Ontario Highways

[DavefromSt.Vital]

A round of roundtables just completed for the upcoming "regional" plan for Northern Ontario:

https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2020/...n-ontario.html

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

There isn't a way to just eliminate congestion in Toronto.

But, I question the logic of spending 20% more on an HOV lane compared to a GLP when, at least at an aggregate level, carpooling isn't increasing in the GTA.

That 20% could be used for public transit projects for example.

Where'd you get 20% more? I wouldn't think the incremental cost of adding a single lane to be that high. Especially in a scenario where construction to widen underpasses and add lanes is being done anyway. And the lanes could always be converted anyway.

Also, laying asphalt is cheap compared to public transit. At say a million per km for the lane, that would only pay for 1.3 GO buses.

[haljackey]

Ya the way we do HOVs is inefficient. For the space needed for an HOV lane, you could maybe add 2 regular lanes.

Also all the overpasses and whatnot were not originally designed for HOV lanes in mind. That means for a overpass on a 6 lane highway that's designed to span 10 lanes eventually, you can only fit in one extra lane if it's HOV.

But it's nice to have the HOV to bypass congestion for commuter buses and whatnot. Keeps them on time more often.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Where'd you get 20% more? I wouldn't think the incremental cost of adding a single lane to be that high. Especially in a scenario where construction to widen underpasses and add lanes is being done anyway. And the lanes could always be converted anyway.

Also, laying asphalt is cheap compared to public transit. At say a million per km for the lane, that would only pay for 1.3 GO buses.

Asphalt isn't that cheap. Following Ontario's standards, an HOV lane requires a wider left side shoulder, as well as a striped buffer. An HOV lane is also wider than a standard left-hand freeway lane. So add all that up, and the pavement, and subgrade costs about 20% more than a similar widening for just a general purpose lane.

And that doesn't include costs associated with building new ballast walls under bridge abutments, or changes to drainage systems because the freeway cross-section needs to be wider than originally envisioned, or moving electrical systems, or heaven forbid the cost of additional property acquisition.

I'd bet the QEW widening through Halton Region could have been done for just over half of the price of what they paid for an HOV lane if they just added a fourth general purpose lane in each direction rather than going with an HOV lane.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by haljackey

Ya the way we do HOVs is inefficient. For the space needed for an HOV lane, you could maybe add 2 regular lanes.

Also all the overpasses and whatnot were not originally designed for HOV lanes in mind. That means for a overpass on a 6 lane highway that's designed to span 10 lanes eventually, you can only fit in one extra lane if it's HOV.

But it's nice to have the HOV to bypass congestion for commuter buses and whatnot. Keeps them on time more often.

The province could provide bus by-pass shoulders similar to what has been done on the DVP for effectively the cost of a can of paint.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

The province could provide bus by-pass shoulders similar to what has been done on the DVP for effectively the cost of a can of paint.

Why hasn't the province done this for all highways used by buses?

[Dengler Avenue]

It’s always risky having bus shoulders on the right because vehicles entering and exiting usually don’t check (though we now have them on Highway 8 and Highway 401).
Bus shoulder on the left? I wonder if it’s simply because it’s harder to cut across 3-4 lanes to exit. Even in the case of DVP, buses don’t need to exit the highway (except for TTC Route 144?), but once they get to Gardiner, “Welcome back to the gridlock.”

[sonysnob]

There are bus by-pass shoulders on the outer shoulder of the eastbound 401 between Milton an Mississauga. buses are directed to enter the travel lanes before the off-ramp starts.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by DavefromSt.Vital

A round of roundtables just completed for the upcoming "regional" plan for Northern Ontario:

https://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2020/...n-ontario.html

I just realized one thing: Kenora was left out.

[vid]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I just realized one thing: Kenora was left out.

So were numerous cities larger than it. What I find impressive is that they covered six cities in three days!

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by vid

So were numerous cities larger than it. What I find impressive is that they covered six cities in three days!

Oh by the way, I posted the announcement about TCH twinning in Manitoba’s Highway thread, in all irony, simply because I think it affects them Winnipeg cottagers more.

[vid]

Well it's not just the cottagers, it does help Thunder Bay a little because we ship large things through the port and one of the struggles they have doing that is the highway isn't divided (which means police controls to block on-coming traffic segment by segment as the items travels westward) and the power lines going over the highway are all too low, so Hydro One has to send trucks out to temporarily extend them (which is absurd; why not permanently raise them and leave it at that??)

We don't have any at-grade train crossings, at least.

It's sometimes easier to go through Duluth because they can use the interstate system right up to Alberta to carry large items with fewer issues.

[Dengler Avenue]

Sometimes I thought to myself, if Winnipeg’s Centreport were any busier, TCH through NWO really would have warranted twinning, volume-wise.
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https://twitter.com/yrp/status/1224724111961751553?s=21
Here we go again with the tow truck wars...

[sonysnob]

I've re-released a video going up the 400 from a couple of years ago. The image quality is much improved with some new editing techniques:

• Video Link

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

There are bus by-pass shoulders on the outer shoulder of the eastbound 401 between Milton an Mississauga. buses are directed to enter the travel lanes before the off-ramp starts.

OC Transpo has some in Ottawa along the Queensway (Hwy 417 and Hwy 174).

The first ones that come to mind are going through Orleans and Gloucester in the East end.

There are also some in the West end. I believe going through one part of Kanata.

[sonysnob]

Video of Highway 11/17 heading east from Thunder Bay:

• Video Link

[vid]

I love the giant "Ontario" signs along that highway, it's like, "yeah, I know."

[Dengler Avenue]

interesting that there are median rumble strips on T Bay Expressway too

[sonysnob]

One more video from me... this time the 407 extension and the 418:

• Video Link

[Dengler Avenue]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/...-centre-fires/

Municipalities call for province-wide regulation on towing industry amid all the fiascos.

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https://www.thestar.com/amp/news/gta...olice-say.html

Look out for a black jeep wrangler with front bull bars with a round light with oversized wheels.