Highways in Canada

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by niwell

Didn't most of the traffic issues on the Queensway stem from the inadequate ramp setup? Particularly in the downtown area and headed westwards. Most of the ramps were short and terminate at lights on surface streets. IIRC there has been some new construction to correct this but I could be wrong.

All I know is last time I drove to Ottawa (first time in 7 years) I was shocked at how quick the Queensway section from the 416 to downtown seemed.

Yep, most of the problems stem from merging issues due to ramp design. Much of that is being improved with realignments and reconfigurations.

"Congestion" in Ottawa is fairly tame. Even peak period congestion probably wouldn't seem that bad to someone used to driving in Toronto. Outside of peak hours, congestion is basically non existent except for events at the CTC arena. This will likely be rectified if the Sens move downtown, as they're now planning.

[Franco401]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

The Ontario government has awarded the contract for the next phase of Highway 407 east to Highway 35/115, as well as Highway 418. The winner is Blackbird Infrastructure.

Perfect. Hopefully they can upgrade the 115 to a full freeway, not a RI/RO, the rest of the way to Peterborough.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Franco401

Perfect. Hopefully they can upgrade the 115 to a full freeway, not a RI/RO, the rest of the way to Peterborough.

Technically, north of where the 407 will link to 115, there's only a short stretch of RIRO highway up to where Highway 35 departs towards Lindsay. The rest of 115 to Peterborough is built to full freeway standard.

I suspect these two highways, once open, will decrease traffic on 35/115 between the 401 and future 407. I would not be surprised to see 115 upgraded between future 407 and 35 to full freeway standard.

[Horus]

Press Release from MTO on the 407 East extension

http://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2015/04/moving-forward-on-highway-407-east-1.html

Of note (emphasis mine):

The province will also set and regulate tolls, and use toll revenue to fund new infrastructure and transit projects across Ontario.

Construction is expected to begin in fall 2015 from Harmony Road to Taunton Road/Highway 418 and is scheduled for completion in December 2017. The remainder will open in 2020.

This is the final phase of the Highway 407 East project, which will:

Extend Highway 407 eastward from Harmony Road in Oshawa to Highway 35/115
Provide a new north-south 10-kilometre highway link, Highway 418, to connect Highway 407 to Highway 401, just east of Oshawa
Provide eight new interchanges including a partial interchange at Highway 418 and Taunton Road and three freeway to freeway connections (Highway 407 and Highway 418; Highway 418 and Highway 401; and at the end of Highway 407 at Highway 35/115)

[niwell]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

I suspect these two highways, once open, will decrease traffic on 35/115 between the 401 and future 407. I would not be surprised to see 115 upgraded between future 407 and 35 to full freeway standard.

I imagine it would. I also can't see MTO upgrading the portion between the 401 and future 407. It would require a level of expropriation that doesn't really justify the expanded capacity. There are lots of businesses and residents that more or less front the highway.

[WhipperSnapper]

Don't see a point unless you go all the way to 35/115 split as it's only a few kilometres between the 401 and 407, no? Agreed that straightening out the highway is not worth the effort.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by niwell

I imagine it would. I also can't see MTO upgrading the portion between the 401 and future 407. It would require a level of expropriation that doesn't really justify the expanded capacity. There are lots of businesses and residents that more or less front the highway.

MTO is planning to upgrade the highway 11 RIRO to a full freeway eventually, and are slowly expropriating businesses for it. 11 south of Orillia will need to be widened to 6 lanes soon, which means upgrades to a freeway.

I don't think they have the same plans for 35 as its traffic levels are much lower and are experiencing much slower growth than 11 is. I do know MTO wants to expand the RIRO up to Lindsay on 35 eventually.

[1overcosc]

How is the toll revenue working on the 407 extension and on the 412 & 418?

Will the province use the money to pay back construction costs? Or will it be added as another source for general revenue, or committed to the transit fund?

What will the rates be like? I've heard that the province will use the existing ETR mechanism to collect the revenues, but will they be as high? 407ETR tolls are very steep. They have to be in order to keep traffic moving, but this far east where volumes will be much lower tolls will have to be lower.

[Horus]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

How is the toll revenue working on the 407 extension and on the 412 & 418?

Will the province use the money to pay back construction costs? Or will it be added as another source for general revenue, or committed to the transit fund?

What will the rates be like? I've heard that the province will use the existing ETR mechanism to collect the revenues, but will they be as high? 407ETR tolls are very steep. They have to be in order to keep traffic moving, but this far east where volumes will be much lower tolls will have to be lower.

This Toronto Star article indicates that tolls would be lower on the new sections (at least the 418 - no mention of 412) but that billing would be handled by 407ETR, just separately itemized.

[Innsertnamehere]

I'm expecting tolls to be in the range of $0.20 / km during peak hours from the 418 to the existing 407, and $0.10 from the 418 to 35.

or at least something roughly like that.

[sonysnob]

I am curious what (if any) effect that the selection of a new contractor will have on the final design and construction of the Phase 2 of the 407.

The primary constructor as part of this contract is Holcim, which owns Dufferin Construction. Dufferin is one of the largest highway builders in Ontario. Dufferin doesn't appear to have any significant local capacity for asphalt or concrete production in the eastern GTA, so it is unclear to me if the road will end up being constructed in asphalt or concrete. During the construction of the 404, the Miller Group built a temporary concrete batching plant in what has become the Queensville Carpool lot in order to pave the highway. It would make sense for Dufferin to build some sort of temporary plant during highway construction as well.

For the first phase of the 407 extension, basically all of the structures are being completed using pre-cast concrete I-beams. Dufferin has extensive construction experience building the long-span cast in place structures that typically are constructed for large freeway to freeway interchanges in Ontario. In fact, the two cast in place structures that are being built as part of the first phase of the 407 to carry Hwy 7 overtop of the 407 extension are / were constructed by Dufferin.

The other factor that I see as different for the second phase of the highway extension is the longer timeline for construction. Construction commenced in the fall of 2013 for the first phase of construction, leaving two years two construct something like 35km of new four and six lane highway, including a major realignment of Highway 401 and two new freeway to freeway interchanges. In contrast, only about 10km of the second phase of construction will open by 2017, with only half of one freeway to freeway interchange needing to be constructed initially. The longer time frame could mean different construction techniques, and perhaps less of a reliance on concrete i-beam style bridges at grade separations.

Of course, all that said, this is just my speculation, which could be proven entirely meaningless and wrong once construction is underway. As a resident of Durham Region, I am looking forward to watching the construction progress as it moves forward.

[FrAnKs]

Route 117 - Sainte-Agate-des-Monts — Mont-Tremblant

• Video Link

[MolsonExport]

^great video, and perfect song for the accompaniment.

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

^great video, and perfect song for the accompaniment.

Yes indeed !

[sonysnob]

117 is a great road to drive. I was disappointed to see the roundabouts constructed in Mont-Tremblent though, I was hoping the traffic signals would have eventually been replaced with interchanges.

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

117 is a great road to drive. I was disappointed to see the roundabouts constructed in Mont-Tremblent though, I was hoping the traffic signals would have eventually been replaced with interchanges.

They did a little further north near Rivière-Rouge and Labelle

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.405977,-7...3m4!1e1!3m2!1svFS3iPv2c-SosG1L2MFQFA!2e0
https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.27597,-74...3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSZ4SjmZZGDecUx_upAc5Ag!2e0

I personally don't care because I really like Roundabouts.
Btw, it's Mont-Tremblant.

[SignalHillHiker]

Time zone sign on the Trans Labrador Highway.

Trans Labrador Highway by dodi Raz, on Flickr

I imagine the highway itself could eventually change this. The only reason that portion of southern Labrador is on Newfoundland Time is because, until recently, it wasn't connected to the rest of Labrador. It's still a long way of wilderness off... but they can drive there now so they might form stronger connections with Labrador's interior than Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula and, if they do, it could make sense to have the time zone's clean break be the Strait of Belle Isle.

I still find it hilarious that the French islands of St-Pierre et Miquelon (just to the left of the boot-shaped peninsula off the central bottom of Newfoundland) are 30 minutes further ahead of us. So, going from HFX and heading east you get:

HFX: 9 a.m.
Port-aux-Basques, NL: 9:30 a.m.
Cartwright, NL: 9 a.m.
SPM: 10 a.m.
STJs: 9:30 a.m.

[ghYHZ]

Originally Posted by le calmar

So in other words, during cold winters getting in or out of Nfld overland can be pratically impossible? The ferry service to North Sydney is seasonal if I remember well, and the only other option can be be very problematic when the strait is frozen over.

The North Sydney to Port-aux-Basques service is constitutionally protected year ‘round and I guess could be considered an extension of the Trans Canada Highway. There’s usually two crossings per day each way at 1145 and 2345. Only the service to Argentia NL is seasonal.

These are large 500 vehicle ferries rated “Northern Baltic Class 1A” and quite capable of handling most ice conditions but in March this year because of the heavy ice conditions we experienced….they’ve needed some help from the Coast Guard Ice Breakers. I cross a couple of times each winter and thankfully things are now getting back to normal.









Even the C.T.M.A. Ferry "Vacancier" from the Iles-de-le-Madeleine, Quebec was diverted to Marine Atlantic terminal in North Sydney because of the heavy ice on its usual route to Prince Edward Island. Once off the ferry.......most of these passengers if they were heading west would have an extra 230km drive added to their journey.







And there’s an interesting contrast between the east and west coasts: The Marine Atlantic and CTMA Ferry route that were fighting the extreme ice conditions this year are south of the 49 th parallel (which is the US-Canada border across the west) and all are further south than any route that BC Ferries operates.

I’ve been on winter crossings to Newfoundland. Most make the run in the schedule 6 or 7 hours but I can remember a couple: a 15 hour detour to avoid the ice and 36 hours riding out a storm. Just make sure you get a cabin in winter…..a lot more comfortable than sitting up in coach if you do get stuck and they’ll keep you well fed (but there’s no complementary bar!!)

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Time zone sign on the Trans Labrador Highway.

Trans Labrador Highway by dodi Raz, on Flickr

I imagine the highway itself could eventually change this. The only reason that portion of southern Labrador is on Newfoundland Time is because, until recently, it wasn't connected to the rest of Labrador. It's still a long way of wilderness off... but they can drive there now so they might form stronger connections with Labrador's interior than Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula and, if they do, it could make sense to have the time zone's clean break be the Strait of Belle Isle.

I still find it hilarious that the French islands of St-Pierre et Miquelon (just to the left of the boot-shaped peninsula off the central bottom of Newfoundland) are 30 minutes further ahead of us. So, going from HFX and heading east you get:

HFX: 9 a.m.
Port-aux-Basques, NL: 9:30 a.m.
Cartwright, NL: 9 a.m.
SPM: 10 a.m.
STJs: 9:30 a.m.

You learn something new every day - I didn't realize any of Labrador was on Newfoundland time. I think CBC promotes their regional programming as "3:30, 3:00 in Labrador".

[eemy]

The CTMA Vacancier diverting to North Sydney raises the question of whether the ferry docks are standardized so that most ferries can use any given ferry dock, or if they are specially constructed for each ferry and CTMA Vacancier simply has one built in North Sydney for precisely these situations.

I used to think they must be specially constructed, but it seems unlikely to me that they would have a backup dock in North Sydney. Anyone have any insight?