Ontario Highways

[sonysnob]

The Mattagami River Bridge in Smooth Rock Falls by night:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_11_images/11_cl_MattagamiNight_Mar21_24x16.jpg

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

The Mattagami River Bridge in Smooth Rock Falls by night:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_11_images/11_cl_MattagamiNight_Mar21_24x16.jpg

What kind of sled do you have?

[sonysnob]

Not the best photo, but this is the diversion at Ouimet Canyon for the four-laning of Highway 11/17 between Thunder Bay and Nipigon:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_11_images/11_OuimetCanyonDiversion_Mar21_24x16.jpg

And I don't have a sled, there is parking area beside the bridge that gets plowed during the winter.

[Dengler Avenue]

Woohoo first close-up photo of the twinning around Ouimet

[sonysnob]

Hwy 11 looking westerly (southerly) through the Palisades Region of Ontario north of Nipigon. This is certainly one of Ontario's most scenic (and surprising) regions to drive through:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_11_images/11_cl_1294-5_west_Mar21_24x16.jpg

[Dengler Avenue]

Ah Palisades… I thought it was just called Nipigon Hills this whole time.

[Dengler Avenue]

https://globalnews.ca/news/8717900/ontario-speed-limits-highway-110-km-h/
Some of the 110-kph speed limit on the 400-series freeways will become permanent.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

https://globalnews.ca/news/8717900/ontario-speed-limits-highway-110-km-h/
Some of the 110-kph speed limit on the 400-series freeways will become permanent.

I'd like to see it expanded to:

Highway 400 between Parry Sound and Port Severn (Maybe as far as Barrie?)
Highway 401 between Kingston and Quebec. (Maybe from Bowmanville?)
Highway 416.

[Dengler Avenue]

For 401, I’m still adamant that only the 6-lane portion outside of the GTA conurbation (west of Conestoga College, east of Highways 35 & 115) should receive the higher speed limit.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

For 401, I’m still adamant that only the 6-lane portion outside of the GTA conurbation (west of Conestoga College, east of Highways 35 & 115) should receive the higher speed limit.

Really?

I find the section through Oshawa runs at the ragged edge at 100 km/h. There's too much volume and entering/exiting to really benefit from higher limits.

It's the bore-me-to-tears mindless long stretches of rural 400-series highways that would benefit most IMO. So, eastern Ontario, southwestern Ontario and farther into the north offer the best bang-for-buck for the raised limit. Set the cruise at ~120 without fear of chatting to the OPP.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by thewave46

Really?

I find the section through Oshawa runs at the ragged edge at 100 km/h. There's too much volume and entering/exiting to really benefit from higher limits.

It's the bore-me-to-tears mindless long stretches of rural 400-series highways that would benefit most IMO. So, eastern Ontario, southwestern Ontario and farther into the north offer the best bang-for-buck for the raised limit. Set the cruise at ~120 without fear of chatting to the OPP.

For 400 beyond Barrie, sure thing. 401 east of Cobourg, where there are only 4 lanes (except around Kingston), is dicier because of trucks passing trucks. But if 401 gets 6 lanes all the way to 416, then I’m fine with a 110-kph speed limit.

[JHikka]

Let's not pretend that the speed limit is enforced all that much to begin with on the 401. I drove Belleville this past weekend in rush hour and basically drove 130kph the whole way once I got through the main traffic in Oshawa. Six-lane 401 can easily be 110kph limited everywhere.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by thewave46

I'd like to see it expanded to:

Highway 400 between Parry Sound and Port Severn (Maybe as far as Barrie?)
Highway 401 between Kingston and Quebec. (Maybe from Bowmanville?)
Highway 416.

I agree. Re: the 400, I can see them extending the "trial" corridor much farther south of MacTier. Also 11 farther north from South River, and perhaps to the south closer to Huntsville too.

401 all the way from the 402 to Windsor could be done too, not just Tilbury to Windsor. Truck traffic may affect the actual speeds, but it's a very desolate stretch of road.

Stretches of the 403 from Wilson or Hwy 52 in Hamilton to Woodstock would be fine too, lower it through Brantford but the rest 110 km/h.

Parts of Hwy 17 that are divided 4-lane could work as well.

And there's no reason long sections of the 407 shouldn't be part of this conversation -- Burlington to the 403 or east of Hwy 48 in Durham, for example. Drivers already tend to do 120 or a lot more.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

For 400 beyond Barrie, sure thing. 401 east of Cobourg, where there are only 4 lanes (except around Kingston), is dicier because of trucks passing trucks. But if 401 gets 6 lanes all the way to 416, then I’m fine with a 110-kph speed limit.

Trucks passing trucks is an issue. But it happens a lot on 6-lane highways as well (even despite being "restricted" from using the left-hand lane). And I feel that slow auto drivers using the left lane are far more dangerous -- some sit there and won't budge no matter what, but for others it's hard to predict whether they'll move over, and how long they'll wait before doing so.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Trucks passing trucks is an issue. But it happens a lot on 6-lane highways as well (even despite being "restricted" from using the left-hand lane). And I feel that slow auto drivers using the left lane are far more dangerous -- some sit there and won't budge no matter what, but for others it's hard to predict whether they'll move over, and how long they'll wait before doing so.

On 6-lane rural sections the left-lane hogs pace the middle-lane zoned out people forcing the rightmost lane to be the merge/truck/redneck passing lane. Driving in much of Europe is a dream comparatively. It requires more paying attention, but it's not dodging obstacles work.

[waterloowarrior]

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1001886/ontario-raising-highway-speed-limits

[Dengler Avenue]

I’m actually surprised that any part of 11 has made the list at all, though that may be the one long section without any cross roads.

[Innsertnamehere]

boooo. Nowhere near enough highways upgraded to 110.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

boooo. Nowhere near enough highways upgraded to 110.

It wouldn't surprise me to see a press conference in the next month or so where Dougie says something like "Folks, your PC government has heard you, and we are expanding trials of the 110 km per hour speed limit to other highways so that YOU can get home faster to your families and loved ones..."

[JHikka]

It probably doesn't say much but all of the 110 highways, save for maybe Windsor, are located in PC-held ridings. They kind of have to be, though, given how vote patterns go.