Highways in Canada

[Dengler Avenue]

Or the bonkers routing of the 40 through downtown Trois Rivieres when it looks as if there's a nice corridor north of the city.

Yea, A40 was supposed to use that corridor and the current one was supposed to be A755. Then MTQ went, “Screw it”, and renumbered it A40.

Ah Acajack beat me to it.

Hey, A50 is super bad too.

Then there is Rte 117 Bypass of Mont Tremblant. One side has service roads and the other side is just like, “Okay...”

[wave46]

Originally Posted by Acajack

What about the missing link between Highway 417 in Ottawa and A-5 in Gatineau which requires heavy truck traffic between the two cities to weave through a maze of tight turns on narrow, busy inner city streets? Including Rideau, one of the capital's main streets.

That's a good one.

They are proposing a bridge on the eastern part of the city the get that hot mess around downtown, no?

I've not lived in Ottawa for awhile, so I've not really kept up on any of it.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

The Province and the city of Regina allowed development on the TCH starting at Balgonie about 30 years ago. It just got worse and worse. In hindsight they should have built a proper interchange at TCH and Victoria (east side of the city) and a couple more overpasses at key points to the east. Maintain service roads all along the route and that would have solved needing to build a whole new highway.

Oh well, it is what it is.

They should have just made a simple bypass south with the TCH, and then have a highway that does an upside down U around the city.

Originally Posted by Loco101

Oh I drove that a couple of times this Summer. I totally understand what you mean!!

I'm not a fan of Saskatchewan highway designs. So many flaws and obvious places where the province didn't want to invest in safety. I can provide Google Streetview links to show. I also can't believe how many very busy at grade intersections there are along Hwy 1 (Trans-Canada).

I witnessed a horrible accident in Whitewood along Hwy 1 at an at-grade intersection with Hwy 9 and couldn't believe how badly the first responders handled it compared to anything I've ever seen in Ontario. And the fact that there have been a number of deadly accidents at that intersection yet nothing has been done. I do realize that Saskatchewan isn't as well off as Ontario but there are some inexpensive interim measures that could be taken.

You mean, you don't like a divided 4 lane highway? Between The BC and ON border, we were driving on 4 lane highways. this means being able to pass slower drivers safer than on the 2 lanes.

I think if we build 11/17 in Northern ON like that - at grade for all but the busiest intersections, we might be able to do more and get more done.

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

Not only SK but MB has TCH/16 junction that has been the sight of numerous deadly crashes. Alberta has several dangerous ones as well. Of course there are the awful sections throughout the BC sections of the TCH.
Maybe if we (Canada) had a national highway authority...............

It seems BC sets their speed limits right. It is not a limit due to some nanny state, but a limit that if you go over it, you die. 120 km/hr on a mountain freeway and 100km/hr on a 2 lane mountain highway is about as fast as one would want to go.

If Ontario did that, 100km/hr in the GTA makes sense as you cannot go faster than that. BC even has changeable signs. That should exist on all major highways.

Originally Posted by wave46

This actually brings up an interesting tangent: half-assed highways.

I can think of a couple of them. Where highway designers just said 'this is fine' and now they're complete messes, because nobody had the foresight to plan for future growth and just let them become part of city streets. We've discussed Regina and Saskatoon, but I've driven Ile Perrot on the west side of Montreal.

You're on a high-speed divided highway going 100 km/h and suddenly you're on a 50km/h main drag through town. I always wondered why the MTQ never just routed the 20 via the 40/30 west of Baie-D'Urfe and let the section of the 20 become a dedicated city street.

Or the bonkers routing of the 40 through downtown Trois Rivieres when it looks as if there's a nice corridor north of the city.

Throw in your candidates.

102 in Halfax. It is signed all the way downtown...

Originally Posted by wave46

Ontario Highway 11 between Barrie and Gravenhurst comes to mind too. It's always an interesting question if that person looking to get on the highway is actually going to pull out in front of you from the Tim's/gas station/RV dealership into the flow of semi-dense traffic.

You wonder how good your brakes are and how good the reaction time of the transport driver behind you is going to be.

That is the test of how close you are behind the other driver. Besides, when you're crawling at a snails pace, what does it matter?

Originally Posted by Acajack

What about the missing link between Highway 417 in Ottawa and A-5 in Gatineau which requires heavy truck traffic between the two cities to weave through a maze of tight turns on narrow, busy inner city streets? Including Rideau, one of the capital's main streets.

I have always thought they should just tunnel under the city to make the connection. It's only about 2km between the bridge and 417. Enough for an exit or so.

[Dengler Avenue]

I have always thought they should just tunnel under the city to make the connection. It's only about 2km between the bridge and 417. Enough for an exit or so.

We’ve been saying the whole time that trucks with dangerous goods and tunnel don’t mix.

[wave46]

The 401 between the 427 and 409 is another one.

Why would we need more than 4 lanes per direction on the 401? Let's size the structure that carries the 427 for that.

Meanwhile, you have 18 lanes on one side of it and 14 on the other funneling into it. OK, it does downsize to 5 lanes per direction before it on the westbound section, but still.

[SaskScraper]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

I have to ask.... what is Regina smokin'.....

A ring road that is actually a spiral is not a ring road.....

You should not need to exit to continue on a ring road. That is not a ring.

I think people take the name "Ring Road" too literally, it was just easier to say and had more of a ring to it (pardon the pun) than to say Horseshoe Road.

At the time Ring Road was built, back in the 70's I believe, they maybe did plan to complete the circle but then they upgraded Lewvan into a more free flowing expressway that cut directly through the city and eliminated the need to complete the circle around Regina... until now with the new Regina Bypass.

Originally Posted by wave46

The northern section of Circle Drive has a similar issue, yes.

It's like they got 95% of the way there and said 'to hell with it, this works good enough' and plopped a bunch of big-box stuff there.

Now Saskatchewan will build a big bucks highway to bypass the previous bypass.

That section of Circle Drive has been there long before they had envisioned making it part of the expressway loop around the core of Saskatoon. Circle Dr North was surrounded by businesses for well over half a century. In the 80s they started to extend that street in each direction and south but without traffic lights and with full grade separation, until it is what it is today with the loop complete but with traffic lights on a couple kms of the north part of the loop.

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

The Province and the city of Regina allowed development on the TCH starting at Balgonie about 30 years ago. It just got worse and worse. In hindsight they should have built a proper interchange at TCH and Victoria (east side of the city) and a couple more overpasses at key points to the east. Maintain service roads all along the route and that would have solved needing to build a whole new highway.

Oh well, it is what it is.

I think that was a big oversight by Regina and the province for sure, neither thought about a future plan while businesses bellied right up to highway #1 entering the city until it was too late and they had to add the eastern extension for the Bypass.

Regina Bypass is though a fail safe incase there were to be any traffic accident that would not only clog commuter traffic around the city but also any highway #1 traffic along Victoria Ave or Ring Road. Regina Bypass allows for traffic to still get around.

Originally Posted by Loco101

Oh I drove that a couple of times this Summer. I totally understand what you mean!!

I'm not a fan of Saskatchewan highway designs. So many flaws and obvious places where the province didn't want to invest in safety. I can provide Google Streetview links to show. I also can't believe how many very busy at grade intersections there are along Hwy 1 (Trans-Canada).

I witnessed a horrible accident in Whitewood along Hwy 1 at an at-grade intersection with Hwy 9 and couldn't believe how badly the first responders handled it compared to anything I've ever seen in Ontario. And the fact that there have been a number of deadly accidents at that intersection yet nothing has been done. I do realize that Saskatchewan isn't as well off as Ontario but there are some inexpensive interim measures that could be taken.

What's your idea of inexpensive interim measures?

How were first responders handling a traffic incident badly? unless they were spending most of their time trying to direct traffic flow because people such as yourself were slowing down and loitering in the area for just long enough to start complaining about how "badly first responders handling" the situation.

I grew up not far from highway #1 and we've come across accidents before but unless any direct assistance is needed I make sure to get out of the way to let the professionals make the right decisions & the right protocol for the situation. I don't loiter around so as to critique the matters.

I think a nation highway system like the American National Interstate and Defense Highways Act would definitely help build a stronger highway system in Canada.

Saskatchewan has the most kms of highways per capita in Canada with over 26,000km of road, yet manages to maintain the roads better than most other provinces.

https://www.hubinsurancehunter.ca/blog/5-most-dangerous-roads-canada/

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

We’ve been saying the whole time that trucks with dangerous goods and tunnel don’t mix.

You may want to tell CP that...

Originally Posted by wave46

The 401 between the 427 and 409 is another one.

Why would we need more than 4 lanes per direction on the 401? Let's size the structure that carries the 427 for that.

Meanwhile, you have 18 lanes on one side of it and 14 on the other funneling into it. OK, it does downsize to 5 lanes per direction before it on the westbound section, but still.

Oh, that areal annoys the heck out of me. I almost wish the MTO would level that area and build the roadways.

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

I think people take the name "Ring Road" too literally, it was just easier to say and had more of a ring to it (pardon the pun) than to say Horseshoe Road.

At the time Ring Road was built, back in the 70's I believe, they maybe did plan to complete the circle but then they upgraded Lewvan into a more free flowing expressway that cut directly through the city and eliminated the need to complete the circle around Regina... until now with the new Regina Bypass.

If it were a horseshoe connected to a bypass, then it is still circular. Regina looks like a messed up spiral.

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

That section of Circle Drive has been there long before they had envisioned making it part of the expressway loop around the core of Saskatoon. Circle Dr North was surrounded by businesses for well over half a century. In the 80s they started to extend that street in each direction and south but without traffic lights and with full grade separation, until it is what it is today with the loop complete but with traffic lights on a couple kms of the north part of the loop.

[craner]

Originally Posted by wave46

It looks to me like they either had a plan and budget considerations killed the final chunk of it, or some revolt among landowners did. I don't know the exact history there.

I'd imagine most traffic along Highway 1 would have previously just used the southern portion of the road anyway. Some might have used the northeastern section to access Highway 6 and 11. The missing northwestern chunk would have been more local traffic, I imagine.

Not protecting Victoria Ave from development between the Ring Rd. and the new bypass (Hwy 1) seems to be the more grievous error. They had to bypass the bypass at great cost.

I just looked on my phone maps and noticed the south portion of both the “ring road” and the new bypass are signed as TCH #1. The bypass should be 100 or 101 wouldn’t you think ?

[dmuzika]

Originally Posted by wave46

The northern section of Circle Drive has a similar issue, yes.

It's like they got 95% of the way there and said 'to hell with it, this works good enough' and plopped a bunch of big-box stuff there.

Now Saskatchewan will build a big bucks highway to bypass the previous bypass.

As a previous poster mentioned, the north section of Circle Drive predates the remaining freeway sections. Formerly called 42nd Street, it became more a part of Circle Drive when the bridge across the South Saskatchewan River was opened in the early 1980s. Looking at the map, finding a suitable river crossing and having to deal with the airport probably contributed to its current alignment. I guess they could have "extended the circle" north of the airport along he recently opened Chief Mistawasis Bridge, but then people would have complained about the north section being too far out of town to be useful.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by craner

I just looked on my phone maps and noticed the south portion of both the “ring road” and the new bypass are signed as TCH #1. The bypass should be 100 or 101 wouldn’t you think ?

Again, Regina really is confusing....

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Again, Regina really is confusing....

I think the inner ring road will straight up be downloaded to the city.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

That section of Circle Drive has been there long before they had envisioned making it part of the expressway loop around the core of Saskatoon. Circle Dr North was surrounded by businesses for well over half a century. In the 80s they started to extend that street in each direction and south but without traffic lights and with full grade separation, until it is what it is today with the loop complete but with traffic lights on a couple kms of the north part of the loop.

Originally Posted by dmuzika

As a previous poster mentioned, the north section of Circle Drive predates the remaining freeway sections. Formerly called 42nd Street, it became more a part of Circle Drive when the bridge across the South Saskatchewan River was opened in the early 1980s. Looking at the map, finding a suitable river crossing and having to deal with the airport probably contributed to its current alignment. I guess they could have "extended the circle" north of the airport along he recently opened Chief Mistawasis Bridge, but then people would have complained about the north section being too far out of town to be useful.

Ah, I see - the province started there. That makes sense.

From an outsider's view with no real knowledge of the history, it just didn't make sense. It was as if Edmonton's Anthony Henday Drive had chunk of at-grade municipal road (it doesn't but you get my gist).

Thanks for the insight!

[Dengler Avenue]

Apparently Anthony Henday Drive actually had tons of crossroads until some point in time.

[sonysnob]

A new video from me. This one enters Montreal along A-10 and follows it downtown before touring the downtown tunnel network:

• Video Link

[haljackey]

Gardiner Expressway in Toronto getting some TLC

Via https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/gardiner-expressway-hybrid-design.23915/page-27

[Andy6]

The finalized plan for the South Perimeter Highway (Manitoba Highway 100) is out, with a 20-25 year time frame. They also chose the route for the St. Norbert bypass, which will be the new Highway 75 linking up to Kenaston Boulevard.

[Mininari]

Originally Posted by Andy6

The finalized plan for the South Perimeter Highway (Manitoba Highway 100) is out, with a 20-25 year time frame. They also chose the route for the St. Norbert bypass, which will be the new Highway 75 linking up to Kenaston Boulevard.

It doesn't appear to include the Headlingley Bypass? (extension of Centreport Canada Way westward?) What happened to that?

Manitoba really needs to make a stronger effort to access the various federal pots of money for transportation / trade-related projects to get these improvements going.

[WildCake]

Originally Posted by Mininari

It doesn't appear to include the Headlingley Bypass? (extension of Centreport Canada Way westward?) What happened to that?

Manitoba really needs to make a stronger effort to access the various federal pots of money for transportation / trade-related projects to get these improvements going.

The headingley bypass was not part of this design study. It will eventually connect at centreport way, north of where the current TCH intersects with Perimeter (Portage Ave.)

Winnipeg's Perimeter highway has two number designation, 100 for south of the TCH interchanges, 101 for north of the TCH interchanges. The study only looked at Highway 100, as it is generally busier than the north and vastly more deficient (more at grade intersections, lights, insufficient merge/exit lanes)

Completely agree Manitoba can and should do more.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

A new video from me. This one enters Montreal along A-10 and follows it downtown before touring the downtown tunnel network:

• Video Link

Great video. Most is extremely familiar to me, but I haven't been on some routes (the southernmost parts of A-35) in quite some time now.

[ssiguy]

I wish BC could build a freeway or even a single interchange for that matter.