The 401 - Page 13

sonysnob · #**241** Posted **May 30, 2015, 2:07 AM**

The temporary HOV lane markings that are being added for the PanAm games have been added to the 401 through Scarborough and Durham Region:

The HOV lanes will be in effect from June 29, and require three occupants for travel.

BenTheGreat97 · #**242** Posted **May 30, 2015, 4:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonysnob

The temporary HOV lane markings that are being added for the PanAm games have been added to the 401 through Scarborough and Durham Region:

The HOV lanes will be in effect from June 29, and require three occupants for travel.

What is the point of this? This would only be beneficial if people are going to the games with their families/friends, and not if they go alone of in a group of 2. Maybe it's a different culture in Toronto, but here in Ottawa the new 417 HOV markings in the west end are useless, and they're HOV2, never mind HOV3.

waterloowarrior · #**243** Posted **May 30, 2015, 12:04 PM**

http://www.ontario.ca/travel-and-rec...traffic-routes

Temporary HOV lanes will be open to:

accredited Games vehicles used to transport athletes, media, technical officials etc.
motor vehicles with 3+ occupants (from June 29 – July 27)
motor vehicles with 2+ occupants (from July 28 – August 18)
emergency vehicles
public transit
licensed taxis
airport limousines (on provincial highways only)
electric vehicles with green licence plates (on provincial highways only)

haljackey · #**244** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 5:46 PM**

6-10 laning in Kitchener / Cambridge starts next week

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/...-in-cambridge/

sa230e · #**245** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 6:05 PM**

Any word on the Highway 8/Highway 401 interchange improvements?

haljackey · #**246** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 7:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sa230e

Any word on the Highway 8/Highway 401 interchange improvements?

In the article it says

• Reconfigure Highway 8 and Highway 401 interchange with extra lanes and ramps to westbound 401; preliminary design completed in March 2010

It also says it will all be done in 4 years. Most articles these days say 'beyond 2018', so I doubt that timeline is firm.

haljackey · #**247** Posted **Jun 15, 2015, 8:00 PM**

News regarding Mississauga widening

Highway 401 expansion ignores key design flaws, hurts area businesses
http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com...nesses-149461/

Innsertnamehere · #**248** Posted **Jun 18, 2015, 4:23 PM**

Just build a passing lane if you are that concerned, no need for a 3.5km viaduct.

Pimpmasterdac · #**249** Posted **Jun 18, 2015, 9:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by haljackey

In the article it says

• Reconfigure Highway 8 and Highway 401 interchange with extra lanes and ramps to westbound 401; preliminary design completed in March 2010

It also says it will all be done in 4 years. Most articles these days say 'beyond 2018', so I doubt that timeline is firm.

Does this mean Highway 8/401 interchange will be a T interchange with EB 401 to Highway 8, as well or just access from Highway 8 to WB 401?

sonysnob · #**250** Posted **Jun 18, 2015, 10:19 PM**

^ No. The Hwy 8 interchange will remain the same.

Pimpmasterdac · #**251** Posted **Jun 19, 2015, 1:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonysnob

^ No. The Hwy 8 interchange will remain the same.

That's unfortunate. You would think if the MTO is pouring money into this are they should make the 401/Highway 8 interchange fully connected. Some done fucked up with that...

sa230e · #**252** Posted **Jun 19, 2015, 4:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pimpmasterdac

That's unfortunate. You would think if the MTO is pouring money into this are they should make the 401/Highway 8 interchange fully connected. Some done fucked up with that...

There were plans to upgrade it to a full interchange. I guess it's just not part of this contract. I'm not sure what's going on with that.

sonysnob · #**253** Posted **Jun 20, 2015, 3:12 AM**

... still building a bridge:

sonysnob · #**254** Posted **Jun 20, 2015, 1:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sa230e

There were plans to upgrade it to a full interchange. I guess it's just not part of this contract. I'm not sure what's going on with that.

It's still on the docket, but don't expect construction soon. The new bridge between Detroit and Windsor will likely be completed for sometime before there are shovels int he ground at Hwy 8.

Anyways, a couple of new photos of the 401 construction at Hwy 412.

ScreamingViking · #**255** Posted **Jun 20, 2015, 3:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pimpmasterdac

That's unfortunate. You would think if the MTO is pouring money into this are they should make the 401/Highway 8 interchange fully connected. Some done fucked up with that...

It's probably a much more complex and expensive project, given the fact the older Hwy8/King St. interchange is just to the west. They'd either have to work around that to build new flyover ramps, or integrate the two interchanges to maintain access to King St./Shantz Hill Rd. (which is especially important for the Cambridge side of the 401)

haljackey · #**256** Posted **Jun 20, 2015, 5:27 PM**

Cool pics Sonysnob!

-----

For those unfamiliar with the 401/8 interchange, the lack of a flyover from EB 401 to NB 8 causes you to go through a few stoplights. There are also 2 somewhat tight loop ramps. Can be a major pain for anyone commuting to/from Kitchener from the west.

Vid of the area from a couple years ago. Skip to 5:40 where I get off the 401.

• Video Link

ScreamingViking · #**257** Posted **Jun 20, 2015, 11:21 PM**

Nice video.

I don't get a chance to take that stretch of the 401 very often.

The 401 bridges over old Hwy-8/King are looking pretty old and will probably need to be replaced in the near future. That would be the time to reconfigure the interchange and create a direct connection to the freeway portion of 8.

Pimpmasterdac · #**258** Posted **Jun 21, 2015, 12:27 AM**

Was there a reason why Highway 8 wasn't fully linked up, when it was partially linked in the 1980s in the first place? Were they expecting Highway 8 to go into Cambridge and just never happened or, MTO was staging it in a decades long plan?

sonysnob · #**259** Posted **Jun 21, 2015, 1:38 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pimpmasterdac

Was there a reason why Highway 8 wasn't fully linked up, when it was partially linked in the 1980s in the first place? Were they expecting Highway 8 to go into Cambridge and just never happened or, MTO was staging it in a decades long plan?

There was at one time a plan to build a by-pass of Cambridge on the western side of the Grand River from Hwy 401 south, then easterly along the southern side of Cambridge meeting the existing Hwy 8 southeast of the City. Obviously that never came to fruition, but would have had significant impacts to the design of the Hwy 8/401 interchange. That, coupled with the fact that in 1987, when the freeway by-pass opened, that Old Hwy 8/King Street was still predominately rural meant it wasn't as much of a priority to build a full interchange between 8 and 401.

Pimpmasterdac · #**260** Posted **Jun 23, 2015, 2:54 AM**

^^ Thanks for the info sonysnob! Looking in retrospect in development of KW vs. Cambridge; Cambridge is wishing they had built a Highway 8 bypass/freeway