Highways in Canada

[haljackey]

Great pics! I really like the 401 shield on the new overpass! (Too bad they couldn't do a MC-Freeway one as well )

[ssiguy]

I hope they leave some room for a nice wide median.

American highways are so nice because the medians are so nice and wide and you don't get those god awful concrete barriers down the middle of the road which makes you feel like you are driving thru a non-stop tunnel. You can't see any of the scenery on the other side of the highway.

Driving the 402 from London to Sarnia is far more pleasurable than the 401 from London to Chatham because the median is so nice and wide.

[MolsonExport]

the 401 is a miracle. no matter how wide it gets, it is almost always choked with vehicles.

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

American highways are so nice because the medians are so nice and wide and you don't get those god awful concrete barriers down the middle of the road which makes you feel like you are driving thru a non-stop tunnel. You can't see any of the scenery on the other side of the highway.

Driving the 402 from London to Sarnia is far more pleasurable than the 401 from London to Chatham because the median is so nice and wide.

I like concrete medians as they make me feel safer. If it's a grass median, I'd like it to be as wide as possible to stop traffic. Some sections with a thinner grass median have those steel gardrails at the edge of the road which helps.

The 401 has a thin grass median for much of the Windsor-London trek. It's been replaced with a concrete median and another lane on each side from Windsor to about 50 km east of it, and I assuming it will continue towards London over the next decade or so.
-Since they're planning such an expansion, don't expect any upgrades for the time being like gaurdrails because they have to be torn down when the widening comes (waste of money).

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

the 401 is a miracle. no matter how wide it gets, it is almost always choked with vehicles.

When I studied economic geography, the 401 was described as a 'never ending freight train'. It would benefit from alternative routes or a parallel highway such as this one:



This could also make a good HSR cooridor

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by Techman224

There's talks about making a winter road to Churchill and Rankin Inlet, http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakin...en-Churchill-Rankin-Inlet-199546131.html

With the amount of mining planned for that corridor it makes sense. Plus it would help cut costs on the current mines in the region.

[MolsonExport]

When I studied economic geography, the 401 was described as a 'never ending freight train'. It would benefit from alternative routes or a parallel highway such as this one:



This could also make a good HSR cooridor

The London-Ottawa Expressway. I like it.

[leftimage]

Quebec has a pairing along those lines in the form of autoroute 40 and 20 on each side of the Saint-Lawrence river.

One side has flourished as a travel route, and its towns have grown nicely (Victoriaville, Drummondville, south shore communities), while the other side has fallen into disrepair, with nearby towns' economies petering out (Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan)

Perhaps the 401 being so trafficky makes the Ontario situation different altogether.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The London-Ottawa Expressway. I like it.

Technically that could be Highway 407 if it were extended. If that ever happened it would probably form a southern Ottawa by-pass as well instead of feeding into the clogged 417. Maybe the entire thing could be a tolled road. There isn't excessive traffic between Ottawa and Toronto, though, but maybe in 50 years and possibly if the Ottawa region takes on another new major sector beyond government and high tech. I could also see such a highway crossing the river east of Ottawa and linking with A-50, which if extended past Joliette would be a fast route to Quebec City by-passing Montreal altogether.

[sa230e]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

I hope they leave some room for a nice wide median.

American highways are so nice because the medians are so nice and wide and you don't get those god awful concrete barriers down the middle of the road which makes you feel like you are driving thru a non-stop tunnel. You can't see any of the scenery on the other side of the highway.

Driving the 402 from London to Sarnia is far more pleasurable than the 401 from London to Chatham because the median is so nice and wide.

That's a pretty huge generalization. Why do you assume American highways have large medians? It may be true in some places but certainly not the entire country.

Generally in rural, low-traffic areas you see wide grassed medians and in urban, heavy-traffic areas you see concrete barriers whether you're in Canada or the states.

There certainly won't be a huge median on the 401 in Mississauga where they need all the lanes they can get an space is at a premium. What's under construction is the collector lanes and not a wide median.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by haljackey

Great pics! I really like the 401 shield on the new overpass! (Too bad they couldn't do a MC-Freeway one as well )

Both sides of the bridge have the 401 shield embossed into them. In a perfect world, I'd have the M-C on the left side of the bridge, with a 401 shield on the right.

[sa230e]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Both sides of the bridge have the 401 shield embossed into them. In a perfect world, I'd have the M-C on the left side of the bridge, with a 401 shield on the right.

MTO has always made nice highways although they're usually rather utilitarian. Nice to seem them embracing aesthetics and getting a little creative. The parapets on the flyovers and tunnels of the Windsor Essex Parkway are getting a similar treatment with decorative patterns stamped into the concrete.

Thanks for the pictures, btw. I've been wondering how things are progressing on this project.

It'll be nice to see the C/D system extend past the 410. Going from 18 lanes to 6 right at a major interchange was a huge bottleneck.

[vid]

The divided highway in Thunder Bay has a grass median with a very deep ditch, so instead of crossing it, you just hit the ground and get stuck in the ditch. It also works to drain water off the roads.

[Innsertnamehere]

You would likely fly right over it/plow right through it If you were a 65 foot long truck weighing 30 tonnes and flying at 110 km/h.. You have to build the highways to catch vehicles like that as well as passenger vehicles.

[sa230e]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

You would likely fly right over it/plow right through it If you were a 65 foot long truck weighing 30 tonnes and flying at 110 km/h.. You have to build the highways to catch vehicles like that as well as passenger vehicles.

They are hard to stop. Even the concrete barriers don't always stop them.
• Video Link

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by leftimage

Quebec has a pairing along those lines in the form of autoroute 40 and 20 on each side of the Saint-Lawrence river.

One side has flourished as a travel route, and its towns have grown nicely (Victoriaville, Drummondville, south shore communities), while the other side has fallen into disrepair, with nearby towns' economies petering out (Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan)

Perhaps the 401 being so trafficky makes the Ontario situation different altogether.

The North Route (highway 40, btw Mtl and QC) was only upgraded to freeway standard many years after the southern route. Early 90s, I recall. Still has a disjointed section in Trois Rivieres. The south side is the truck route, as there is not much on the North side except QC (whereas the south route is the way to the Maritimes)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by leftimage

Quebec has a pairing along those lines in the form of autoroute 40 and 20 on each side of the Saint-Lawrence river.

One side has flourished as a travel route, and its towns have grown nicely (Victoriaville, Drummondville, south shore communities), while the other side has fallen into disrepair, with nearby towns' economies petering out (Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan)

.

Not sure if this is what you are saying but I don't think the highway links have had a direct impact on the economic fortunes of north shore (A-40) vs. the south shore (A-20).

It's more related to the economic structure: the north shore cities were traditionally more industrial (think old industries) and the south shore is more of an agricultural region with some services and industry.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The North Route (highway 40, btw Mtl and QC) was only upgraded to freeway standard many years after the southern route. Early 90s, I recall. Still has a disjointed section in Trois Rivieres. The south side is the truck route, as there is not much on the North side except QC (whereas the south route is the way to the Maritimes)

You are right that the A-20 was completed more quickly (in the early to mid-70s), but the autoroute to Trois-Rivières and Shawinigan was completed by 1979 (to Shawi via the A-55 North).

The entire A-40 from Montreal to Quebec City was completed around 1985.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by Acajack

You are right that the A-20 was completed more quickly (in the early to mid-70s), but the autoroute to Trois-Rivières and Shawinigan was completed by 1979 (to Shawi via the A-55 North).

The entire A-40 from Montreal to Quebec City was completed around 1985.

I think A-20 is considerably older than that. A-20 follows the alignment of old Quebec Highway 9 which was already a four lane divided highway for most of the distance between Quebec City and Montreal by the early 1960s. The caveat of course, is that Highway 9 passed through Downtown St Hyacinthe (following today's Highway 116) whereas Autoroute 20 goes around.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

I think A-20 is considerably older than that. A-20 follows the alignment of old Quebec Highway 9 which was already a four lane divided highway for most of the distance between Quebec City and Montreal by the early 1960s. The caveat of course, is that Highway 9 passed through Downtown St Hyacinthe (following today's Highway 116) whereas Autoroute 20 goes around.

Yeah, you're right. I looked too quickly. Montreal-Quebec City was done by the mid-60s.

[vid]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

You would likely fly right over it/plow right through it If you were a 65 foot long truck weighing 30 tonnes and flying at 110 km/h.. You have to build the highways to catch vehicles like that as well as passenger vehicles.

They're not the ones causing the accidents, though. Most of our highway accidents are caused by animals or inattentive drivers in smaller vehicles.