Highways in Canada

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Well, one thing NB is really good at is making it easy to get the heck out of there lol

N.B.-2 = New Brunswick Drive-Thru

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Well, one thing NB is really good at is making it easy to get the heck out of there lol

Hey, we believe in connectivity!

This is why we have the best highways in the country.

[esquire]

My experience with NB is pretty limited, but the drive from Moncton to Saint John I did last summer is as good a highway driving experience as I've had in Canada. Great highway, beautiful scenery. The highway from PEI to Moncton was a little more ordinary in both respects, though.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by esquire

There are some places I would not visit because I find them too reprehensible... Russia is an example of a country I would have considered visiting in the past but would never do so now. But the USA is extremely far from reaching that point... at least in my view.

The crappy exchange rate is what limits my appetite for visiting the US, but I still go... I visited California earlier this year and I think I might road trip to Minnesota soon.

I do know some people who refuse to go, though. Neighbouring North Dakota is a real pariah, many drive through without stopping, or go directly into Minnesota even though it adds time on a drive to most common destinations (Minneapolis, Chicago, Kansas City) given that it's on state highways and not interstates.

I am of Slavic heritage. That includes Russian, Ukrainian and Polish Once there is a regime change and the war is over, I would consider visiting where my family is from.

During the Trump reign, I avoided visiting the USA due to my political beliefs. Now that he is out, and providing when I want to go he is still out,I would visit again.

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

N.B.-2 = New Brunswick Drive-Thru

That is how all provinces and territories should be.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

I am of Slavic heritage. That includes Russian, Ukrainian and Polish Once there is a regime change and the war is over, I would consider visiting where my family is from.

I wouldn't hesitate to go to Poland today. I've been there before and enjoyed it. I was planning a trip to Ukraine but the war derailed it. Russia though, it's hard to imagine a situation where I willingly set foot there no matter who's in charge. No thanks.

[craner]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I’ve always found it funny that there are no divided 4 lanes between SK and the states. Lol what happened?
B.C. has B.C.-99 to I-5. Alberta has AB-4 to I-15. Manitoba (which we always joked about) has MB-75 to I-29. Ontario has ON-402 to I-69 among many others. Quebec has A15 to I-87 and A-55 to I-91. Even New Brunswick has N.B.-95 to I-95.
Lol what happened to SK??

Originally Posted by thewave46

The United States didn't build an adjoining Interstate highway in North Dakota or Montana?

Originally Posted by esquire

SK is not close to any larger American cities, so I suspect there just simply isn't enough traffic to warrant a 4 lane highway.

Saskatchewan has a great number of highway border crossings that connect to US highways, but yes, none of them 4 laned - kind of strange.

I wonder what Sask. highway would be considered as the top candidate for twinning to the US border, 6? 35? 47? 39? Other?

[madog222]

Originally Posted by craner

Saskatchewan has a great number of highway border crossings that connect to US highways, but yes, none of them 4 laned - kind of strange.

I wonder what Sask. highway would be considered as the top candidate for twinning to the US border, 6? 35? 47? 39? Other?

The 35, but only after US 85 is upgraded to Interstate (I-27 I guess) from I-94 north to the border. Until there are four lanes on the other side I see no reason for Saskatchewan to four lane anything to the boarder.

[esquire]

When you look at the Saskatchewan AADT map 39 seems like the likeliest candidate, not for the border traffic so much as it would be for Weyburn and Estevan. But I guess this decision could only be made in conjunction with the US.... it would make the most sense to 4-lane the highway that links up with a 4-lane on the American side, and it seems doubtful that anything is going to happen anytime soon on that front.

Looking at the AADT map, there is not really very much traffic headed to the US on Saskatchewan highways so the current 2-lane arrangement makes sense.

[hipster duck]

What's on the other side of the border from Saskatchewan? I couldn't think of any cities off the top of my head, so I looked at a map and, sure enough, there's practically nothing in eastern Montana or western North Dakota and not much on the Saskatchewan side, either, south of TCH-1.

The closest "city pairing" I could see is the 200 km between Estevan and Minot. Not exactly Detroit-Windsor.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

New Brunswick not only has a divided NB-95 connecting to I-95 at Woodstock/Houlton, we also have a divided NB-1 connecting to US-1 at Saint Stephen/Calais. This is despite the fact that the nearest US interstate at this point is in Bangor, 150 km away.

Just because there is no adjacent US interstate doesn't mean you can't divide your own highway to the border.

That's the exception, not the rule.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by thewave46

That's the exception, not the rule.

Sadly I have to agree on this one, and on the N.B.-95 connection. If TCH were twinned on the other side of Saint John River, N.B.-95 might not have been twinned. (I suspect that N.B.-95 gets twinned only because TCH runs along and close to the border.)

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Sadly I have to agree on this one, and on the N.B.-95 connection. If TCH were twinned on the other side of Saint John River, N.B.-95 might not have been twinned. (I suspect that N.B.-95 gets twinned only because TCH runs along and close to the border.)

NB-95 is only about 10 km long, and, unquestionably was divided only as a connector between the TCH and I-95. I'm glad they did it however.

As for NB-1 between Saint John and the US border. It was built as "Irving's Highway to Prosperity" primarily to service commercial traffic between SJ and the US east coast. It was a boondoggle that sucked in the federal and provincial governments. At the time, there were halfhearted hopes that US authorities would extend I-395 in Bangor through to the border to connect up.

This never happened of course. Washington County in SE Maine is the poorest county in the USA and only lightly populated. The Maine government had other priorities. The highway on the Canadian side is divided to the US border. On the US side, you immediately pass through a roundabout, and then take the "Airline Route" (a twisty, dangerous two lane highway) 150 km through the wilderness before you arrive at Bangor. The difference is stark.

NB-1 to the border was built to world class standards. It is probably the most over engineered limited access dual carriageway in the country, but traffic is that of a local road. The commercial boomtimes predicted by the construction of the highway never materialized.

It was a massive waste of money.

It's a great drive however.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

NB-95 is only about 10 km long, and, unquestionably was divided only as a connector between the TCH and I-95. I'm glad they did it however.

As for NB-1 between Saint John and the US border. It was built as "Irving's Highway to Prosperity" primarily to service commercial traffic between SJ and the US east coast. It was a boondoggle that sucked in the federal and provincial governments. At the time, there were halfhearted hopes that US authorities would extend I-395 in Bangor through to the border to connect up.

This never happened of course. Washington County in SE Maine is the poorest county in the USA and only lightly populated. The Maine government had other priorities. The highway on the Canadian side is divided to the US border. On the US side, you immediately pass through a roundabout, and then take the "Airline Route" (a twisty, dangerous two lane highway) 150 km through the wilderness before you arrive at Bangor. The difference is stark.

NB-1 to the border was built to world class standards. It is probably the most over engineered limited access dual carriageway in the country, but traffic is that of a local road. The commercial boomtimes predicted by the construction of the highway never materialized.

It was a massive waste of money.

It's a great drive however.

I grew up driving up and down the Airliner and Hwy 1 visiting family in Saint John, and man, what an upgrade it was when it came in. But yea - massively underutilized. 5-6 years ago I was leaving Saint John early in the morning on Boxing Day and passed literally 2-3 cars going the opposite direction on the entire 1-hour drive south after leaving Saint John.

The Airliner isn't a terrible highway, it's certainly better than it was back in the day. MaineDOT has made a lot of improvements on the sketchier curves.

The biggest issues is the connection from the Airliner to I395, which MaineDOT is also fixing right now with a 2-lane extension of I395.

That stretch is probably the biggest offender of overbuilt highways in the Maritimes, but generally speaking the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick freeway networks are massively overbuilt compared to Quebec and Ontario's standards.

New Brunswick is crying bloody murder about 11 needing to be twinned when similarly busy highways in Ontario aren't even identified by MTO for widening (yet alone freeway upgrades) in the next 30+ years. It's crazy.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

The Airliner isn't a terrible highway, it's certainly better than it was back in the day. MaineDOT has made a lot of improvements on the sketchier curves.

The biggest issues is the connection from the Airliner to I395, which MaineDOT is also fixing right now with a 2-lane extension of I395.

I remember the Airline Route from the early 1990s. Yes, the current alignment has been greatly improved. In most places now it is of about the same quality as the TCH through northern Ontario. I'm glad to hear they are formalizing a connection between I-395 and Rte 9. I didn't know. I haven't driven that way in about 4-5 years.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

As for NB-1 between Saint John and the US border. It was built as "Irving's Highway to Prosperity" primarily to service commercial traffic between SJ and the US east coast. It was a boondoggle that sucked in the federal and provincial governments. At the time, there were halfhearted hopes that US authorities would extend I-395 in Bangor through to the border to connect up.

The Irving Secret Police are probably on their way to see you right now.

Enjoy your time in the re-education camp.

I look forward to the new MonctonRad who will sing the praises of the great, visionary Irving leaders in a few months.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by thewave46

The Irving Secret Police are probably on their way to see you right now.

Enjoy your time in the re-education camp.

I look forward to the new MonctonRad who will sing the praises of the great, visionary Irving leaders in a few months.

@JHikka criticized them and was fine.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by thewave46

The Irving Secret Police are probably on their way to see you right now.

Enjoy your time in the re-education camp.

I look forward to the new MonctonRad who will sing the praises of the great, visionary Irving leaders in a few months.

Compared to most NBers, I would be considered a rabid Irving supporter.

But, there ain't enough Kool-Aid in the world for me to swallow the boondoggle of NB-1 from SJ to the Maine border. They should have taken that money and divided NB-7 from SJ to Freddy. That would have made oodles more sense.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Compared to most NBers, I would be considered a rabid Irving supporter.

But, there ain't enough Kool-Aid in the world for me to swallow the boondoggle of NB-1 from SJ to the Maine border. They should have taken that money and divided NB-7 from SJ to Freddy. That would have made oodles more sense.

Even NB-7 isn’t exactly bustling…

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Even NB-7 isn’t exactly bustling…

Let’s say it straight, loud and clear:
New Brunswick isn’t bustling.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

@JHikka criticized them and was fine.

How do you know? He's been AWOL for at least two months. He could be swimming with the fishes.......