Manitoba Highways

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

I guess the Morris bypass could be done on the cheap with only the Morris River bridge being totally non-negotiable... you could just have intersection access to the local route, but I don't think that would necessarily be ideal.

To do it properly you would need:

-two interchanges (one at either end of town)
-bridge over the Morris River and the railway tracks (perhaps it could be combined into one larger structure vs. two smaller ones?)
-interchange at PTH 23 (a diamond interchange that would somehow end up costing $180 million)
-another railway overpass at the south end of town

Trying to be real here with the possible Morris bypass. What would end up happening is the town would likely lose north and south access to 75 for the most part. North bound traffic would have a right in - right out at the southern end of town. The southbound flow would have no connection there.

On the north side perhaps a new route in for southbound traffic ducking under the river or rail bridge and then going into town.

The main entry point to Morris would shift to where the bypass and PTH 23 meet. It would likely be built as a diamond with the ability to upgrade to an interchange later.

[harls]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Trying to be real here with the possible Morris bypass. What would end up happening is the town would likely lose north and south access to 75 for the most part.

That's the whole point.

[drew]

They can do what Sask. did with Moosimin. Bypass around the town, but make the entire bypass a super annoying 80kmph speed zone to encourage you to stop at the town services anyway.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by drew

They can do what Sask. did with Moosimin. Bypass around the town, but make the entire bypass a super annoying 80kmph speed zone to encourage you to stop at the town services anyway.

Yea I find that annoying. They should have built it with interchanges right from the get go.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Yea I find that annoying. They should have built it with interchanges right from the get go.

Sask pulled off a huge accomplishment by twinning so much TCH and building so many bypasses just in the last 20-odd years. So they're off the hook.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by esquire

Sask pulled off a huge accomplishment by twinning so much TCH and building so many bypasses just in the last 20-odd years. So they're off the hook.

The Ontario in me is definitely coming out on this one, but IMO new builds like bypasses around towns should be completely grade-separated right from the get-go, unless the traffic volumes on the cross roads are really negligible.
Edit: Actually… I don’t know how to explain that traffic light on ON-17A & ON-658 north of Kenora in that case. Maybe low traffic on the mainline also (at only ~3.3K AADT)?

[drew]

Originally Posted by esquire

Sask pulled off a huge accomplishment by twinning so much TCH and building so many bypasses just in the last 20-odd years. So they're off the hook.

Nah, not for me.

They spent a bunch on that flashy "perimeter" around Regina - but it's basically unusable for E-W travelers unless you don't want/need to stop in Regina for gas or food. Any even then, I bet travelling "thru" town is probably very close to the same amount of time. It's only a short stretch of Victoria Ave. that you are on with lights (and all the services), and then its free flow divided ring road (100kmph) all the way out of town westbound. The TCH bypass is almost comically long, even with the 110kmph limits.

[harls]

I drove through Kenora in Sept 1994 on my way to university in Ottawa. I don't remember the bypass at Kenora, but I am almost a senior now so my mind might be foggy.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

The Ontario in me is definitely coming out on this one, but IMO new builds like bypasses around towns should be completely grade-separated right from the get-go, unless the traffic volumes on the cross roads are really negligible.
Edit: Actually… I don’t know how to explain that traffic light on ON-17A & ON-658 north of Kenora in that case. Maybe low traffic on the mainline also (at only ~3.3K AADT)?

TCH AADT around Moosomin is only around 4-5K AADT. As an example, Highway 24 in Ontario handles more than that and it's only 2 lanes.

I mean, it's always best when you can build the interchanges from the get-go, but Sask has dumped a lot of money into twinning and the bypass for a highway whose AADT doesn't necessarily demand it, so that's why I think they can be excused for not getting the interchanges built.

[drew]

Although nothing gets me as fired up on the highway as those 110 to 100 to 80 kmph limits in Manitoba anytime you approach anything resembling an intersection or turn off.

For some reason, this really irritates me.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by harls

I drove through Kenora in Sept 1994 on my way to university in Ottawa. I don't remember the bypass at Kenora, but I am almost a senior now so my mind might be foggy.

The Kenora bypass goes so far out from town that it just feels like a normal stretch of highway.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by drew

Nah, not for me.

They spent a bunch on that flashy "perimeter" around Regina - but it's basically unusable for E-W travelers unless you don't want/need to stop in Regina for gas or food. Any even then, I bet travelling "thru" town is probably very close to the same amount of time. It's only a short stretch of Victoria Ave. that you are on with lights (and all the services), and then its free flow divided ring road (100kmph) all the way out of town westbound. The TCH bypass is almost comically long, even with the 110kmph limits.

I don't know why they bothered building that thing. It would have made more sense to upgrade maybe a 5 km stretch of Victoria E to freeway instead. I've never driven that bypass and it's hard to imagine a scenario where I ever will... I always take the ring road.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by drew

Although nothing gets me as fired up on the highway as those 110 to 100 to 80 kmph limits in Manitoba anytime you approach anything resembling an intersection or turn off.

For some reason, this really irritates me.

There's 5 locations. Virden, Brandon, Carberry, Portage and Elie. These 5 locations would be at the top of list for upgrades. Of course the Carberry location was the site of the disaster.

[harls]

Originally Posted by drew

Nah, not for me.

They spent a bunch on that flashy "perimeter" around Regina - but it's basically unusable for E-W travelers unless you don't want/need to stop in Regina for gas or food. Any even then, I bet travelling "thru" town is probably very close to the same amount of time. It's only a short stretch of Victoria Ave. that you are on with lights (and all the services), and then its free flow divided ring road (100kmph) all the way out of town westbound. The TCH bypass is almost comically long, even with the 110kmph limits.

I worked in Regina in 2001 on the east end of that construction and thought, 'Man.. Manitoba should do this'. Not so sure anymore.

[drew]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

There's 5 locations. Virden, Brandon, Carberry, Portage and Elie. These 5 locations would be at the top of list for upgrades. Of course the Carberry location was the site of the disaster.

I know. But can't we just cut out the 110 to 100, and go 110 to 80? MB seems to be alone in this. SK and AB don't have the 100kmph middle man.

It messes with my cruise control settings.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

There's 5 locations. Virden, Brandon, Carberry, Portage and Elie. These 5 locations would be at the top of list for upgrades.

Brandon's TCH is disgraceful. It's slow, it's ugly, still no interchanges in The Year of Our Lord 2023, and the pavement is crumbling so bad that it makes your teeth rattle. It's what, a 5 km stretch of road? How could it be in such terrible shape?

The rest are nbd and can be corrected with single interchanges.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by esquire

I don't know why they bothered building that thing. It would have made more sense to upgrade maybe a 5 km stretch of Victoria E to freeway instead. I've never driven that bypass and it's hard to imagine a scenario where I ever will... I always take the ring road.

IIRC, @sonysnob says it’s because SK sold the land necessary for a proper interchange to Home Depot.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

IIRC, @sonysnob says it’s because SK sold the land necessary for a proper interchange to Home Depot.

They must have taken advice from Manitoba Infrastructure on that decision...

[WildCake]

Originally Posted by drew

Nah, not for me.

They spent a bunch on that flashy "perimeter" around Regina - but it's basically unusable for E-W travelers unless you don't want/need to stop in Regina for gas or food. Any even then, I bet travelling "thru" town is probably very close to the same amount of time. It's only a short stretch of Victoria Ave. that you are on with lights (and all the services), and then its free flow divided ring road (100kmph) all the way out of town westbound. The TCH bypass is almost comically long, even with the 110kmph limits.

I just ran it through Google Maps at noon on a Monday, and it's a 12 min difference to take Victoria/Ring Road. I can imagine that 12 mins is as low as it is because there is enough traffic bypassing the city, while taking the Victoria/Ring Road route before the bypass would have taken longer.

That being said, it is definitely built with the future in mind. Victoria Ave will only continue to be a commercial hub and the city will continue to expand outward.

I do agree with your comment about things feeling far. I've gone west from Winnipeg several times in the last few years and not once have I stopped in Regina. It just seems like anything in town is much farther off, whereas I'll stop in Swift Current or Medicine Hat more readily because of access.

[bomberjet]

Thats the thing with bypasses. They take you around.

I just ran the route on Google Maps and it only give me a 2 minute difference (bypass shorter time). Bypass is about 5.8km longer route.