Trans Canada Highway Twinning: Segments U/C

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Tone

Some pictures taken today of A85 at Cabano - 350T crane

Question:

I drove through this way (twice) a week ago and there is all sorts of work ongoing on the A85 from the NB border north to Cabano but things look pretty dead from Cabano through to Riviere-du-Loup,

What are the plans for this segment of the A85? Is Quebec planning on dividing the entire route? This is the only part of the TCH in the east that is not divided between the Maritimes and central Canada.......

[Tone]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Question:

I drove through this way (twice) a week ago and there is all sorts of work ongoing on the A85 from the NB border north to Cabano but things look pretty dead from Cabano through to Riviere-du-Loup,

What are the plans for this segment of the A85? Is Quebec planning on dividing the entire route? This is the only part of the TCH in the east that is not divided between the Maritimes and central Canada.......

All the work on A85 we're doing today was supposed to be done 30 years ago, jut like the A30 south of Montreal. But we know what happened to highway funding when a certain new goverment was elected. Not that im complaining because i have the chance to live a dream.

Yes it will be divided all the way (like it was intended 30 years ago).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Question:

I drove through this way (twice) a week ago and there is all sorts of work ongoing on the A85 from the NB border north to Cabano but things look pretty dead from Cabano through to Riviere-du-Loup,

What are the plans for this segment of the A85? Is Quebec planning on dividing the entire route? This is the only part of the TCH in the east that is not divided between the Maritimes and central Canada.......

See post 900 on page 45

[MTLskyline]

Originally Posted by Tone

Some pictures taken today of A85 at Cabano - 350T crane

Merci Tone! Je suis très content de voir que les travaux progressent!

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Tone

All the work on A85 we're doing today was supposed to be done 30 years ago, jut like the A30 south of Montreal. But we know what happened to highway funding when a certain new goverment was elected. Not that im complaining because i have the chance to live a dream.

Yes it will be divided all the way (like it was intended 30 years ago).

Thanks; hopefully we will soon be able to drive from Windsor NS to Windsor ON on a continuous system of limited access divided highways. The only gap in the system is the A85. When do you think it will be fully complete? 3-5 years?

And may I add that the new A30 bypass south of Montreal is truly wonderful. I drove it for the first time this month and it makes a huge difference if you are a Maritimer heading for points west without a stop in Montreal. It's a quick and relaxing alternative to the A40 through the city!!

[Innsertnamehere]

I loved it when I drove it earlier this summer as well. a quick bypass of Montreal, very nice.

[Yahoo]

A new KHC photo in BC was added today to the project website. It looks like perhaps the new 4 lane roadway will be built at a lower elevation.

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/kickinghorse/khc_updates.htm

I believe this will wrap up phase 3 of the KHC project. Leaving only the short but super expensive phase 4.

In some ways I'll be sad to see phase 4 get completed, since I'm sure the Bighorn sheep will no longer be visible. They regularly walk on and around the TCH there (in relative safety I assume due to the slow speeds). It's cool seeing sometimes dozens of sheep at a time - from babies to big horned old timers. I've even read reports of the sheep using the animal overpasses as they were being built lol. It's too bad there will likely be no room for a rest stop around the sheep cliffs to stop and enjoy the animals. There was a similar area in Banff with a lot of sheep, but you can no longer see them. (probably best for them, but being around people might scare away predators so perhaps they prefer non-hunting people around).

But like a previous post mentioned a 30 year delay in Quebec I'm afraid phase 4 might be in the same situation unless another school-bus accident triggers a politician to wake up. There is rarely a perfect time to start a project so the best time is usually right now - especially if you're already years or decades behind. I'm afraid we'll be seeing sheep on the highway for many many years to come (I hope I'm wrong - kind of hope anyway).

[Marshsparrow]

Having just drove the Sault to Ottawa stretch - twinning from Espanola to North Bay would be great - twinning fro Pet/Pem to Arnprior us a must - was stop and go the majority of the distance and so much oncoming traffic made it virtually impossible to pass. Americans must be horrified when they travel this stretch - their secondary routes are of a better standard!

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

Having just drove the Sault to Ottawa stretch - twinning from Espanola to North Bay would be great - twinning fro Pet/Pem to Arnprior us a must - was stop and go the majority of the distance and so much oncoming traffic made it virtually impossible to pass. Americans must be horrified when they travel this stretch - their secondary routes are of a better standard!

I agree that the Ottawa Valley section is laughable and badly needs upgrades...the traffic counts alone warranted widening many years ago. It's long overdue.

[MonctonRad]

I drove through the upper Ottawa River valley for the first time a few weeks ago. I agree that highway 17 has to be twinned as far as Petawawa at least.

I know that essentially no one lives between Petawawa and Mattawa, but as a Maritimer, I need to point out that this is the main route from Atlantic Canada and southern Quebec to Western Canada......

Simply as an act of nation building, the 17 should be upgraded to 400 series status at least as far as Sault-Ste-Marie. Ideally, there should be a superhighway all the way through northern Ontario to the Manitoba border. Isn't it time that Canada had a national superhighway from coast to coast?

[Mister F]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I drove through the upper Ottawa River valley for the first time a few weeks ago. I agree that highway 17 has to be twinned as far as Petawawa at least.

I know that essentially no one lives between Petawawa and Mattawa, but as a Maritimer, I need to point out that this is the main route from Atlantic Canada and southern Quebec to Western Canada......

Simply as an act of nation building, the 17 should be upgraded to 400 series status at least as far as Sault-Ste-Marie. Ideally, there should be a superhighway all the way through northern Ontario to the Manitoba border. Isn't it time that Canada had a national superhighway from coast to coast?

While widening is definitely warranted on a fair amount of Highway 17, I don't think a coast to coast freeway is really necessary. We keep comparing to the States, but more comparable countries would be places like Australia or Sweden. Both have fairly small freeway systems restricted to their more densely populated areas. Australia isn't remotely close to having a freeway across the country.

Both countries have rail systems that put ours to shame, even in the Windsor-Quebec corridor. Makes you think about our priorities.

[Tone]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

And may I add that the new A30 bypass south of Montreal is truly wonderful.

Isn't it? Lots of stuff going on too with 2 bridges, four nice little interchanges and the tunnel under the canal. You can also see downtown and the back of the Beaharnois hydroelectric dam from the top of the arched bridge.

[Tone]

A85 at Cabano

[ghYHZ]

Update: October 14, 2013

Work is continuing on Phase II of the NS TCH 104 Antigonish By-Pass. The Taylors Road overpass is nearly complete with the new alignment graded below the structure.





And work on the twin bridges at Lower South River continues:









Grading has also begun east of Exit 33 at Beech Hill Road where Phase I of the By-Pass merges back onto the old alignment.

[dmuzika]

I recently drove from Vancouver to Calgary, the final section between the Hwy 1/93 interchange (west of Lake Louise) and the Alberta/BC border is now open; Alberta is now the 3rd province to have the TCH twinned in its entirety.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by dmuzika

I recently drove from Vancouver to Calgary, the final section between the Hwy 1/93 interchange (west of Lake Louise) and the Alberta/BC border is now open; Alberta is now the 3rd province to have the TCH twinned in its entirety.

Now the Feds need to push to Yoho National Park, that would complete the twinning to Golden (assuming Kicking Horse Canyon is completed).

[Antigonish]

Thanks for those pictures ghYHZ! (I realize they are from last fall). I will be home in August this year and will try my best to capture some more summer 2014 updates as well some 'skyline' pictures of town for everyone here who's missing out on that gem of a small Canadian town.

[Dado]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I drove through the upper Ottawa River valley for the first time a few weeks ago. I agree that highway 17 has to be twinned as far as Petawawa at least.

I know that essentially no one lives between Petawawa and Mattawa, but as a Maritimer, I need to point out that this is the main route from Atlantic Canada and southern Quebec to Western Canada......

Simply as an act of nation building, the 17 should be upgraded to 400 series status at least as far as Sault-Ste-Marie. Ideally, there should be a superhighway all the way through northern Ontario to the Manitoba border. Isn't it time that Canada had a national superhighway from coast to coast?

The last thing we need is for Hwy 17 to be upgraded to 400 series.

Twin it if you must, but skip this motorwayification nonsense. It's a time-consuming costly waste to build bridges and interchanges for very little gain, especially compared to the "gain" of extending the twinning further.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by dmuzika

I recently drove from Vancouver to Calgary, the final section between the Hwy 1/93 interchange (west of Lake Louise) and the Alberta/BC border is now open; Alberta is now the 3rd province to have the TCH twinned in its entirety.

AB, SK, and....? One of the Maritimes?

[dmuzika]

Originally Posted by freeweed

AB, SK, and....? One of the Maritimes?

New Brunswick. Although in looking more closely, the first 3 km from the QC/NB border of NB/TCH 2 are not twinned so it looks like there are only two provinces...my bad.

Too bad, if it weren't for that small section, New Brunswick would be the only province to have the TCH as a freeway for its entire length.