Ontario Highways - Page 23

sonysnob · #**441** Posted **Sep 14, 2019, 4:02 PM**

Some recent photos of the 407 extension and future 418 taken this week from Durham Region, east of Toronto:

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...ep19_24x16.jpg

Dengler Avenue · #**442** Posted **Sep 14, 2019, 10:38 PM**

I was driving to Niagara Falls, and I noticed a few things.

Heading east on the 401 through Cambridge, the HOV lane’s still coned off.

Highway 6 Morriston & Puslinch Bypass may be overdue. The backup onto 401 may be causing unnecessary slowdown between Exit 295 and 299. One would think that it should be easy to make that right turn to stay on Highway 6, but there was actually quite a lot of traffic coming from Aberfoyle. In order to protect the businesses though, Woodlawn Street and Aberfoyle Road should be signed Highway 6B from the north limit ot Guelph to the new bypass.

Traffic on Highway 403 & QEW is bad, despite the decent transit system (Go train) and the HOV lane. Why is that?

Djeffery · #**443** Posted **Sep 14, 2019, 11:42 PM**

That intersection is just a huge pain in the ass at highway 6 south. The offramp is 3/4 of a mile, I remember when it was a standard off ramp and the traffic was lined up on the highway to turn there. Obviously 6 needs to be 4 or 5 lanes through there with a right turn lane that allows traffic to come off the 401 and not have to stop to turn right. But I imagine there is huge local opposition there from the residents and businesses. And I would be too if I lived there, but I also wouldn't live on a road like that.

I've always heard back to when I was a kid (I'm 50 now) that they were going to build a highway from Guelph to Hamilton and I guess they made it as far as the 401. Not sure what the routing would be south of the 401 with those gravel pits right there. But the way that area has been and no reason to think it will stop growing, the governments need to come up with something.

Dengler Avenue · #**444** Posted **Sep 15, 2019, 12:03 AM**

MTO did come up with the bypass route. The local residents want it too. I don’t know if MTO has necessarily protected the land for it though.

TownGuy · #**445** Posted **Sep 15, 2019, 10:03 AM**

When is the 418 and 407 extension set to open? Last I heard they were ahead of schedule.

sonysnob · #**446** Posted **Sep 15, 2019, 1:41 PM**

They haven't announced a date for the opening of the 407 yet. My guess is that it will open by mid-November. But that's just a guess, and I've been wrong before.

Dengler Avenue · #**447** Posted **Sep 15, 2019, 3:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonysnob

They haven't announced a date for the opening of the 407 yet. My guess is that it will open by mid-November. But that's just a guess, and I've been wrong before.

Mid November this year??

Djeffery · #**448** Posted **Sep 15, 2019, 3:57 PM**

Blackbird's website September 2019 update still says "by 2020", but doesn't pin it down any further than that.

sonysnob · #**449** Posted **Sep 15, 2019, 7:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Mid November this year??

that would be my guess. The 407 in particular is pretty much done as is. All of the paving is done. Signs are starting to go up, and the lines have started to be painted.

The 418 isn't as advanced, but in my opinion, there isn't _that_ much work remaining. It depends on weather, but that's my guess.

TownGuy · #**450** Posted **Sep 15, 2019, 8:48 PM**

Hopefully it helps alleviate the Ajax squeeze a little bit. Also westbound in the morning backs up around Stevenson, again, hopefully this will help with that. I don't commute that way but do find myself caught in both of those from time to time. I actually make plans around not having to deal with the ridiculous Ajax bottleneck.

sonysnob · #**451** Posted **Sep 15, 2019, 9:01 PM**

I don't know if it will make either of those situations get any better, but it should slow the rate at which the traffic congestion through central durham region gets worse.

Dengler Avenue · #**452** Posted **Sep 15, 2019, 9:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonysnob

I don't know if it will make either of those situations get any better, but it should slow the rate at which the traffic congestion through central durham region gets worse.

Worst comes to worst, just take it all the way to 115 and back track (because of Clarington). Traffic on the 401 shouldn’t be bad east of 115 on a normal day.

Djeffery · #**453** Posted **Sep 15, 2019, 11:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonysnob

that would be my guess. The 407 in particular is pretty much done as is. All of the paving is done. Signs are starting to go up, and the lines have started to be painted.

The 418 isn't as advanced, but in my opinion, there isn't _that_ much work remaining. It depends on weather, but that's my guess.

Further to my earlier comment, there is also the news piece on their site that the 407 is now on a "long term temporary closure" east of Enfield Rd exit as of last weekend, presumably to finish work at the 407/418 interchange. Once again, no timeline given, so who knows what "long term temporary" means.

Dengler Avenue · #**454** Posted **Sep 16, 2019, 12:03 AM**

I’d have thought that desire to extract cash out of people would have made MTO finish the highway faster.

Djeffery · #**455** Posted **Sep 16, 2019, 12:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I’d have thought that desire to extract cash out of people would have made MTO finish the highway faster.

Maybe this is faster.

Dengler Avenue · #**456** Posted **Sep 16, 2019, 1:00 AM**

Fair enough. I wonder how many are willing to bite the bullet and use 407-418 to bypass GTA though.

sonysnob · #**457** Posted **Sep 16, 2019, 1:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Further to my earlier comment, there is also the news piece on their site that the 407 is now on a "long term temporary closure" east of Enfield Rd exit as of last weekend, presumably to finish work at the 407/418 interchange. Once again, no timeline given, so who knows what "long term temporary" means.

The closure is to reconfigure the exit at Taunton. In the final configuration, traffic will no longer be able to exit the southbound 418 or enter the northbound 418 at Taunton.

It's a long term closure because it will be closed east of Enfield Road until the rest of the highway fully opens to traffic.

Djeffery · #**458** Posted **Sep 16, 2019, 10:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Fair enough. I wonder how many are willing to bite the bullet and use 407-418 to bypass GTA though.

Me, but I'm not a power user either. My parents have a trailer up in Bobcaygeon so whenever I go up there, I take the 407. Now they are selling, right when the highway finally will go all the way, so who knows how often I will go that way. But ever since the 407 opened way back when it was only 410-404, that was the way I went. I think the only time in 20 years I have gone straight through on the 401 was when we left London at 1am to go to the east coast.

Dengler Avenue · #**459** Posted **Sep 16, 2019, 11:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Me, but I'm not a power user either. My parents have a trailer up in Bobcaygeon so whenever I go up there, I take the 407. Now they are selling, right when the highway finally will go all the way, so who knows how often I will go that way. But ever since the 407 opened way back when it was only 410-404, that was the way I went. I think the only time in 20 years I have gone straight through on the 401 was when we left London at 1am to go to the east coast.

I feel you. On the Thursday before Canada Day in 2017, I left Waterloo at 4 am to get to Mont Tremblant and I only used the 401. It felt weird being able to go almost 130 km/h through Toronto. (It was 5 am by then.) Once I got into Durham Region, I could see westbound traffic getting busy. That was neat.

Dengler Avenue · #**460** Posted **Sep 17, 2019, 3:37 AM**

By the way, are the new HOV lanes on 404 opened to traffic yet? Or does MTO wanna finish the portion between Highway 7 and Major McKenzie Drive first then open everything together?