Highways in Canada

[sonysnob]

A couple of photos of the interchange between Highway 401 and Highway 412 Toll in Whitby. These images were taken by me. I'd prefer to be putting these up on my website (maybe one day I will), but it's just faster to do it this way:

View looking easterly from the Lake Ridge Road overpass:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-4...Oct/401_cl_407_east_WB_t_Oct15_24x16.jpg


View underneath the future ramp that will carry traffic between the eastbound 401 and Highway 412 northbound:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-4...re_407-5_southwest-under_Sep15_24x16.jpg


Easterly view along Highway 401 from the 401 EB -> 412 NB ramp

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-4...-Oct/401_cl_407-5_east_t_Oct15_24x16.jpg


Westerly view along Highway 401 from the ramp that will carry traffic from the 412 SB -> 401 EB:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-4...0-Oct/401_cl_408_west_WB_Oct15_24x16.jpg


View of the unfinished ramp that will carry traffic from the 412 SB -> 401 EB. The concrete deck screed is visible at the far side of the overpass:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-4...1_cl_408_east_rebar-ramp_Oct15_24x16.jpg


View looking beneath the above ramp:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-4...tructure_108_under_south_Oct15_24x16.jpg


View from the Henry Street overpass in Whitby. Note the lane shifts through the construction. There was a pretty terrible collision through here the other night, where a transport truck slammed into queued traffic that had slowed due to night construction. 3 people were killed, and more than a dozen more were injured.

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-4...10-Oct/401_cl_409_west_t_Oct15_24x16.jpg


Finally, this is the Henry Street overpass itself. It is scheduled to be replaced starting next year. It is one of the oldest highway overpasses in the province.

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_407-4...401_cl_410_west_onramp_t_Oct15_24x16.jpg

[TownGuy]

Looking good. Still can't believe it remains 6 lanes for the time being.

[sonysnob]

^ If the 401 worked, who would need to pay for the 407?

They haven't publicized this yet, but the tolls for the 407 extension are going to be the same as they are for the existing 407. So much for them "being a little bit cheaper" as the outgoing McGuinty promised.

[sa230e]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

^ If the 401 worked, who would need to pay for the 407?

They haven't publicized this yet, but the tolls for the 407 extension are going to be the same as they are for the existing 407. So much for them "being a little bit cheaper" as the outgoing McGuinty promised.

Will the tolls rise in lockstep with the privately owned 407?

[ssiguy]

Are the 407 tolls frozen or have they/will they go up?

[Loco101]

Love the pics above! It looks as though there is enough room to add HOV lanes and the overpass seems to have room for collectors.

Question: In that section of the 401 between the 409 and 427, you know where there are no collector lanes...are there plans at sometime in the future to add collectors? I have heard some say that the 427 overpasses aren't wide enough but couldn't they just built the collector lanes up high and over the 427 interchange?

[Innsertnamehere]

The right of way for the 401 through that stretch isn't wide enough to add collectors. If they were to ever be built there they would need to be built like the LBJ freeway in Dallas.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by sa230e

Will the tolls rise in lockstep with the privately owned 407?

I suspect probably, but I don't know for certain. The tolling rate will probably depend on the travel demand for the highway.

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

The right of way for the 401 through that stretch isn't wide enough to add collectors. If they were to ever be built there they would need to be built like the LBJ freeway in Dallas.

LBJ freeway? What does LBJ stand for?

I think 1 more lane can be squeezed into 401 between 427 and 409. The worst place is under 427 itself... needs new / extended overpasses to add more lanes here.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by haljackey

LBJ freeway? What does LBJ stand for?

Lyndon Baines Johnson, former president of the USA and son of Texas.

LBJ is probably best known in Canada for physically throttling Prime Minister Pearson during a state visit to his ranch in 1965. The irate Johnson was heard to say to Pearson (while he was dangling from Johnson's outstretched arms and turning blue in the face) "you pissed on my parade". This was in reference to a speech Pearson made that was critical of the US war effort in Viet Nam.

It was a particularly low point in Canada/US relations.......

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by haljackey

LBJ freeway? What does LBJ stand for?

I think 1 more lane can be squeezed into 401 between 427 and 409. The worst place is under 427 itself... needs new / extended overpasses to add more lanes here.

The LBJ Freeway is Interstate 635 in northern Dallas. It's the east-west freeway that runs through the High-Five interchange, and just had a rather elaborate set of express tolled lanes constructed through the busiest section of it.



There are some pretty cool photos up on this website:
http://dfwfreeways.com/i635/roadside-lbj-express

[haljackey]

While that is pretty neat, I doubt that would fly in Canada. Elevated highways like this have high construction costs and don't respond to the winter weather / salt too well. I guess making the tolled can help pay for it, but the NIMBY opposition also affects it. Lots will complain it is an eyesore and could be noisy too.

[Innsertnamehere]

It's not elevated so much as the middle part is trencher below the upper highway.

But yea, I don't think it would fly.

[sa230e]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

The LBJ Freeway is Interstate 635 in northern Dallas. It's the east-west freeway that runs through the High-Five interchange, and just had a rather elaborate set of express tolled lanes constructed through the busiest section of it.



There are some pretty cool photos up on this website:
http://dfwfreeways.com/i635/roadside-lbj-express

Wow, that's impressive. Only in Texas could you build freeways like that.

[Procrastinational]

Originally Posted by sa230e

Wow, that's impressive. Only in Texas could you build freeways like that.

The elevated/flyover aspect is a bit impractical, but I quite like the idea of having tolled express lanes to control congestion.
Something like 2 tolled express and 3 free lanes in each direction is probably sufficient for all but the busiest of freeways in Canada.

[sonysnob]

High-Occupany Toll lanes have been proposed for various freeways in the GTA. The MTO has recently just started to study where they should be implemented. I too quite like the idea of toll express lanes. I like the idea of reliably being able to move around the region quickly when needed.

[swimmer_spe]

Highway 400 is eventually going to be a 8+ lane freeway to at least the highway 11 split. There is a problem with doing that.

The space between the highway and the rest of the city of Barrie is nonexistant. This is especially clear between Essa Rd and Bayfield St.

There has been talk about bypassing the RIRO section of highway 11. This would set up Highway 11 to become Highway 411.

But this change still does not address the issue of space.

Here is my idea:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zJh1JiVkvThc.kJiINmE9m7OU&usp=sharing

Basically, a new freeway that skirts the west side of the city. It would alleviate traffic from the current highway and also provide a second route around the city in the event of an accident.

Thoughts?

[Infrequent Poster]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

The LBJ Freeway is Interstate 635 in northern Dallas. It's the east-west freeway that runs through the High-Five interchange, and just had a rather elaborate set of express tolled lanes constructed through the busiest section of it.



There are some pretty cool photos up on this website:
http://dfwfreeways.com/i635/roadside-lbj-express

I wonder if at some point, they would expand the highway and close the gap over the trenched lanes? Kind of looks like its designed for that. I could be wrong though. (probably am)

I also found it kind of interesting when I looked at the additional pictures in your link (probably two dozen photos) I could not spot a single car using the lower lanes in any picture.

[Innsertnamehere]

The photos were probably taken right before it opened, the express lanes only opened this summer.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Highway 400 is eventually going to be a 8+ lane freeway to at least the highway 11 split. There is a problem with doing that.

The space between the highway and the rest of the city of Barrie is nonexistant. This is especially clear between Essa Rd and Bayfield St.

There has been talk about bypassing the RIRO section of highway 11. This would set up Highway 11 to become Highway 411.

But this change still does not address the issue of space.

Here is my idea:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zJh1JiVkvThc.kJiINmE9m7OU&usp=sharing

Basically, a new freeway that skirts the west side of the city. It would alleviate traffic from the current highway and also provide a second route around the city in the event of an accident.

Thoughts?

MTO has plans to upgrade highway 11, but it likely won't be renamed 411 for a long time, they will probably want to eliminate every grade crossing to North Bay to do that. The RIRO is also planned to be upgraded as the highway needs to be widened to 6 lanes, which while that will be relatively soon for the part south of orillia, it's a whiles off for north of it.

MTO looked at a Barrie Bypass, but determined it was better to widen the 400. The plan is to have it set up as an 4+HOV ultimately, with a possible further widening through Barrie, which MTO is currently studying. They may even try to squeeze in a collector express system.

As for space, you would be amazed what you can squeeze through old highway stretches. MTO is planning to squeeze through extra lanes through Oshawa on the 401 and Mississauga on the QEW, both of which "have no space" today.