Highways in Canada

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by Franco401

This section will be twinned. I admit I would rather see twinning done continuously, as this new construction will leave a 15km gap between freeway sections.

They can't push much farther north right now thanks to First Nations resistance and disputes...the farthest north they can build up to cleanly is near Woods Road, about 7 km farther north. And if they build it now, they would have no flexibility in case an alternate route becomes necessary (i.e. go around the reserves instead).

[jmt18325]

Originally Posted by Franco401

Good to see progress there. I would still prefer freeway however, it just seems silly to me to not make it controlled-access when built. This would be a ludicrous idea anywhere in the US or along the major corridors of the southeast.

The extra cost really isn't justified by the traffic. What they're building is commonplace in Western Canada, and even comes with a 110 km/h speed limit in many places.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by Franco401

This section will be twinned. I admit I would rather see twinning done continuously, as this new construction will leave a 15km gap between freeway sections.

This section immediately north of the section that you have included on the map (from north of Hwy 607, northerly) is currently under construction, and is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2016. There will be no freeway gap.

[haljackey]

MTO's highway construction programs now 404: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/highway-construction/

Via http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/index.shtml

Maybe an update coming or simple neglect?

[Airboy]

Actually found a place to safely pull over on the Highway to Hell. Alberta 63

Twinning project at Hangingstone Creek. They have spent almost a year excavating this hill side. Temp at the time was -27C.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

This might be for another tread, but the one thing Manitoulin Island sorely needs is a provincial park with organized camping. I have visited the Island a couple of times over the years, and the closest place to camp is Chutes Park in Massey. Seems like a missed opportunity to me.

I agree that it is very strange that Manitoulin Island doesn't have an operational provincial park. There are a couple of provincial reserves that could be made into parks with campgrounds. Misery Bay (off of Hwy 540) and Blue Jay Creek (just off of Hwy 6)

[sa230e]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I agree that it is very strange that Manitoulin Island doesn't have an operational provincial park. There are a couple of provincial reserves that could be made into parks with campgrounds. Misery Bay (off of Hwy 540) and Blue Jay Creek (just off of Hwy 6)

I dunno. How would you like spend your vacation at a place called Misery Bay?

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The Trans Canada Highway hugging Lake Superior is quite spectacular in places.

Agree. The most spectacular part of Ontario is that stretch west of Sault Ste. Marie to Wawa. I didn't think anything like that existed in Ontario but it makes the rest of the province look quite plain in comparison.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

This might be for another tread, but the one thing Manitoulin Island sorely needs is a provincial park with organized camping. I have visited the Island a couple of times over the years, and the closest place to camp is Chutes Park in Massey. Seems like a missed opportunity to me.

Second that. I like to camp, but I dislike most of those family-run campgrounds.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by sa230e

I dunno. How would you like spend your vacation at a place called Misery Bay?

I wouldn't really care. A name is just a name. If you make something nice there for tourists it can turn into a table-turning thing and be a positive even.

[vid]

Misery Bay isn't the happiest name, but it's better than Pancake Bay. Went camping there in 1999—surprise! No pancakes. And Surprise Lake? You can see it for a good five minutes before you get there. Some surprise. There's even signs that announce it.

Someone should start a campground at Frenchman's Head.

Originally Posted by Franco401

Good to see progress there. I would still prefer freeway however, it just seems silly to me to not make it controlled-access when built. This would be a ludicrous idea anywhere in the US or along the major corridors of the southeast.

That is how things work here, though. Built it small with plans to expand it later, then don't expand it.

Half the time they will announce "we built it too small and will expand it shortly!" while the project is still under construction, but even then they still never expand it beyond what it was supposed to be.

[Innsertnamehere]

in the US they probably wouldn't even be widening a road with 4,000 AADT, and certainly not to interstate standards.

[CanadianCentaur]

Originally Posted by middeljohn

This is the last leg of the Henday (Edmonton's ring road) u/c right now to be completed by 2017.

• Video Link

It'll be good when that stretch of the Anthony Henday's done! I have a family friend who told me that she could easily hear construction noises from the bridge building over the North Saskatchewan River about a mile and a half away from her condo.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

in the US they probably wouldn't even be widening a road with 4,000 AADT, and certainly not to interstate standards.

In many states, especially in the South, there are many 4-lane divided or undivided highways with AADT levels in that range, although generally not Interstate standards.

[eternallyme]

I was looking at Highway 11 from Gravenhurst to North Bay (often discussed here) and to get it up to a full freeway, it wouldn't be too difficult.

There are, from my count, 25 at-grade intersections and 9 private property accesses remaining (many more have been expropriated) looking at Google Earth. Of those 25, most are with minor roads that can be easily dead-ended or grade separated - only a few require interchanges. The two largest clusters of at-grade intersections are between Powassan and Callander, and between Bracebridge and Huntsville (and, to a lesser extent, between Novar and Emsdale). There are none at all between Trout Creek and Emsdale, a distance of about 55 km which is truly a freeway.

[Mister F]

^None of that is necessary considering the traffic volumes. Freeways across sparsely populated regions are money pits.

Originally Posted by Franco401

Good to see progress there. I would still prefer freeway however, it just seems silly to me to not make it controlled-access when built. This would be a ludicrous idea anywhere in the US or along the major corridors of the southeast.

Full freeways in regions like northern Ontario are very rare, even in the States. Controlled access is overkill; what they're building is more than enough.

The US isn't an example to be copied for highway infrastructure. Many other countries have more pragmatic approaches that would serve us better.

[Innsertnamehere]

MTO has a plan to upgrade 11 to a full freeway eventually, but most of it doesn't really need to be done. The highway barely needs a second carriageway north of Huntsville, yet alone a freeway designation. That said, the elimination of at grade intersections up to Huntsville may be worth exploring as the highway is generally fairly busy until that point. None of it is really gaining any funding however as its not that busy of a road overall and the at grade intersections that do exist are low traffic and create few operational or safety issues.

What really needs to be done on 11 is upgrade the RIRO portion, especially south of Orillia. The stretch from Barrie to Orillia is pushing 50,000 AADT on an at grade road, its insane. Easily the most substandard road in the province, it needs to be upgraded to a 6 lane freeway very soon.

[eemy]

And peak summer traffic is probably well above that.

[toaster]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

MTO has a plan to upgrade 11 to a full freeway eventually, but most of it doesn't really need to be done. The highway barely needs a second carriageway north of Huntsville, yet alone a freeway designation. That said, the elimination of at grade intersections up to Huntsville may be worth exploring as the highway is generally fairly busy until that point. None of it is really gaining any funding however as its not that busy of a road overall and the at grade intersections that do exist are low traffic and create few operational or safety issues.

What really needs to be done on 11 is upgrade the RIRO portion, especially south of Orillia. The stretch from Barrie to Orillia is pushing 50,000 AADT on an at grade road, its insane. Easily the most substandard road in the province, it needs to be upgraded to a 6 lane freeway very soon.

My perception of why Ontario is spending so much on these freeways to Sudbury and North Bay is to encourage growth in areas north of Barrie, and to provide a safe alternative to air travel for those in the North.
If Sudbury, a city of 160k+ people, was in any other province, and was about 380 km away from the biggest city in that province, it would be connected by freeway without question by now. Only in Ontario would we be questioning a freeway to a city of that size. Could you imagine a city of 160k in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, etc., without a freeway?

[MonctonRad]

Could you imagine a city of 160k in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, etc., without a freeway?

There are no cities of 160k in NB. Moncton is the closest at 146K. Despite this, we have approximately 750 km of fully grade separated and limited access freeways in the province.

I agree that northern Ontario has been severely shortchanged in terms of freeway construction. Highway 17 should be divided all the way from Ottawa to Sault Ste Marie. The 400 should be completed to Sudbury. Highway 11 should be divided all the way north to New Liskeard. In some ways this should be considered an act of nation building. Regardless of what the AADT is now, you need these roads to stimulate economic activity. If you want the near north to prosper, you have to give them the tools to do so.

Ideally, Highway 11 should be divided the whole way to Thunder Bay and then on to the Manitoba border.