Highways in Canada

[LightingGuy]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

We shall call Winnipeg Perimeter Highway a staged freeway.
I wonder if any jurisdictions outside of Ontario really use that moniker though.

It is interesting though..

In Ontario AFAIK almost all of the freeways were built from scratch on fresh land. We tend to not upgrade existing roads to freeway status, rather we build a fresh freeway parallel to the road.

In comparison the Perimeter Highway, Henday, Yellowhead, Whitemud, Deerfoot all were incrementally upgraded to freeway status.

[Dengler Avenue]

It’s interesting to know that none of those ring roads started out as freeways.

In Ontario AFAIK almost all of the freeways were built from scratch on fresh land. We tend to not upgrade existing roads to freeway status, rather we build a fresh freeway parallel to the road.

Hehehe you just aren’t aware.
Highway 6 from Highway 403 to a bit past Hamilton Airport is a staged freeway, and it may be twinned and further grade-separated in the near future. This one was recently built too (i.e. 2006).
Then there’s the 406, which used to have 2 lanes and intersections until 2015. This was Woodlawn Avenue @ 406 in 2014: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gjeG9g31AcJWpbJB9?g_st=ic
Highway 40 from Sarnia to that turn west of Wallaceburg is a staged freeway. If you look closely, the ROW is ~ 80 m (much wider than the usual 45 m for undivided rural highways) and access is limited.
Highway 17 from end of 417 to Old Highway 653 around Town of Renfrew then from Pembroke to Petawawa is also like that. That’s why MTO can just twin and grade-separate 17 all the way up to Renfrew and a bit beyond.

Other than those examples, I agree that twinning isn’t commonplace in Ontario.

[MonctonRad]

Highway 15 (Wheeler Blvd) around Moncton was built to freeway standards (except for one signalized intersection with Botsford Street, and the mega roundabout on the Dieppe marsh). For the remainder of it's length it is divided, four lane, with a median and a speed limit of 110 km/hr.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by LightingGuy

It is interesting though..

In Ontario AFAIK almost all of the freeways were built from scratch on fresh land. We tend to not upgrade existing roads to freeway status, rather we build a fresh freeway parallel to the road.

In comparison the Perimeter Highway, Henday, Yellowhead, Whitemud, Deerfoot all were incrementally upgraded to freeway status.

The Perimeter Highway was built from scratch. It's an old road, but I don't see that really as an excuse.

In Ontario, the QEW was first constructed without the legislative right by the government to declare the highway as controlled access, so it originally had not only at-grade intersections but also driveways. The Perimeter Highway has never been upgraded because its never been made a priority by successive governments. Simple as that.

[LightingGuy]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

The Perimeter Highway was built from scratch. It's an old road, but I don't see that really as an excuse.

In Ontario, the QEW was first constructed without the legislative right by the government to declare the highway as controlled access, so it originally had not only at-grade intersections but also driveways. The Perimeter Highway has never been upgraded because its never been made a priority by successive governments. Simple as that.

Interesting info, thanks. My mistake, I just assumed parts of it had been upgraded since they're different from the rest.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

It’s interesting to know that none of those ring roads started out as freeways.

Hehehe you just aren’t aware.
Highway 6 from Highway 403 to a bit past Hamilton Airport is a staged freeway, and it may be twinned and further grade-separated in the near future. This one was recently built too (i.e. 2006).
Then there’s the 406, which used to have 2 lanes and intersections until 2015. This was Woodlawn Avenue @ 406 in 2014: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gjeG9g31AcJWpbJB9?g_st=ic
Highway 40 from Sarnia to that turn west of Wallaceburg is a staged freeway. If you look closely, the ROW is ~ 80 m (much wider than the usual 45 m for undivided rural highways) and access is limited.
Highway 17 from end of 417 to Old Highway 653 around Town of Renfrew then from Pembroke to Petawawa is also like that. That’s why MTO can just twin and grade-separate 17 all the way up to Renfrew and a bit beyond.

Other than those examples, I agree that twinning isn’t commonplace in Ontario.

I believe the southern half of Highway 416 between the 401 and Ottawa was built by twinning the existing Highway 16 in the area. The northern half was a completely new alignment though.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I believe the southern half of Highway 416 between the 401 and Ottawa was built by twinning the existing Highway 16 in the area. The northern half was a completely new alignment though.

Oh hey thanks! I totally forgot about that one, when it was just “Highway 16 New”.

[sonysnob]

Stoney Trail looking easterly approaching the Deerfoot interchange:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/AB/201/AB201_dv_59-9_east_Jul20_24x16.jpg

As an aside, I dislike how Alberta choses to show the road names at this interchange instead of control cities. This is the ramp from Calgary's by-pass to Edmonton, yet Edmonton is only shown on the advanced signs, but not this one.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by LightingGuy

It is interesting though..

In Ontario AFAIK almost all of the freeways were built from scratch on fresh land. We tend to not upgrade existing roads to freeway status, rather we build a fresh freeway parallel to the road.

In comparison the Perimeter Highway, Henday, Yellowhead, Whitemud, Deerfoot all were incrementally upgraded to freeway status.

Originally Posted by Acajack

I believe the southern half of Highway 416 between the 401 and Ottawa was built by twinning the existing Highway 16 in the area. The northern half was a completely new alignment though.

The original alignment of Highway 16 south of the Manotick area was actually bypassed in the 1970s by a new alignment, and it was that alignment that was upgraded to Highway 416 in the 1990s. The original 16 alignment lives on as Leeds & Grenville Road 44, and also a portion of Ottawa Road 5 north of Kemptville.

Older Ontario freeways tended to be built on new alignments, but some newer ones in rural areas have been upgrades of at least portions of existing highways. A notable example is the twinning of Highway 69, which in portions has been built using the existing alignment.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

The original alignment of Highway 16 south of the Manotick area was actually bypassed in the 1970s by a new alignment, and it was that alignment that was upgraded to Highway 416 in the 1990s. The original 16 alignment lives on as Leeds & Grenville Road 44, and also a portion of Ottawa Road 5 north of Kemptville.

Older Ontario freeways tended to be built on new alignments, but some newer ones in rural areas have been upgrades of at least portions of existing highways. A notable example is the twinning of Highway 69, which in portions has been built using the existing alignment.

The same goes for 11 between Gravenhurst and North Bay as well, wherever there are crossroads or “improper” interchanges (I.e. RIRO with an underpass).
It seems easier to do that in Central and Northern Ontario than in Southern, though. In the latter, the only twinning examples that I can think of are Highway 3 in Essex County, Highway 115 from Enterprise Hill to Peterborough, and Highway 7 between Carleton Place and Kanata/Stittsville.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by LightingGuy

It is interesting though..

In Ontario AFAIK almost all of the freeways were built from scratch on fresh land. We tend to not upgrade existing roads to freeway status, rather we build a fresh freeway parallel to the road.

In comparison the Perimeter Highway, Henday, Yellowhead, Whitemud, Deerfoot all were incrementally upgraded to freeway status.

In Ontario, the opposite is true:
QEW was Middle Road and just widened.
400 is just twinned 69 north of Barrie,
401 is an old 2S alignment
404 parts are the old Woodbine St alignment
416 is twinned highway 16
417 is twinned 17.

True that some parts of the aforementioned were new highways, some sections were old highways.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

In Ontario, the opposite is true:
QEW was Middle Road and just widened.
400 is just twinned 69 north of Barrie,
401 is an old 2S alignment
404 parts are the old Woodbine St alignment
416 is twinned highway 16
417 is twinned 17.

True that some parts of the aforementioned were new highways, some sections were old highways.

Very little of it is, actually - only the part west of Kanata and east of Hawkesbury.

The part within Ottawa was built as a freeway from scratch, and the section from the 417/174 junction in east Ottawa to the 417/17 junction past Hawkesbury, were built as a freeway from scratch. The 174/CR17 alignment through Rockland, Alfred, Hawkesbury, etc. was Highway 17 before the 417 was built.

Within Ottawa, before the 417 was built Highway 17 followed urban roads in the city. Old Montreal-St. Joseph Blvd-Montreal Road-Rideau Street-Wellington Street axis from Cumberland to downtown, then down Bronson Avenue to Carling Avenue west to Kanata, and March Road from Kanata to Carp.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Very little of it is, actually - only the part west of Kanata and east of Hawkesbury.

The part within Ottawa was built as a freeway from scratch, and the section from the 417/174 junction in east Ottawa to the 417/17 junction past Hawkesbury, were built as a freeway from scratch. The 174/CR17 alignment through Rockland, Alfred, Hawkesbury, etc. was Highway 17 before the 417 was built.

Within Ottawa, before the 417 was built Highway 17 followed urban roads in the city. Old Montreal-St. Joseph Blvd-Montreal Road-Rideau Street-Wellington Street axis from Cumberland to downtown, then down Bronson Avenue to Carling Avenue west to Kanata, and March Road from Kanata to Carp.

I know not all of it was. Reality is, as they extend the 417 west, more will be twinned. My point is that lots of our freeways started as a regular road or 2 lane highway of some sort.

[Dengler Avenue]

Even west of Kanata, Antrim Bypass (from a bit west of Panmure Road interchange to Old Highway 29) was built as a divided freeway right from the get-go. The original highway followed Highway 17 through Antrim.
Between Panmure Road and Highway 7, Carp Bypass, which was built as a staged freeway, only had 2 lanes and intersections until the early 2000s (so it was twinned and grade-separated).
17 west of 7 reminded me a bit of the same highway in the western exurb of Sudbury (i.e. Worthington), actually (i.e. 2-lane highway with decent traffic volume within city limit).

The original routing of 17 before Carp Bypass was insane: March Road (Carp) -> Donald Munro Drive (note all the diversions along the way) -> Kinburn Sideroad (Antrim) -> Highway 17 -> Madawaska Boulevard (Arnprior) -> Daniel Street -> Staye Court Drive -> Renfrew County Road 45 (McNab/Braeside) -> Renfrew County Road 63 -> Renfrew County Road 6 -> Highway 60 (Town of Renfrew) -> Renfrew County Road 61 -> Highway 17 (Whitewater Region, Cobden).

[Loco101]

The Hwy 17 Southern bypass of Sudbury was opened in the 1990s I believe and was designed to be twinned.

[MolsonExport]

out West you have trails that are highways (e.g., Deerfoot) and highways that are trails (e.g., Grandview highway, Barnet highway).

[hipster duck]

Ontario was pretty good at building bypasses of its mid-sized and smaller towns in the 1960s and 70s. They didn't necessarily have to be freeways, be more than 1 lane in each direction or even grade separated, they just had to skirt around the city and avoid having entrances to private homes and businesses that would have made upgrading to a full freeway difficult in the future.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Ontario was pretty good at building bypasses of its mid-sized and smaller towns in the 1960s and 70s. They didn't necessarily have to be freeways, be more than 1 lane in each direction or even grade separated, they just had to skirt around the city and avoid having entrances to private homes and businesses that would have made upgrading to a full freeway difficult in the future.

Not always. Highway 7 through Carleton Place was supposed to be the bypass route but now getting the freeway to Town of Perth would require a new alignment.
Also Highway 7&8 New Hamburg Bypass comes to mind.

Edit: On a second thought, I’m actually not sure if they were built in that timeframe. My bad for the knee-jerk comment.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Ontario was pretty good at building bypasses of its mid-sized and smaller towns in the 1960s and 70s. They didn't necessarily have to be freeways, be more than 1 lane in each direction or even grade separated, they just had to skirt around the city and avoid having entrances to private homes and businesses that would have made upgrading to a full freeway difficult in the future.

A lot of bypasses were built but unfortunately many of these bypasses have now clogged up with big box store driveways or houses.

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Not always. Highway 7 through Carleton Place was supposed to be the bypass route but now getting the freeway to Town of Perth would require a new alignment.
Also Highway 7&8 New Hamburg Bypass comes to mind.

Edit: On a second thought, I’m actually not sure if they were built in that timeframe. My bad for the knee-jerk comment.

No apologies necessary. What they did lining Hwy 7 with big box stores and fast food joints in Carleton Place really screwed up any future extensions westward toward Perth. I’m not sure how much say the MTO has - or had - with local decisions like that. 1overcosc is right that a lot of these bypasses have been compromised into stroads. Still, there are some places that manage to resist the commercialization and keep the curb cuts at bay - I’m thinking about Hwy 7 bypassing Lindsay, Hwy 3 bypassing Tilsonburg, the St Thomas expressway, etc.