they won't have much choice in many places.

In some of the tightest areas (Lake Superior Park, Nipigon to Schreiber) they may have to go with a narrow 4-lane ROW with a concrete median barrier. Most likely a lower-than-ideal design speed as well (and that would force the speed limit to stay at 90 km/h in a few spots).

[jmt18325]

I think that may be a possibility for most of that part of the route, but I wouldn't expect completion before 2050....if then.

[J-MAN]

This video was taken on the eastern Perimeter hwy just outside Winnipeg then ends on the eastbound Trans Canada.

• Video Link

[catkat]

Originally Posted by mbeaumont

I really don't understand the fuss about going through the US. I drive back home to the Edmonton area every year, I've tried going by the US a few times but every time I always get stuck in some kind of traffic in Chicago or Minneapolis which makes me lose any time I would have gained going through that way anyway. At least going by Canada I don't have to worry about sitting in bumper to bumper traffic in Thunder Bay or Kenora. I much prefer going by my own country and supporting my own economy, and at the same time seeing new developments happening across the country at the same time. Yes, I agree some parts aren't too exciting, like Highway 17 around Ignace and Upsala, but other areas more than make up for it.

Thats why you avoid Minneapolis by staying on i-90 instead of i-94

As for Chicago, you can completely bypass their brutal traffic by taking the Indiana Toll Road

problem solved

I've done cross country through the US and Canada. I-90 is vastly superior to the Trans Canada in terms of travel time

[catkat]

Originally Posted by Andrewjm3D

London to Windsor is a flat snoozefest, I'm not a fan of seeing miles and miles ahead, it makes the drive feel that much longer. I'd rather cross in Niagara but I usually lose out to whatever google map was printed out for the trip.

Errr Niagara is at the other end. You must mean Sarnia

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by catkat

Thats why you avoid Minneapolis by staying on i-90 instead of i-94

As for Chicago, you can completely bypass their brutal traffic by taking the Indiana Toll Road

problem solved

I've done cross country through the US and Canada. I-90 is vastly superior to the Trans Canada in terms of travel time

If you drive to Vancouver from Southern Ontario, take I-80. It's a bit longer (120 km or so), but shows a lot more diverse scenery, and in winter, you're further south, so you can avoid the chance of snow from time to time.

[Andrewjm3D]

Originally Posted by catkat

Errr Niagara is at the other end. You must mean Sarnia

No, Niagara.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

If you drive to Vancouver from Southern Ontario, take I-80. It's a bit longer (120 km or so), but shows a lot more diverse scenery, and in winter, you're further south, so you can avoid the chance of snow from time to time.

Driving westward, take the I-80 until, say, Salt Lake City, and then the I-84 up to British Columbia?

[toaster]

I read somewhere once that 17 is being slowly upgraded to freeway as far North/West as North Bay and Sudbury (from 417s current terminus in Arnprior), but no specific timeline or anything was given.

[eemy]

I would be surprised if it were twinned past Pembroke/Petawawa.

[sonysnob]

To my knowledge, the MTO hasn't made any announcements regarding the future extension of Hwy 417 beyond Arnprior. That said... it only makes sense that they'll keep going further west with it. Maybe Renfrew by 2020?

[vid]

Suspension bridge part of 11/17 four-laning
Highway expansion rolls ahead
Ian Ross | Northern Ontario Business | 23 January, 2012

The four-laning of Highway 11/17 between Thunder Bay and Nipigon will include the construction of Ontario's first cable suspension bridge.

...


Ontario's first cable suspension bridge will be over the Nipigon River.

“This is a unique location,” said Doug Cooper, the Ministry of Transportation's (MTO) head of planning and design in Thunder Bay. “ ... The Nipigon River is a world-renowned brook trout area and there is a spawning area where this bridge is.

“Our environmental requirements forced us to stay close to the existing bridge and within our existing right of the way, and stay out of the water. ... ”

...

The Highway 11/17 four-laning work is part of the Ontario government's $618-million budget for the Northern Highways Program.

...

Although the entire series of projects, which began in 2010, are expected to take 10 years, Cooper said if funding continues to arrive at the current rate, it could be wrapped up within the next eight years.

...

The Nipigion bridge and its approaches are part of four projects now in the design stage, including a 13-kilometre stretch between Highway 527 and Mackenzie Station Road, a 12-kilometre piece from Red Rock Road No.9 to Stillwater Creek Bridge, and an eight-kilometre section between Birch Beach Road and Highway 587.

As far as any talk of four-laning Highway 17 east of Nipigon, along the rocky and hilly shores of Lake Superior, Cooper said those discussions are way off in the future.

...

http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/I...on-bridge-part-of-11/17-four-laning.aspx

[sonysnob]

^ Are there any construction photos kicking around of the twinning going on along Highway 11/17 between Hodder and Hwy 527? Not that I am expecting the highway to look any different then any other twinned highway, but it would still be nice to see an update.

[Andrewjm3D]

Nice to see they are making that sort of investment.


But it's not the first Cable suspension bridge in the province. It may just be the largest one that's fully in Ontario.

Built in 1912 so it hits 100 this year. Located just north of the Toronto Zoo.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by Andrewjm3D

But it's not the first Cable suspension bridge in the province. It may just be the largest one that's fully in Ontario.

Built in 1912 so it hits 100 this year. Located just north of the Toronto Zoo.

That is very cool and all, but that is a suspension bridge ... which is not the same as a cable stayed bridge ... which is what has been proposed for the Nipigon River.

Changing Gears, I'd like to present the evolution of a six-lane highway. This is the Windsor to Tilbury section of Highway 401, some of these photos were taken back in 2004/2005, but if your a construction junkie like me, you'll love this stuff:

December 2004:


September 2005:


October 2005:


Construction was completed late in 2006:

[catkat]

Windsor is very much like Detroit in that they both use concrete as road surfaces more than the GTA. I rarely see driveways poured with concrete in the GTA, its always ashphalt or brick, but down in Windsor concrete driveways are the norm. Ontario's small portions of concrete highways are also in close proximity to Michigan (Windsor and Sarnia)