Trans Canada Highway Twinning: Segments U/C

[Dengler Avenue]

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...76#post8388776 #781

The infamous Nipigon Bridge is finally widened, after all the scandals.

[vid]

There is still a bit of touch-up work and cosmetic/landscaping stuff next year. If they had a grand opening of any kind (doubtful considering the change in government) it will likely be in the spring.

[Dengler Avenue]

Given that it's ONPC, we might see grand openings of 417 around Renfrew and of twinned 17 near MB/ON border. (But in the latter case, it's only 6 km!)

But thanks for the clarification.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Given that it's ONPC, we might see grand openings of 417 around Renfrew and of twinned 17 near MB/ON border. (But in the latter case, it's only 6 km!)

It's been a long time coming though. Our cottage road ran off that stretch and I remember the Manitoba part of the TCH being done around 1971 (even the 2-lane section was made much fancier) and wondering why after the border, in this supposedly richer province, the road was so unimpressive. That's coming up half a century ago. The Ontario government wasn't keen on providing an upgraded highway for cottagers from Winnipeg.

[Dengler Avenue]

Question:
I don’t know if I’ve asked about this before, but is there a cheap way to blast rocks?
This way BC 1, ON 17, QC 185 and NS 104 can be upgraded “for cheap”.

[vid]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Question:
I don’t know if I’ve asked about this before, but is there a cheap way to blast rocks?
This way BC 1, ON 17, QC 185 and NS 104 can be upgraded “for cheap”.

Contractors use the lowest grades of asphalt they can get away with to save money, if there were a cheaper way to blast rocks, trust me, they'd be using it.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by vid

Contractors use the lowest grades of asphalt they can get away with to save money, if there were a cheaper way to blast rocks, trust me, they'd be using it.

(1) I heard bitumen was used for the twinning of Route 175 in QC though;

(2) No wonder the divided portion of Highway 17 Sudbury SW Bypass has one set of lanes closed each year from May to November for resurfacing (the same with Highway 11 near West Ferris).

[ssiguy]

I know I`m aging myself but I don`t care. Road maps in the 70s were far more informative than they are today including the ones online.


Back in the day there was a clear delination between freeways and 4 lane roads but not today. Freeways are marked specially but if not up to freeway standards then it is shown as just another road. You have no idea if the road is four-laned or not until you reach it.

[WildCake]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

I know I`m aging myself but I don`t care. Road maps in the 70s were far more informative than they are today including the ones online.


Back in the day there was a clear delination between freeways and 4 lane roads but not today. Freeways are marked specially but if not up to freeway standards then it is shown as just another road. You have no idea if the road is four-laned or not until you reach it.

Google maps is pretty clear as to what is twinned or not...as mentioned you just have to zoom in a little bit. With a paper map you have no zoom option, so that information had to be presented differently (different colour, fatter line, etc). When looking at Google maps from a level where you can see the entire province, it's no longer relevant for the average user of Google Maps to know if it's freeway, twinned or not, they probably just need to know the major routes through an area.

I know a lot of us are map nerds and would find that informative but it reduces the user-friendliness to have different colour coding for relatively benign information for most users. That is probably why they reduced the colour distinction between freeway and expressway recently. It used to be dark orange vs yellow, and now freeways are a only slight shade darker that then the expressway yellow.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by WildCake

That is probably why they reduced the colour distinction between freeway and expressway recently. It used to be dark orange vs yellow, and now freeways are a only slight shade darker that then the expressway yellow.

What is the difference between a freeway and an expressway in this context?

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Glacier

What do you mean by 2+1 configuration? The Sea-To-Sky is two lanes each way with with a concrete divider and a few traffic lights to Squamish.

By 2+1 I mean the following configuration:
Median barrier to separate both directions,
2 lanes in one direction, but only 1 in the other,
Alternating every now and then so both directions have equal passing opportunity.

Originally Posted by Acajack

What is the difference between a freeway and an expressway in this context?

Freeway can only be accessed or exited through interchanges. (Think A85 <Claude Béchard>.)

Expressway allows intersections. (Think Route 175.)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Freeway can only be accessed or exited through interchanges. (Think A85 <Claude Béchard>.)

Expressway allows intersections. (Think Route 175.)

OK, I never thought that was the case, and believed expressways were also controlled access with interchanges only.

[Glacier]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

By 2+1 I mean the following configuration:
Median barrier to separate both directions,
2 lanes in one direction, but only 1 in the other,
Alternating every now and then so both directions have equal passing opportunity.

Ah, I see. I have driven the Sea to Sky recently and I don't remember seeing a 2+1 divided highway. The only place I can think of off the top of my head where I've seen that is a short section of highway 97 north 100 Mile House... https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.67642...7i13312!8i6656

[Franco401]

Divided roads are shown as such on Google Maps and similar services. Zoom in to check.

[Innsertnamehere]

^ that one really bothers me. Making that distinction is important, even on a high level of navigation as freeways have such huge time advantages over regular highways. Distinguishing 4 lane roads isn't as important.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

^ that one really bothers me. Making that distinction is important, even on a high level of navigation as freeways have such huge time advantages over regular highways. Distinguishing 4 lane roads isn't as important.

I think I am of the same view.

Here is the view of my part of the world in Google Maps.

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5183...2612891,10.72z

To your random Chinese, Russian or even American or Albertan guy who doesn't know the highway numbering hierarchy in Ontario and Quebec, how can you tell from this that the 417 is four lanes divided controlled access, the 50 is all controlled access, with portions four lane divided and others super-2, and the 17 and 148 are two lane rural highways? They can't unless they zoom in quite a bit.

[Acajack]

Even in the U.S. I find online electronic maps are not always intuitive.

Obviously if you see an Interstate shield on a map you know what you're getting into, but in some cases there are U.S. highways (one level down from Interstates) or even state routes that are multi-lane divided controlled access, and as fast as Interstates. But the way they're shown on maps you often don't know what they are and they could be two-lane rural highways with lots of stoplights and lots of passing lanes, for all you know.

Another thing is that it's not always practical to zoom into the entire route you're gonna follow. If you zoom in on the A-50 in eastern Gatineau it appears as four lane divided controlled access. If you zoom in a bit further around the Montebello area it's the same but you miss the fact there are fairly long sections on your route that are undivided super-2.

So colour coding and even a different design depending on the nature of the route would be great. Just like in the good old days.

Maybe not as complicated as this, but it gives a good idea:

http://www.cartotalk.com/uploads/mon...1247967045.png

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Another thing is that it's not always practical to zoom into the entire route you're gonna follow. If you zoom in on the A-50 in eastern Gatineau it appears as four lane divided controlled access. If you zoom in a bit further around the Montebello area it's the same but you miss the fact there are fairly long sections on your route that are undivided super-2.

So colour coding and even a different design depending on the nature of the route would be great. Just like in the good old days.

Count me as one person who was fooled by A-50. For Canada Day 150, I went up to Ottawa, and for some variety, I figured I would take the Quebec route instead of the Ontario route. I looked on Google Maps and scouted A-50 a little, basically checking Gatineau and Montreal, and saw it was 4 lane divided (I zoomed in enough to see the 2 lines), and figured it was fully divided along the entire route.

Imagine my surprise when I actually got there and the 4 lane went down to a 2 lane 2 way highway outside Montreal and for most of the distance.

Still, it's a beautiful drive and I don't regret taking it; but it was surprising since I figured a major route between two major cities would be fully twinned.

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Still, it's a beautiful drive and I don't regret taking it; but it was surprising since I figured a major route between two major cities would be fully twinned.

The 50 is only practical if you happen to be in the east end of Gatineau or if your destination is the north shore of Montreal, Laval or beyond. It will be fully twinned in the near future so it might become a slightly more interesting alternative eventually.

[Dengler Avenue]

Speaking of Québec, Route 117 is technically part of Route Transcanadienne as well (via Abitibi-Témiscamingue). Any update on the twinning between Labelle and Rivière Rouge? People there have been fighting for an upgrade to as far as Mont Laurier for a while. That route has also seen a lot of bizarre accidents over the year.

I suppose this is a much lesser known route to most people (unless they drive trucks) because it sends them to Val-d’Or (after traversing through the wilderness of Vérendrye for a goooood while) instead of Ottawa.