TCH east of Nipigon (La route transcanadienne à l'est de Nipigon)

[vid]

I've driven the entire length of 585, it's a normal two-lane highway, and was in surprisingly decent shape. It's a great drive if you like hills and power dams. Pine Portage is pretty amazing, at the end of the highway. The forest just ends at a massive concrete wall; you can't even hear the water flowing at its outlet because it's such a large dam, you're not close enough to it to hear it. If you ever drive across country I'd actually recommend that drive, it's pretty interesting. It doesn't take long and it's so hilly in some parts that you can coast to the tops of hills with the momentum you had going down the last one.

[Dengler Avenue]

https://www.deadlynwonthwy1117.com/purpose

[vid]

Yesterday's election could be a good news/bad news situation for the Northwest:

https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/rickford-promises-highway-twinning-near-kenora-948689

Rickford promises highway twinning near Kenora
New PC member denounces focus on Thunder Bay-Nipigon twinning.

Now, the headline and byline are editorialized, so let's see his actual words:

Greg Rickford says political partisanship was responsible for the province proceeding with the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway east of Thunder Bay while failing to work on a section of the highway west of Kenora.

...

"I think it's important for folks out in Thunder Bay to know and appreciate" that, Rickford said.

...

Rickford charged that this "smacks of serving the interests of Liberal candidates in Thunder Bay, and we're going to put a stop to that."

At this point in time, any highway improvement project in the Thunder Bay area which is not currently under construction can likely be considered cancelled. No more twinning of 11/17. No interchanges in Thunder Bay. No improvements to Highway 61. No by-pass of 11/17 in Oliver Paipoonge. No detour route in Nipigon. The Ford government will absolutely use the infrastructure investments in Thunder Bay-Superior North as a justification to punish Michael Gravelle by cancelling all forthcoming infrastructure investment in this region.

[Dengler Avenue]

Isn’t it sad that these projects are always politically loaded regardless of who’s in power?

Well maybe 4 more years. I hope that everyone drives safe in the mean time.

[Dengler Avenue]

Also, if PC’s to call out Liberal Partisanship, they should also twin Sudbury Bypass, but will they?

[Dengler Avenue]

OPP closed 17 between White River and 519 due to a collision. People heading to SSM will probably have to spend some time waiting in White River...

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Also, if PC’s to call out Liberal Partisanship, they should also twin Sudbury Bypass, but will they?

The only twinning I foresee is near Arnprior. Anything else likely won't happen.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

The only twinning I foresee is near Arnprior. Anything else likely won't happen.

Pretty much Arnprior to Renfew at Highway 60 is about all I see too.

The 69/400 will have existing sections under construction completed, but any additional work will be delayed, but not canceled outright.

[sonysnob]

Video of the four-lane segment of Highway 17 east of Sault Ste. Marie:

• Video Link

[Dengler Avenue]

http://www.chroniclejournal.com/opinion/...160c16a-6a76-11e8-8d73-47e6008d9118.html

I think that concrete barriers should be put up even if there’s only one lane each direction. At the same time, animal fence and underpasses should also be built.

As for passing where there’s no passing lane, I would suggest paving the shoulders too, so slow vehicles can move onto them safely to let others pass. Make that mandatory too (i.e. actually fine slow drivers that refuse to move over).

We can even consider doing that on the 11 between Earlton and North Bay too.

[sonysnob]

Some photos of the Nipigon River Bridge taken earlier today:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_11_images/11_NipigonRiverBridge_east_approach_Jun18_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_11_images/11_NipigonRiverBridge_east_Jun18_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_11_images/11_NipigonRiverBridge_tower_Jun18_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_11_images/11_NipigonRiverBridge_railway_east_Jun18_24x16.jpg

[ScreamingViking]

She's a beaut.

I do feel that design is overkill, but so long as the engineering holds, all is good.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

She's a beaut.

I do feel that design is overkill, but so long as the engineering holds, all is good.

Let's hope this is not a big if...

[Dengler Avenue]

https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/g...ues-for-delaying-highway-twinning-951229

It’s really up to Manitoba when Freedom Road will be up and running though.

[Dengler Avenue]

I’m wondering: If Gravelle does become Liberal leader, and if the party gets elected down the road, would he twin 17 across the province?

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I’m wondering: If Gravelle does become Liberal leader, and if the party gets elected down the road, would he twin 17 across the province?

That would guarantee the North is Red next election.

[Loco101]

I really like Gravelle but I don't see him wanting to become Liberal leader.

I really don't see much widening happening in the North in the next decade unless federal dollars come our way.

[Dengler Avenue]

That would require a PM hailing from Northern Ontario then.

[F. Lionel]

Originally Posted by vid

At this point in time, any highway improvement project in the Thunder Bay area which is not currently under construction can likely be considered cancelled. No more twinning of 11/17. No interchanges in Thunder Bay. No improvements to Highway 61. No by-pass of 11/17 in Oliver Paipoonge. No detour route in Nipigon. The Ford government will absolutely use the infrastructure investments in Thunder Bay-Superior North as a justification to punish Michael Gravelle by cancelling all forthcoming infrastructure investment in this region.

At first I agreed with you whole-heartedly Vid. But I've given this a fair bit of thought over the last week and I don't know if we can consider ALL of the projects in the north cancelled.

To be clear I think a lot of them are going to not come to a timely construction phase. Some of the more pie-in-the-sky projects are just gone now. Ford's brand of populism leaves me feeling ill at the best of times. But cancelling everything except the twinning in Kenora will ensure that a PC candidate doesn't get elected in this part of the province ever again. All it will take is a very bad accident along a previously scheduled twinning project and someone saying those people/families/children/hockey players died because the PCs took power. Very very bad PR.

A smarter move on Ford's part (or, rather, the PC party people making Ford's decisions or whatever) would be to send back everything to design... just delay everything for a year or so. Then come back with a big, in your face press event outlining all the immediate projects that were already shovel-ready. In the meantime make sure that the MB-Kenora project shows signs of life. Maybe do something unexpected in Sault Ste Marie that bleeds into Algoma-Manitoulin.

But in an effort to punish Michael Gravelle and the Liberals, punishing entire electoral districts will be negative in the extreme. Could you imagine what the response would be to the PCs if they managed to cut hallway medicine in every major hospital in the province EXCEPT Thunder Bay Regional? The hospital that invented code "Grid Lock"? That smacks of partisanship of the worst kind. I suspect the highway will be the same... things won't stop but they will become SOOO slow and it will be due to "Negotiations."

Rickford is just a loud mouthed tool... always has been.

Also... given the rather at-times fragile state of Gravelle's health: Should he resign before the end of the current term this would be a choice riding to pad the PC's majority... and one that the Liberals and NDP would fight tooth-and-nail for. It's a number of voters you don't want to completely alienate... even when your candidate came in third. Especially a district that has shown in the past that they can be easily bought with infrastructure projects.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I’m wondering: If Gravelle does become Liberal leader, and if the party gets elected down the road, would he twin 17 across the province?

Depends if his minority government needs NDP support. If he does, I could see something like that happening.

However, even if it did, I wouldn't hold my breath. The 400 extension to Sudbury was approved in 2003. It's 2018 and there's still ~80 km to go out of ~155km.

Even considering the existing twinned sections, nothing short of a overwhelming commitment over successive governments would see it done in 50 years.