Good grief... most of these are completely unnecessary and HSR should take priority before any more 6-laning goes on. With few exceptions, we've got all the freeways we'll need in a future of much higher energy costs.
We're living in the twilight years of low-cost energy. Enjoy it while it lasts.
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Originally Posted by eternallyme
Back to the broader topic, another reason Ottawa area has not received as much money for highway improvements - there aren't a whole lot of big things necessary right now under provincial jurisdiction.
Highway 7:
-Once the section to Carleton Place is completed, no additional short-term work is necessary.
-Additional widening to 4 lanes from Carleton Place to Perth may be needed in the middle term.
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Even assuming that the energy status quo carries on indefinitely, this doesn't make too much sense. Going to Perth achieves what, exactly? Perth is a town of all of 6000 or so. You'd be better off twinning Hwy 15 to Smith's Falls. Indeed, Hwy 416 should never have been built at all - 'Hwy 415' should have been built instead following Hwy 7 & 15 (Hwy 15 used to go to Ottawa on a shared alignment with Hwy 7) and then Hwy 32 to the bridge at Gananoque (far more useful than the bridge at Prescott). Then some of the improvements to Hwy 401 that you list below would also not be needed.
It's already pretty close timewise between taking Hwy 416 and Hwy 401 to Kingston compared to Hwy 7 and Hwy 15. With Hwy 7 twinned to Carleton Place, the latter route will win so that makes the decision to build the 400-series connection to the 401 on the Hwy 16 corridor rather than the Hwy 7&15 corridor all the more short-sighted.
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-On the western side, the section east of Peterborough to Havelock should also be widened to 4 lanes.
Highway 17:
-Biggest project in Eastern Ontario, as mentioned in previous posts - replace with new 4-lane 417 extension at least to Petawawa and eventually North Bay (joining up with Northern Ontario projects).
Highway 401:
-Should be widened to 6 lanes now from Cobourg to Kingston, beginning in Belleville and at the endpoints.
-Will need to be widened to 6 lanes from Kingston to Highway 416 in the middle term (by about 2020-2025).
Highway 417:
-Should be widened to 6 lanes as far as Anderson Road, and eventually Boundary Road.
-Biggest expense on the existing highway will be rebuilding the 417/174 split, but that could be a federal project as it involves the Kettle Island bridge.
-No major widening needed (or possible) in the urban area.
-Further widening needed in the west end - 6 lanes to Highway 7, maybe with 2 extra HOV lanes as far as Palladium Drive.
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I thought that (6 lanes to Hwy 7) was going to happen anyway.
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On other provincial highways, including 416, nothing really is needed in the foreseeable future.
That's not to say there are other needs, but they fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government (i.e. Kettle Island) or the City of Ottawa (i.e. CR 174).
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