Highways in Canada

[eemy]

The crappy median is from Barrie to Gravenhurst if I recall correctly.

[Innsertnamehere]

That is the RIRO, but parts of it have a tall wall already.

[vid]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

That is probably a lower priority, since that highway is due for a complete makeover so they likely wouldn't do short-term fixes that could become throw-away later.

Every intersection of the Thunder Bay Expressway was re-built in 2010/2011 (at the same time, too! It was insane!), and the entire highway might be converted to a grade-separated freeway as early as 2022.

[srperrycgy]

Alberta's new Road Markers look just fine thanks. The Alberta "wordmark" has been around since 1972 and looks horribly dated. It's time for a change. New licence plates are coming soon as well and that design hasn't changed since 1983.

Another SPUI to be built in Calgary:

16th Avenue NW (TCH) & Bowfort Rd Interchange Plan

[ssiguy]

Are they replacing the old dividers with those horrid white concrete monster?

I HATE those things and in Ontario they seem to be taller than in other places. Ontario has ruined so much of the pleasure of it's roadways with those concrete monsters. They make me feel like I'm in a tunnel and totally block out the views on the other side of the road.

I understand the safety issue but I swear Ontario's are taller than anywhere else I've been especially outside of a big city.

Travelling the huge medien of the 402 is very nice and the entire 401 stretch from Windsor to Brockville has become a dreary and ugly affair. If people visiting think they are in a concrete jungle I can't say I would blame them.

[eemy]

I've heard you say that before, and honestly, it seems like a massive over reaction to me. If you can't clearly see over the barrier, you are either driving something like this, or you're blind.

[middeljohn]

I've said this so many times, and I'll say it again. The Ontario tall wall, which is a modified Jersey barrier, is being used more often because it is far more effective in preventing fatal collisions. The triangular bottom means your tire hits it first, straightening your car out and giving you an opportunity to avoid as bad of an accident. Is it uglier than a grass median? Perhaps. But safety takes precedence.

The tallwall and the parclos are the primary reasons why the 400 series is the safest freeway network on the continent.

[Innsertnamehere]

There is a reason accidents are almost non existant on the 407, it's built to high enough design standards that they almost never occur.

A view is one thing, but those medians are honestly scary.. The view is no worse on the parts of the 400 with tall walls, and it's a lot safer.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

A view is one thing, but those medians are honestly scary.. The view is no worse on the parts of the 400 with tall walls, and it's a lot safer.

Safety, sure, concrete wins hands down. View and driver enjoyment? Come on now... driving beside a concrete wall is boring.

It's not just Ontario that uses them either:

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by middeljohn

I've said this so many times, and I'll say it again. The Ontario tall wall, which is a modified Jersey barrier, is being used more often because it is far more effective in preventing fatal collisions. The triangular bottom means your tire hits it first, straightening your car out and giving you an opportunity to avoid as bad of an accident. Is it uglier than a grass median? Perhaps. But safety takes precedence.

The tallwall and the parclos are the primary reasons why the 400 series is the safest freeway network on the continent.

yes. Of course this is the reason, as it justifies the cost and the ugliness.

I feel safer with the Ontario Tall Wall, as much as I dislike their appearance.

The tall wall is not much use against semi trailers: http://video.theloop.ca/watch/truck-crash-on-highway-401/760357200001#.U8VekLHD_DA

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by esquire

I agree, provinces should probably use something more permanent than a logo with a shelf life of about 25 years.

But that said, I do get a kick out of spotting signs with the old logos still kicking around:

Manitoba's current style, introduced in the 00s

I can't stand the blobalo. What a disgrace.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by srperrycgy

Another SPUI to be built in Calgary:

16th Avenue NW (TCH) & Bowfort Rd Interchange Plan

Good news - that intersection has always seemed insanely dangerous to me. Particularly if you are coming from the west and not expecting lights.

As to the Ontario tall walls I've never really thought of them as ugly. When you are on a 6 lane highway the presence of a grassy median isn't exactly adding a lot IMO. I'll take the safety any day.

[sa230e]

Same here. I'm not bothered by the concrete medians either. I never got why people say it's like driving in a tunnel. I never got that impression. Actually Ontario Tall Wall looks shorter to me than the medians they use in the states. There's some sections in London and Milton (I think) that look really tiny.

I kind of liked the box beam barrier. I know it's not very safe but I mean purely aesthetically, I thought it looked unique. And I'm probably wrong but I can't imagine them being much less safe than the W guardrails with the wooden posts.

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Safety, sure, concrete wins hands down. View and driver enjoyment? Come on now... driving beside a concrete wall is boring.

It's not just Ontario that uses them either:

Those are not what they use in Ontario. Those I could definitely handle but the ones in Ontario are solid concrete and about half a meter higher. Unless you are going up or down a decent size hill you can't see anything on the other side of the wall except the tops of the transport trucks.

[Innsertnamehere]

They are most certainly used in Ontario.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.735502,-7...3m4!1e1!3m2!1sxJL6c-5V-F_jqvuIJNN8Gw!2e0
https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.081669,-7...3m4!1e1!3m2!1saD7h98Tty6LRFQhdzjtzQw!2e0


They are the very things this whole discussion began on, as the remaining stretch of them are being replaced on the 400 right now.

The tall wall looks like this:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@42.232067,-8...3m4!1e1!3m2!1stRt6WLhM0lVFzcNGkR-aCA!2e0
https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.271369,-7...3!1sUsOPiHh1XNWUWAnLurCGFw!2e0!5s2012-07

[eemy]

And it's plainly apparent that ssiguy's characterization of them is untrue. The only thing you might have trouble seeing is the oncoming cars, which is at least partly the point (driving at night north on Hwy 400 with the entire weekend population of Muskoka returning to Toronto can be frustrating with all the headlights glaring in your eyes). It certainly does not block the scenery in any significant way.

[harls]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

I am not sure all of those sections were built with concrete. In the picture that you posted at St. Laurent for example, the existing lanes of the 417 are paved with asphalt, it's just that the asphalt is grey.

Yeah.. the only concrete expressways I can think of near Ottawa were the old stretch of A-5 from MC Bridge to about St-Joseph in Hull, but that has since been redone to asphalt.

The section between the 17/417 split near Hawkesbury up to about St. Isidore is concrete.

A-40 westbound on the West Island of Montreal is currently being ripped up and replaced with concrete, from St. Jean (I think) to the very tip of the island. It's supposed to be done by December.

[BenTheGreat97]

The recent widening of highway 417 in the West end of Ottawa doesn't have Ontario tall-wall barriers in the GTA. When it was a 4-lane highway there was a big grass median, but now there's what looks like the box-beam barrier like in those pictures, but bigger on the right/hand side of each direction and a grass/gravel median between those. And there are some places where there's no barriers at all, just a gravel strip between the oncoming lanes of traffic. Anyone know why they didn't build a tall-wall there instead?

[1overcosc]

^ Has it just not been built yet?

On the other side of Ottawa in the 417 East Expansion project, they're going nuts with the tall walls. They've got SEVERAL in place right now, because they're actually building temporary tall walls to isolate closed sections of pavement as traffic shifts around to accommodate construction.

The 417 East Expansion is being done as a complete P3 (I believe it's the first in the province?) so the contractor must think it's worthwhile.

[haljackey]

New Aerial pics of the 401 extension in Windsor

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hgparkway/

Dedicated thread: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=188722