TCH east of Nipigon (La route transcanadienne à l'est de Nipigon)

[1overcosc]

The 417 extension from Arnprior to Renfrew is almost definitely fast-tracked know that Yakabuski is in charge of MTO. That's long been a demanded project from that end of the province. From what I understand the route is already designed and the properties needed have long been acquired; the Liberals had been proceeding westward from Arnprior very gradually; they opened 4km in 2012 and 3km in 2016.

[Dengler Avenue]

Sometimes I find it funny that:
(1) I went on Highway 69 on the last day of June in 2016; a month later, the new 4-lane segment between 64 and 607 was opened to traffic; and

(2) I went on Highway 17 in August 2016 when the crew was still working on widening it between Exit 187 and Scheel Drive; by the end of the year, that segment was opened to traffic too.

Heh all the near misses...

[Loco101]

The Hwy 17 bypass around Mattawa may happen soon. It will likely be 4 lane divided according to plans.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Loco101

The Hwy 17 bypass around Mattawa may happen soon. It will likely be 4 lane divided according to plans.

Uhm... The Southeast Bypass in Sudbury is 2 lanes....

[Dengler Avenue]

I think in NEO, some of the low-hanging fruits will be as follows:
(1) Widening the remaining 11.6 km of Sudbury SW Bypass, re-configuring 17/69 interchange, then grade-separating 69 (in total, 15 km);

(2) Extending the freeway to the west end of North Bay (in total, 6 km);

(3) Desbarat and Bruce Mines Bypass (in total, 20 km)?

(4) Grade-separating Garden River Bypass;

(5) Adding EDR to 17 along Huron Shore and to 11 from North Bay to Tri-town (probably even between Hearst and Longlac).

As for NWO,
(1) Grade-separating Thunder Bay Expressway and widening 61;

(2) Extending Shabaqua Extension as a Super 2 to west of Kakabeka Falls;

(3) Adding EDR for Highway 17 from Nipigon to Manitoba.

Despite the rocky terrain, all that the province needs to do is to link up the existing side roads and restoring the Shabaqua Road bridge.

Ps: Part of the plan to widen part of 11-17 (I forgot which part) recommends demolishing the existing bridge (because the new 4 lanes will travel on another bridge). Make sure that doesn't happen! It's stupid!

[F. Lionel]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

As for NWO,
(1) Grade-separating Thunder Bay Expressway and widening 61;

(2) Extending Shabaqua Extension as a Super 2 to west of Kakabeka Falls;

(3) Adding EDR for Highway 17 from Nipigon to Manitoba.

Despite the rocky terrain, all that the province needs to do is to link up the existing side roads and restoring the Shabaqua Road bridge.

Ps: Part of the plan to widen part of 11-17 (I forgot which part) recommends demolishing the existing bridge (because the new 4 lanes will travel on another bridge). Make sure that doesn't happen! It's stupid!

The only parts of the 11/17 widening that involve a bridge removal is the bridge at Nipigon (which is already gone) because the new bridge is basically right on top of where the old one was. This will be the same case at Pearl River as well. Beyond these two all the other bridges are being duplicated.

The to be built bridges at Wolf River and Black Sturgeon are being relocated to new locations and the old ones are still being used for local access.

I'm not sure if the Super 2 can be built yet past Kakabeka as I'm not sure the MTO has acquired all the necessary properties. Vid might have a better idea but I don't think it has progressed that far.

One other low fruit that could be easily twinned is 17 from Shabaqua to Lac Des Mille Lacs. It's not even really on anyone's radar but it's relatively flat except for the first 30 or so km's past Shabaqua. But even that wouldn't require much blasting. Up near Raith it's swampy but that's easily dealt with. And there is little private ownership abutting the highway. Just a thought...

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by F. Lionel

The only parts of the 11/17 widening that involve a bridge removal is the bridge at Nipigon (which is already gone) because the new bridge is basically right on top of where the old one was. This will be the same case at Pearl River as well. Beyond these two all the other bridges are being duplicated.

The to be built bridges at Wolf River and Black Sturgeon are being relocated to new locations and the old ones are still being used for local access.

I'm not sure if the Super 2 can be built yet past Kakabeka as I'm not sure the MTO has acquired all the necessary properties. Vid might have a better idea but I don't think it has progressed that far.

One other low fruit that could be easily twinned is 17 from Shabaqua to Lac Des Mille Lacs. It's not even really on anyone's radar but it's relatively flat except for the first 30 or so km's past Shabaqua. But even that wouldn't require much blasting. Up near Raith it's swampy but that's easily dealt with. And there is little private ownership abutting the highway. Just a thought...

Ironically, though, AADT on 17 is also one of the lowest (sitting at 2400 with 50% being commercial traffic) between Ignace and Shabaqua. On the Friday afternoon that I drove from Winnipeg to Ottawa, I drove at 108 km/h for 45 minutes until I saw another car in my lane. I was so bored.

I was surprised too to find out that the stretch from Shabaqua Corners to English River is flat. Flat land is heck of a rare occurrence in NWO. But yea, twinning this stretch of 17 will cost so little compared to everywhere else. I was gonna include that too, but with AADT < 3K, twinning it is guaranteed to raise people’s eyebrows.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Uhm... The Southeast Bypass in Sudbury is 2 lanes....

Oh I'm aware of that.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I think in NEO, some of the low-hanging fruits will be as follows:
(1) Widening the remaining 11.6 km of Sudbury SW Bypass, re-configuring 17/69 interchange, then grade-separating 69 (in total, 15 km);

(2) Extending the freeway to the west end of North Bay (in total, 6 km);

(3) Desbarat and Bruce Mines Bypass (in total, 20 km)?

(4) Grade-separating Garden River Bypass;

(5) Adding EDR to 17 along Huron Shore and to 11 from North Bay to Tri-town (probably even between Hearst and Longlac).

As for NWO,
(1) Grade-separating Thunder Bay Expressway and widening 61;

(2) Extending Shabaqua Extension as a Super 2 to west of Kakabeka Falls;

(3) Adding EDR for Highway 17 from Nipigon to Manitoba.

Despite the rocky terrain, all that the province needs to do is to link up the existing side roads and restoring the Shabaqua Road bridge.

Ps: Part of the plan to widen part of 11-17 (I forgot which part) recommends demolishing the existing bridge (because the new 4 lanes will travel on another bridge). Make sure that doesn't happen! It's stupid!

EDRs in Northern Ontario?!?

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Loco101

EDRs in Northern Ontario?!?

Yes you read that right.

If twinning’s expensive and hard to justify, EDR (even if it’s only for passenger vehicles) should be a cheaper option because (especially if it’s only intended for non-commercial vehicles) it can be built to much lower standard. Imagine no longer having to detour via Quebec just because some mayhem happens on the 11 near Temagami, or even more extreme: no longer having to wait for the highway to reopen because the bottleneck of Canada is closed.

More importantly, this allows MTO to ban pedestrians, cyclists, ATV’s, etc. on major highways like how it already did with Shabaqua Extension. Being able to do so should make twinning more convenient in the future. Heck if MTO wanna be excessive (which obviously isn’t the case), it can even turn those portions of 11 or 17 into super 2’s.

As much as road building is difficult in Canadian Shield, we’re still luckier than BC, where EDR for Highway 1 is off limits.

[Dengler Avenue]

https://mobile.twitter.com/OPP_COMM_NER/status/1015727502763941890/photo/1

Wildfire?

Update just now: Alternating traffic in the area.

[F. Lionel]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I was surprised too to find out that the stretch from Shabaqua Corners to English River is flat. Flat land is heck of a rare occurrence in NWO. But yea, twinning this stretch of 17 will cost so little compared to everywhere else. I was gonna include that too, but with AADT < 3K, twinning it is guaranteed to raise people’s eyebrows.

As has been discussed before AADT will always be the issue that keeps twinning from happening here in the north. As your tag states its now more about political will. If Rickford's will is strong enough and the twinning to from MB to Kenora actually starts construction another relatively easy twinning project would be the stretch of 17 from Dryden to Vermillion Bay. Some agricultural land would be lost to that project unfortunately and, I suspect, there will be issues to starting it until the Dryden bypass route is finalised.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by F. Lionel

As has been discussed before AADT will always be the issue that keeps twinning from happening here in the north. As your tag states its now more about political will. If Rickford's will is strong enough and the twinning to from MB to Kenora actually starts construction another relatively easy twinning project would be the stretch of 17 from Dryden to Vermillion Bay. Some agricultural land would be lost to that project unfortunately and, I suspect, there will be issues to starting it until the Dryden bypass route is finalised.

I feel that it should be Oxdrift - Dryden - Wabigoon - Dinorwic Bypass instead.

Dryden Bypass is definitely warranted though, as there are too many traffic lights inside the city.

[F. Lionel]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I feel that it should be Oxdrift - Dryden - Wabigoon - Dinorwic Bypass instead.

Dryden Bypass is definitely warranted though, as there are too many traffic lights inside the city.

Of course... just like the Kenora by-pass was originally Keewatin - Kenora- Jaffray Melick.

The bypass should diverge from 17 somewhere around highway 72, head north along the north hydro corridor around the Dryden Airport and rejoin 17 somewhere out by Minnitaki. The lights and speed limit along 17 through the city is ridiculous at times.

[Dengler Avenue]

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=8246082&posted=1#post8246082
#865

[White Pine]

Originally Posted by Loco101

The Hwy 17 bypass around Mattawa may happen soon. It will likely be 4 lane divided according to plans.

I don't see a need for it. You slow down for like 5 minutes and go through one roundabout. You hardly even need to stop. Unless the trucks are having trouble with the roundabout?

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by White Pine

I don't see a need for it. You slow down for like 5 minutes and go through one roundabout. You hardly even need to stop. Unless the trucks are having trouble with the roundabout?

Or maybe people at Mattawa are tired of trucks wrecking havoc at night.

Not that it happens often though. There was just this one instance where a truck drove into the wall of an apartment at 12 am.

[Dengler Avenue]

One thing I forgot to ask: How’s the wildfire at Temagami affecting everyone? Is there anyone here that regularly commutes between New Liskeard and N Bay?

[Dengler Avenue]

http://www.timminspress.com/2017/12/11/safer-highways-with-21-model

From a while back...

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

http://www.timminspress.com/2017/12/11/safer-highways-with-21-model

From a while back...

It's still very expensive but would be a great idea .