Highways in Canada

[harls]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Sorry, but where is AutoRoute 5?

Sorry for being an asshole, but I wrote "in Quebec" right after that, in the first sentence.

Feast away, my trolls!

[speedog]

Originally Posted by feepa

after many recent trips Edmonton to Calgary on Hwy2/QEII, I agree, it's time to upgrade to proper freeway standards as much as possible, especially the 6 lanes part, and then a 3+ axle (semis/etc) ban on the fast lane. Remove the remaining local farm accesses (tie them in some other way) and add a few more interchanges where needed.

This Google Maps Streetview (link) would be a great example of one of these farm crossings - yes, in this view highway 2 southbound (the direction the white Chevrolet truck is going) doesn't look busy but during certain times of the day or early evening, the traffic is considerably heavier.

Please also note the excessively long acceleration/merge lane for traffic that is crossing this highway and attempting to turn left in the direction that the white Chev truck is going - the lane is non-existent and speeds in that left lane are usually 120-130kph. Just not a satisfactory situation in my opinion - these type of level rural crossings just should not exist on this highway anymore.

In reality, the cost should be minimal to close these types of crossings and have the traffic that is using them just go to the next actual overpass (at most an extra 2 miles of travel).

[1overcosc]

^ Wow. The MTO in Ontario would have a heart attack at the sight of that. Traffic turning directly onto a 110km/h road! NEVER!

I sense that these kinds of highway level crossings, which are all over Western Canada, are decently safe at least in most places. It makes me wonder if perhaps Ontario was too overzealous in insisting that the freeway network be completely controlled-access. The 401 is probably simply way too busy except for perhaps the section east of the 416, but on highways like the rural 417 east of Casselman, the 416, or parts of the 402, I wonder if level crossings on minor concession roads could have worked.

[Innsertnamehere]

... highway 11? There are plenty of roads like that in Ontario. The highway 11 and 35 RIROs, 17 in Thunder Bay, 17 in Sualt Ste. Marie, etc. those all have 90km/h speed limits though, however the northern part of 11 has that same style with a 100km/h limit.

[eemy]

In most cases, you can't cross the median though. I think Hwy 17 outside Sault Ste. Marie may be the exception, but there could be others.

[speedog]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

^ Wow. The MTO in Ontario would have a heart attack at the sight of that. Traffic turning directly onto a 110km/h road! NEVER!

I sense that these kinds of highway level crossings, which are all over Western Canada, are decently safe at least in most places. It makes me wonder if perhaps Ontario was too overzealous in insisting that the freeway network be completely controlled-access. The 401 is probably simply way too busy except for perhaps the section east of the 416, but on highways like the rural 417 east of Casselman, the 416, or parts of the 402, I wonder if level crossings on minor concession roads could have worked.

Highway 1 east of Calgary - no big deal. Highway 1 west of Calgary to Banff - no level crossings that I can think of and it's been this way for decades and this highway has considerably less traffic that the #2 north of Calgary to Edmonton. Traffic speeds are about the same but there's much less traffic - the #2 between Calgary and Edmonton can be quite busy just shouldn't have these level crossings anymore.

For reference, Alberta's highway traffic volumes - link. At the intersection I detailed, over 29,000 AADT for the intersection with only 120 AADT for the intersecting E-W road - just close the intersection and be done with it.

[Innsertnamehere]

plenty of intersections like this on highway 11, with a signed limit of 100km/h.


https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.2759352,-...3m4!1e1!3m2!1sXs9tURkwICRVG5iu53Sa4Q!2e0

The highway 11 RIRO is easily one of the most substandard roads in the country IMO. AADTs above 30,000 on a 90km/h road with streetlevel access and only 4 lanes. MTOs planned expansion to a full 6 lane freeway cannot come soon enough.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Autoroute 85 in Quebec opened 2 stretches earlier in the week as well, totalling 14km. Count it with the 404 extension, and Canada opened 27km of new highway in the last 7 days.

This is actually fairly significant in that there is now only 40 km missing in the complete freeway link from Windsor (or Arnprior, Ontario if coming from the northwest) to Halifax.

I suspect the final 40 km of A-85 will take a few years though. At the moment it's a two-lane with passing lanes through a sparsely-populated area that's pretty fast flowing, if a bit dangerous though.

[Franco401]

Originally Posted by Acajack

This is actually fairly significant in that there is now only 40 km missing in the complete freeway link from Windsor (or Arnprior, Ontario if coming from the northwest) to Halifax.

I suspect the final 40 km of A-85 will take a few years though. At the moment it's a two-lane with passing lanes through a sparsely-populated area that's pretty fast flowing, if a bit dangerous though.

I believe it's scheduled for completion in 2017, which is pretty soon if you think about how long some highway projects can take.

[Franco401]

Also, here is a link to a twinning project in NB:

http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/depart...content/projects/shediac_richibucto.html

Edit: I have been informed that this was previously posted here. Oops.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

plenty of intersections like this on highway 11, with a signed limit of 100km/h.


https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.2759352,-...3m4!1e1!3m2!1sXs9tURkwICRVG5iu53Sa4Q!2e0

The highway 11 RIRO is easily one of the most substandard roads in the country IMO. AADTs above 30,000 on a 90km/h road with streetlevel access and only 4 lanes. MTOs planned expansion to a full 6 lane freeway cannot come soon enough.

Even a 4 lane freeway would be a lot better. But to accommodate future growth they would likely build it to 6 lanes.

[Innsertnamehere]

the busiest point actually hits 40,000, which is the typical point at which you are supposed to upgrade to 6 lanes. the 6 lanes is not really super needed but if you are going to be upgrading the whole highway like that you may as well do it.

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

^ Wow. The MTO in Ontario would have a heart attack at the sight of that. Traffic turning directly onto a 110km/h road! NEVER!

I sense that these kinds of highway level crossings, which are all over Western Canada, are decently safe at least in most places. It makes me wonder if perhaps Ontario was too overzealous in insisting that the freeway network be completely controlled-access. The 401 is probably simply way too busy except for perhaps the section east of the 416, but on highways like the rural 417 east of Casselman, the 416, or parts of the 402, I wonder if level crossings on minor concession roads could have worked.

One of the reasons why Ontario has such safe roads is due to the quality in which they build them. You don't want to sink to the lowest common denominator to save a few bucks. BC does that and result is a poor highway network and to upgrade the roads later is a huge amount money. Vancouver's latest foray is the South Perimeter Road where there have already been a lot of truck turnovers due to the sharp turning lanes...........not a way to build roads.

As for having grade crossings on the 402.......ridiculous. The 402 is a very busy road with minimum traffic counts between London and Sarnia at 20,000/day. In the summer it is much busier and the road has VERY heavy transport truck traffic.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

As for having grade crossings on the 402.......ridiculous. The 402 is a very busy road with minimum traffic counts between London and Sarnia at 20,000/day. In the summer it is much busier and the road has VERY heavy transport truck traffic.

I threw out 402 as a naive suggestion. I know very little of that area of the province and simply guessed (incorrectly I see) that it was a relatively low volume freeway due to the lack of major centres along the route. Sarnia isn't that big.

Out east though, I do wonder if the 416 & 417 outside Ottawa and its commuter shed (east of Casselman and south of Kemptville) could have gotten along with level crossings due to low traffic counts and very little truck traffic.

The 416 south of Kemptville is probably one of the least busy freeways in the province (I feel like only some of the newer parts of the 400 north of Parry Sound which I imagine are very low volume beat it). I've driven it/been a passenger in it dozens of times and there were at least a few times where I was literally the only car within sight (on a flat section of the road nonetheless!) for at least 5 kilometres!

I still firmly believe that the 416 project was a waste of money. From Kemptville northward it was definitely needed, but south of there a semi-controlled access 2-lane road with frequent passing lanes probably would have been enough. But from a political perspective it was very bad to leave Ottawa without a freeway link to Toronto.

[sonysnob]

^ The southern few kilometers of the 416 probably could have adequately functioned as a two lane road. Certainly there are busier stretches of Hwy 17 west of Arnprior in the Ottawa Valley... but it was probably the right decision to four lane the entire length of the highway, if not for political reasons, but for driver consistency reasons.

Amazingly, the southern sections of the 416 are almost twice as busy as the least busy sections of both 11 and 69 that have been recently twinned through Central Ontario. Hwy 69 probably could operate safely if it had at-grade intersections on it. The saving grace for Hwy 69 is that there aren't nearly as many local roads that intersect it as there are for Hwy 11, which is why I think they have selected a full freeway cross-section for Hwy 69 unlike what was built for Hwy 11.

That said about Hwy 11, there are a couple of crossings that probably are hazardous, that don't seem to be on the MTO's radar to eliminate yet. Specifically, both the crossing at High Falls Road, immediately north of the Hwy 117 interchange in Bracebridge, as well as the South Mary Lake Road, south of the Hwy 141 interchange. Most of the Stevenson Road crossings aren't that busy, and therefore aren't that hazardous.

[Innsertnamehere]

MTO did do a study to remove all grade crossings south of Huntsville, but hasn't given it funding.

[Horus]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

I threw out 402 as a naive suggestion. I know very little of that area of the province and simply guessed (incorrectly I see) that it was a relatively low volume freeway due to the lack of major centres along the route. Sarnia isn't that big.

You're probably right that the traffic originating from or intending to go to Sarnia is not that heavy, but the 402 is a major trucking route between the GTA and the US as the border crossing at Sarnia-Port Huron is infinitely easier to use than the ones at Detroit-Windsor. Direct highway-highway connections make getting through there a breeze.

It's similar to why there is a 405 in Niagara. It's primarily a cross-border trucking route.

[haljackey]

Haha ya due to the amount of truck traffic the 402 has, 6 lanes is actually warranted despite the lower volumes. It sucks behind trucks in both lanes, happens often. (In Ontario, trucks cannot typically use the left lane on 6+ lane highways).

The 401 is planned to be 6 lanes all the way from Windsor to London eventually for a similar reason.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by speedog

This Google Maps Streetview (link) would be a great example of one of these farm crossings - yes, in this view highway 2 southbound (the direction the white Chevrolet truck is going) doesn't look busy but during certain times of the day or early evening, the traffic is considerably heavier.

Please also note the excessively long acceleration/merge lane for traffic that is crossing this highway and attempting to turn left in the direction that the white Chev truck is going - the lane is non-existent and speeds in that left lane are usually 120-130kph. Just not a satisfactory situation in my opinion - these type of level rural crossings just should not exist on this highway anymore.

In reality, the cost should be minimal to close these types of crossings and have the traffic that is using them just go to the next actual overpass (at most an extra 2 miles of travel).

ya, and the last time I traveled the QEII - this was the exact intersection there was a bad accident. Luckily for me, it was in the other direction, but traffic was lined up for a long ways. There's no need for this accesses either. Plenty of other connecting roads in this flat prairie farm gird. On no, your combine has to go an extra mile.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by feepa

ya, and the last time I traveled the QEII - this was the exact intersection there was a bad accident. Luckily for me, it was in the other direction, but traffic was lined up for a long ways. There's no need for this accesses either. Plenty of other connecting roads in this flat prairie farm gird. On no, your combine has to go an extra mile.

Sometimes the overpass just isn't wide enough.




But they do have towing options for the headers, but in a poor harvest season like this year has been time is of the essence.