Highways in Canada

[MolsonExport]

Wonderful Nfld highway shots, SHH.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

^ Great pics of Newfoundland.

Here are a few of the future West Durham Link interchange with Highway 401 east of Toronto



From the road when they were installing some of the girders. Traffic backed up pretty badly when they were doing this:


They are really moving the highway that far to the north:

Nice photos. In Kingston, where Highway 401 is being widened to 6 lanes from west of Montreal Street to Highway 15, the new Montreal Street overpass over the 401 is now open and the approaches to the old overpass are almost completely excavated. I have no idea when it's going to get demolished but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens soon. The 1950s-era overpass was only wide enough to accommodate 4 lanes, so it must be removed before the widening can take place.

[trebor204]

Official Manitoba Highways Maps dating back to 1926

http://www.gov.mb.ca/mit/maparchive/1920/1920covers.html

[Innsertnamehere]

a better look at the 401/407WDL interchange construction. More photos of the entire 407 extension through the link.



http://www.407eastphase1.ca/photo-galleries/

[mattpa]

man i look at all these photos and plans and i wouldnt dare take a picture of a mb highway our government thinks infrastructure can be put on hold... family visited from poland and theyre like you have lights on a highway.... its so sad

[1overcosc]

^ In fairness to Manitoba, Toronto is a much bigger city than Winnipeg and as such its infrastructure needs are much higher. Toronto's transportation infrastructure is actually very much insufficient for the city's needs although the Ontario government is taking big steps towards correcting that.

Speaking of Winnipeg, this is something I've always wondered about that city. Looking at it on a map, it seems like it doesn't have any freeways (other than its ring road which looks like a Prairie-style semi-freeway). It also doesn't have rapid transit AFAIK (although they're building a BRT system right?). With a population that large, wouldn't traffic be a huge PITA with no heavy-duty transport of any kind?

[SignalHillHiker]

In my experience, Winnipeg was a mixed bag.

All of the traffic lights on the ring road were incredibly frustrating because it just seemed so... nonsensical.

But inner-city commuting was great with only one exception: for a city of its size, straddling two rivers, Winnipeg has far too few bridges. During rush hour, the roads approaching the bridges were parking lots.

But, other than that, generally very fast and enjoyable traffic flow.

[eternallyme]

Regarding Manitoba, there is definitely a need to improve their highways, although in a different way than with the Toronto highways. In most cases, it is upgrading 4 lane highways to freeways, and improving existing 2 lane highways.

From my count, a full freeway TCH across Manitoba would require:

*12 new interchanges west of Brandon (at numbered highways and villages/towns, with 2 interchanges in Virden)
*5 new interchanges and a possible short realignment in the Brandon area (from Kemnay to 110)
*10 new interchanges (including 1/16) between Brandon and Portage la Prairie
*No new interchanges on the Portage la Prairie bypass, but access removal and at least 2 grade separations
*7 new interchanges between Portage la Prairie and Headingley
*A new Headingley bypass (planned)
*9 new interchanges, and possibly some realigning/new service roads, between Deacons Corner and west of Falcon Lake
*Twinning/widening from Falcon Lake to the Ontario border, although no new interchanges are necessary

Total outside Winnipeg: 43 new interchanges, many more overpasses and access closings

[haljackey]

Great photos here, thanks for sharing!

I still find it odd that the WDL/WDL don't have 'real' names/numbers yet and are planned to be tolled. Nothing like paying a toll to reach the tollway!

[esquire]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

Total outside Winnipeg: 43 new interchanges, many more overpasses and access closings

I don't see this happening. At most there will be a full freeway where traffic counts are highest, i.e. between Steinbach (PTH 12) and Portage la Prairie. The stretch between Brandon-Portage and Steinbach-Ontario border could stand to be improved but really do not need to become full freeways.

I do not expect the stretch west of Brandon to become full freeway in our lifetimes as traffic counts are not particularly high... the existing 4-lane rural expressway is enough. At most there might be a need for a couple of interchanges in Virden but that's about it for at least the next decade. Personally, I'd be surprised if there were more than a dozen interchanges built along the TCH over the next 25 years.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by esquire

I don't see this happening. At most there will be a full freeway where traffic counts are highest, i.e. between Steinbach (PTH 12) and Portage la Prairie. The stretch between Brandon-Portage and Steinbach-Ontario border could stand to be improved but really do not need to become full freeways.

I do not expect the stretch west of Brandon to become full freeway in our lifetimes as traffic counts are not particularly high... the existing 4-lane rural expressway is enough. At most there might be a need for a couple of interchanges in Virden but that's about it for at least the next decade. Personally, I'd be surprised if there were more than a dozen interchanges built along the TCH over the next 25 years.

These are the traffic signals I know of on the TCH (excluding through Headingley and on the Perimeter), any more?

* Main entrance into Virden
* 18th Street, Brandon
* PTH 10/1st Street, Brandon
* PTH 16/PR 305, west of Portage la Prairie
* PR 248, Elie
* PR 207, Deacons Corner (just east of Perimeter)

Those should be first priority for interchanges IMO.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

These are the traffic signals I know of on the TCH (excluding through Headingley and on the Perimeter), any more?

* Main entrance into Virden
* 18th Street, Brandon
* PTH 10/1st Street, Brandon
* PTH 16/PR 305, west of Portage la Prairie
* PR 248, Elie
* PR 207, Deacons Corner (just east of Perimeter)

Those should be first priority for interchanges IMO.

Just building those six, along with the 4 on the Perimeter and 1 at the western end of the planned Headingley by-pass would make a huge difference. Do that, plus turn the TCH into a 6-lane route from Deacon's Corner to St. Francois Xavier and there's your comprehensive 20 year plan to improve the Trans Canada Highway through Manitoba.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

Nice photos. In Kingston, where Highway 401 is being widened to 6 lanes from west of Montreal Street to Highway 15, the new Montreal Street overpass over the 401 is now open and the approaches to the old overpass are almost completely excavated. I have no idea when it's going to get demolished but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens soon. The 1950s-era overpass was only wide enough to accommodate 4 lanes, so it must be removed before the widening can take place.

Any idea how they are going to stage the demolition? Typically they just fully close the highway on a Saturday night and divert the traffic elsewhere... but there isn't really a good alternate to the 401 across the Cataraqui Marsh. Kingston Mills Road is close, but the bridge over the Rideau isn't rate for heavy trucks, and the only other route is Hwy 2 through Downtown. I wonder if they'll just build temporary roads around the outside of the old bridge and just demolish it that way...

Anyways, here is the old structure taken a few weeks ago when I went to Montreal for the Rogers Cup (Genie had been eliminated by the time I got there)...

[1overcosc]

There's Sunbury Road up north, but that's a BIG detour--adds almost 30km to the trip. The Lasalle Causeway could handle the extra traffic only during the night (say 11pm to 6am). It couldn't handle 401 traffic during the daytime not even on weekends.

That section of the 401 was one of the very first to be built (completed in the mid 1950s), and precisely because even back then Princess Street & the Causeway couldn't handle the traffic.

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Any idea how they are going to stage the demolition? Typically they just fully close the highway on a Saturday night and divert the traffic elsewhere... but there isn't really a good alternate to the 401 across the Cataraqui Marsh. Kingston Mills Road is close, but the bridge over the Rideau isn't rate for heavy trucks, and the only other route is Hwy 2 through Downtown. I wonder if they'll just build temporary roads around the outside of the old bridge and just demolish it that way...

Anyways, here is the old structure taken a few weeks ago when I went to Montreal for the Rogers Cup (Genie had been eliminated by the time I got there)...

It's an impressive plan (saw the PIC boards, not sure if anything's changed since then).. removing the structure over a weekend without closing the 401. They are going to use heavy demolition equipment to take down the bridge, detouring traffic in a single lane around the back of the existing structure abutments. Montreal Street and some of the ramps will be closed for 12 hours during the day. But only single lane closures on the 401.

[mattpa]

all i know is when you travel the country you feel when you come back to manitoba

[TownGuy]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

a better look at the 401/407WDL interchange construction. More photos of the entire 407 extension through the link.



http://www.407eastphase1.ca/photo-galleries/

Interesting photo. Shows the gap between Whitby and Ajax where Toronto's urban area, in the east, ends. I think you could make an argument that they will be continuous with the 407 link.

[MolsonExport]

It is a strange gap, narrow and getting more so every year. I am surprised it still exists. Ajax is a repelling name, but that cannot explain it completely.

[haljackey]

Furthermore, the future 407E/407ETR Terminus



Via http://www.reddit.com/r/ontario/comments/2e13a1/future_407e407etr_terminus/

[MolsonExport]

Is that a flattened barn near the bottom of the photo?