Highways in Canada

[Tone]

^Ça me fait plaisir les gars, content de voir que c'est apprécié!

[ZTrade]

Province should buy the portion of the 407 that connects 401 and 403 and make that portion part of the GTA West Highway. Once it's complete, GTA West will run from 400 to QEW in Oakville/Mississauga.

Next step is buy the 407 that runs through Halton region to Hamilton and reroute that as 410 and the portion of 403 in Mississauga to 410. 410 ends in Hamilton at QEW/403 intersection where 403 now begins.

Seems much more logical compared to having drivers go onto three different highways to get from North West Brampton to QEW in Oakville/Mississauga. This also gets rid of the shared 403/QEW system that exists today. 410 can be considered a Peel-Halton highway (many drivers stay on the 410 to 403 through Mississauga) and 403 can be a Hamilton-Brantford-Woodstock connector.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by ZTrade

Province should buy the portion of the 407 that connects 401 and 403 and make that portion part of the GTA West Highway. Once it's complete, GTA West will run from 400 to QEW in Oakville/Mississauga.

Next step is buy the 407 that runs through Halton region to Hamilton and reroute that as 410 and the portion of 403 in Mississauga to 410. 410 ends in Hamilton at QEW/403 intersection where 403 now begins.

Seems much more logical compared to having drivers go onto three different highways to get from North West Brampton to QEW in Oakville/Mississauga. This also gets rid of the shared 403/QEW system that exists today. 410 can be considered a Peel-Halton highway (many drivers stay on the 410 to 403 through Mississauga) and 403 can be a Hamilton-Brantford-Woodstock connector.

The 407 beyond the 401 really does not make sense.

Here are my fixes....

First, south of 401, 410 is extended, and it continues south to the QEW. There would be 5 km of new highway.

Next bring the 403 all the way to the airport, about 10 km.

The 407 between Hamilton and the existing 403 should become the rest of the 403. It really should have been.

The section between Oakville and the 401 would become a new 400 series highway. I am not sure the number.

The 407 wet of the 401 would be on a new alignment going to Guelph and Kitchener/Waterloo, like it should have gone.

[Djeffery]

The 407 through Burlington was the original 403 right of way that was the last section of that highway to be built, and I think was sold as part of the 407 sale and the 407 people built that section. The 403 was intended to be entirely it's own alignment through Burlington Oakville. The section of 403 that runs north from the QEW was way back supposed to be the 407 terminus when it was going to be a provincial highway, not a toll road. That piece was built to join the 403 to the QEW while the people to the west fought the construction of the highway through their backyards. My uncle's house backed onto that corridor in the 80's and 90's in Burlington, and while he was in favour of the highway, many of his neighbours were against it, and had signs on their front yards againt it, and there were protests.

It seemed like no one was happy with that entire highway. I remember as a kid the protests for the Brantford to Woodstock section, and it was years before the connection to the 401 was even built. Never mind how long to build the Ancaster to Brantford link after that.

[Innsertnamehere]

The 407 when sold went from the 403 to Markham Road. The section from the QEW to the 403 as well as from Markham Road to Brock Road was built by 407ETR as a condition of the sale.

Those two stretches also remain the least busy stretches of the 407, though the eastern part has picked up a lot of traffic since the extension has been built. Most of the 407s business is in the 427-404 stretch.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

The 407 through Burlington was the original 403 right of way that was the last section of that highway to be built, and I think was sold as part of the 407 sale and the 407 people built that section. The 403 was intended to be entirely it's own alignment through Burlington Oakville. The section of 403 that runs north from the QEW was way back supposed to be the 407 terminus when it was going to be a provincial highway, not a toll road. That piece was built to join the 403 to the QEW while the people to the west fought the construction of the highway through their backyards. My uncle's house backed onto that corridor in the 80's and 90's in Burlington, and while he was in favour of the highway, many of his neighbours were against it, and had signs on their front yards againt it, and there were protests.

It seemed like no one was happy with that entire highway. I remember as a kid the protests for the Brantford to Woodstock section, and it was years before the connection to the 401 was even built. Never mind how long to build the Ancaster to Brantford link after that.

Wow, I didn’t know that Highway 403 didn’t come easy.

[Dengler Avenue]

As for 407 from Burlington to Mississauga, I don’t drive that stretch very often, but given that traffic on QEW and 403 is chronically bad, I won’t be surprised if many use it. That the vertical stretch of 407 is being widened tells you something.

[craner]

Originally Posted by Tone

A85 this morning august 13th

Tronçon 7 - between Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! and Saint-Honoré


Tronçon 1 - Saint-Antonin


Tronçon 1 - Saint-Antonin

This is awesome - getting that final stretch from Quebec to the Maritimes twinned.
Now to get that last little remaining stretch in Manitoba done.
Then it’s on to Ontario & BC - those could take a while.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by craner

This is awesome - getting that final stretch from Quebec to the Maritimes twinned.
Now to get that last little remaining stretch in Manitoba done.
Then it’s on to Ontario & BC - those could take a while.

I'm working hard on a proposal right now.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=11qPd7-lLyG1jFj9N6y9ioaWMABkC1Mj0&usp=sharing
There's < 200 km to go now.

Edit: I'm obsessed with Highway 417, after all~
Credits: swimmer_spe has helped me out big time for the segment between CFB Petawawa and Sault Sainte Marie.

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by craner

This is awesome - getting that final stretch from Quebec to the Maritimes twinned.
Now to get that last little remaining stretch in Manitoba done.
Then it’s on to Ontario & BC - those could take a while.

Is there a map which highlights which sections of Canadian Highways are twinned and divided? Google Maps only shows Freeways it seems.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by CivicBlues

Is there a map which highlights which sections of Canadian Highways are twinned and divided? Google Maps only shows Freeways it seems.

No need.
Quebec and points east: Unless you're talking about QC-117, everything else is either 4 lane divided freeway or 2 lane undivided highway. (Some may be super 2 though.)
Manitoba and points west: You can just assume 4 lane divided with at-grade intersections here and there.
Ontario: 417 = 4 lane divided freeway. For everything else, you actually need to zoom in to check (though the majority is 4 lane divided with at-grade intersections except the 19.6 km near Sudbury).

Ps: The past 20-ish comments should be moved to the TCH thread.

Edit: My bad I thought you were talking about TCH specifically. In that case,
Quebec: Look at the shield. Green shield = at best 4 lane divided with cross roads (parts of 116 and 132 in Longueil excepted). Shoot I forgot that red shields also include super-2 routes...
Ontario: Divided highways with at-grade intersections are rare. The notable ones that I can think of is 3 (Essex), 6 (Guelph), 11 (Gravenhurst - North Bay), 17 (Sault Sainte Marie, Thunder Bay), 40 (Sarnia). Then there are substandard RIRO's.

Bref, we really don't have a national standard on this.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

As for 407 from Burlington to Mississauga, I don’t drive that stretch very often, but given that traffic on QEW and 403 is chronically bad, I won’t be surprised if many use it. That the vertical stretch of 407 is being widened tells you something.

Honestly, every time I drive it, which isn't too often, it has always had light traffic.

Originally Posted by craner

This is awesome - getting that final stretch from Quebec to the Maritimes twinned.
Now to get that last little remaining stretch in Manitoba done.
Then it’s on to Ontario & BC - those could take a while.

If I were a betting man, Id say Highway 1 through BC on the mainland will be twinned before 400 and 417 hit Sudbury.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Honestly, every time I drive it, which isn't too often, it has always had light traffic.

That's the idea, though.

Nobody's going to pay 407 rates to sit in a traffic jam. So, the expedient widening of the highway far beyond what regular traffic count demands is the priority.

If you have to justify tax dollars to pay to widen a non-jammed highway, you're facing an uphill battle. Look at the AADT for the formerly 6-lane sections (basically west of the 401/403/410 interchange) of the 401 through Mississauga. They're now just getting to widening.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

If I were a betting man, Id say Highway 1 through BC on the mainland will be twinned before 400 and 417 hit Sudbury.

The 400 only has ~85km to go, with a commitment to get it done. BC Highway 1 has several hundred kilometres, most of which is not committed.

The 417, yeah, I'd agree there.

[J.OT13]

Ottawa's 1965 expressway plan. Of these projects, the following were built:

• Queensway (core area completed in the late 60s, early 70s and expanded west to Kanata and east to Montreal in 75' for the 76' Olympics);
• South-West (now the 416, built 6 kilometres further west and completed in 1999);
• The "X" on the Hull side, ending just above King Edward in Ottawa and he first circle after the intersection in Hull. (mostly built at the same time as the Queenway, with the last section short section on the west side of Hull completed in the 90s).

The South-East is being built as the "Hospital Link" little by little and will eventually connect to the Nicholas expressway (former railway right-of-way along the canal not on the map below). At the moment, it's a useless 1 kilometre "L" shaped expressway that serves no purpose.

The "Island" portion of Lemieux Island Freeway is now part of the Trillium Line. The branch to the left of the Lemieux Island Freeway up to the 90 degree turn south is part of the Transitway/Confederation Line.

Originally Posted by 11a2b3

Ottawa-Hull Area Transportation Study, 1965:

https://www.facebook.com/LostOttawa/photos/a.380380215394542/3235936586505543/?type=3&theater

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by wave46

That's the idea, though.

Nobody's going to pay 407 rates to sit in a traffic jam. So, the expedient widening of the highway far beyond what regular traffic count demands is the priority.

If you have to justify tax dollars to pay to widen a non-jammed highway, you're facing an uphill battle. Look at the AADT for the formerly 6-lane sections (basically west of the 401/403/410 interchange) of the 401 through Mississauga. They're now just getting to widening.

But it is a for profit privately leased for 99 years highway.

Originally Posted by wave46

The 400 only has ~85km to go, with a commitment to get it done. BC Highway 1 has several hundred kilometres, most of which is not committed.

The 417, yeah, I'd agree there.

But that is my point... At the rare they are going of about 20km every 5 years, 400 will reach Sudbury in about 20 years.

417 is even worse. They aren't even doing 20km at a time.

BC Highway 1
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation-projects/highway1-kamloops-alberta
Yes, they have several hundred km to still do, but they have an excuse - mountains are horribly expensive to build anything near.

I'll bet that they will have most, if not all done in 20-30 years.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

But it is a for profit privately leased for 99 years highway.

He didn't say it wasn't. He was just simply saying the consortium that owns it is always expanding it to make sure that traffic is moving. Otherwise people wouldn't pay to use it if they were in 401-like traffic jams.

[Dengler Avenue]

417 is even worse. They aren't even doing 20km at a time.

If you count Thunder Bay - Nipigon Corridor and west of Kenora, then they may actually add up to 20 km/year.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

But it is a for profit privately leased for 99 years highway.

Yes. The profit motive is the reason for the expedient widening.

But that is my point... At the rare they are going of about 20km every 5 years, 400 will reach Sudbury in about 20 years.

417 is even worse. They aren't even doing 20km at a time.

BC Highway 1
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation-projects/highway1-kamloops-alberta
Yes, they have several hundred km to still do, but they have an excuse - mountains are horribly expensive to build anything near.

I'll bet that they will have most, if not all done in 20-30 years.

I didn't know BC was so ambitious about Highway 1. I still think the 400 to Sudbury will be done before Highway 1 is done in BC, if I was a betting man.

The 417 will be done, uh, never probably.

[Dengler Avenue]

The 417 will be done, uh, never probably.

But it doesn’t stop us from drawing up plans just for show, anyway.
(Well, I hope that some parts do see the shovel hit the ground, eventually. MTO has 333 km of Highway 17 planned with publicly disclosed drawings. However, worst comes to worst, we can present everything just for show.)