The 401

[MolsonExport]

I drove the 401 to 427/Gardiner (stayed at the Royal York with my wife on the weekend), to/from London. It is incredible just how long it takes to complete a segment of work. I suppose it is largely due to the need to keep the highway completely open during reconstruction.
The overpass at Winston Churchill (my wife's parents live nearby) has been under redevelopment for what seems like 3 centuries. The KW widening segment is still under construction, for what, 8+ years now?

[MolsonExport]

Aerial view of the Hwy 401 & Hwy 11A (Avenue Road) Cloverleaf in Toronto, facing east. Photo taken on October 1, 1953.


erial View of the Hwy 400 & Hwy 401 Cloverleaf in Toronto, looking southeast in 1953. This interchange was built as a full eight-ramp cloverleaf in 1951, although the ramps that served the south leg of the interchange were never actually opened to traffic. By the time Hwy 400 was extended south to Jane Street in 1966, the original 1951 cloverleaf had been replaced with a multi-level semi-directional interchange. Photo taken on October 1, 1953


wy 401 approaching the Hwy 400 Cloverleaf in Toronto, looking east in 1954. The low traffic volumes on this section of Hwy 401 may surprise people who are familiar with the highway today. At the time this photo was taken, Hwy 401 ended a short distance away at Weston Road. It was not until 1955 that Hwy 401 was completed out to Hwy 27. Note the ground-mounted guide sign at right, marking the upcoming Hwy 400 Interchange on eastbound Hwy 401. Photo taken on October 7, 1954.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I drove the 401 to 427/Gardiner (stayed at the Royal York with my wife on the weekend), to/from London. It is incredible just how long it takes to complete a segment of work. I suppose it is largely due to the need to keep the highway completely open during reconstruction.
The overpass at Winston Churchill (my wife's parents live nearby) has been under redevelopment for what seems like 3 centuries. The KW widening segment is still under construction, for what, 8+ years now?

It's confusing as it's actually different sections of work completed at different times right beside each other.

Kitchener's widening is broken into two seperate contracts, the first from Highway 8 to Hespeler Road, the second from Hespeler road to Townline Road. The first contract finished up over a year ago and is now that massive 6-lane part, the second half started basically just as the first part was finishing and is still getting done.

Each part only took 3-4 years, but combined it seems like forever.

It's the same thing with the 401 through Mississauga, MTO widened from Hurontario to the Credit River first, and now is doing it into Milton. It makes it feel like it's been happening forever, but the part west of the Credit River is only really under construction for 3-4 years before it will be done.

Don't get me started on the 400... which has been in a constant state of construction since 2013 or so with various interchange replacements, widenings, median replacements, bridge replacements, etc. MTO does 2-3 interchanges every year along it and is slowly working it's way down the list.. they are getting close now but still need another 5-6 years to do it all.

[thewave46]

The MTO puts out smaller contracts because there is only a handful of companies that can do super-contract levels of work (see: Turcot Interchange rebuild in Montreal). It also means that fewer kilometres of highway is under construction at any given time, even if it does take longer.

Piecemeal interchange replacements along the 400 are doable at a smaller scale.

On the other end of the scale, there is something like the Perimeter Highway in Winnipeg which basically got zero improvement over decades, but at least I guess people didn’t have to complain about construction.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

wy 401 approaching the Hwy 400 Cloverleaf in Toronto, looking east in 1954. The low traffic volumes on this section of Hwy 401 may surprise people who are familiar with the highway today. At the time this photo was taken, Hwy 401 ended a short distance away at Weston Road. It was not until 1955 that Hwy 401 was completed out to Hwy 27. Note the ground-mounted guide sign at right, marking the upcoming Hwy 400 Interchange on eastbound Hwy 401. Photo taken on October 7, 1954.

One forgets that the 401 was basically built in a field in the 1950s and how much the City of Toronto has grown in the last 70 years.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by thewave46

One forgets that the 401 was basically built in a field in the 1950s and how much the City of Toronto has grown in the last 70 years.

Indeed. https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/2...nto/population

greater toronto.
1,068,000 metro in 1950
2,535,000 in 1970
3,807,000 in 1990
5,499,000 in 2010
6,712,341 presently.

[Innsertnamehere]

the crazy part to me is always that MTO opened the 401 through Toronto as a rural 4-lane bypass and basically a decade later rebuilt it as a 12-lane collector-express system, more or less the existing configuration of the highway. They were *Way* off on the estimated traffic demand on the original 4-lane highway given such a drastic upgrade so shortly after.

Car ownership post war completely exploded though, I think it would have been hard to predict that level of ownership growth.

[CF1Fan]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

It's confusing as it's actually different sections of work completed at different times right beside each other.

Kitchener's widening is broken into two seperate contracts, the first from Highway 8 to Hespeler Road, the second from Hespeler road to Townline Road. The first contract finished up over a year ago and is now that massive 6-lane part, the second half started basically just as the first part was finishing and is still getting done.

Each part only took 3-4 years, but combined it seems like forever.

It's the same thing with the 401 through Mississauga, MTO widened from Hurontario to the Credit River first, and now is doing it into Milton. It makes it feel like it's been happening forever, but the part west of the Credit River is only really under construction for 3-4 years before it will be done.

Don't get me started on the 400... which has been in a constant state of construction since 2013 or so with various interchange replacements, widenings, median replacements, bridge replacements, etc. MTO does 2-3 interchanges every year along it and is slowly working it's way down the list.. they are getting close now but still need another 5-6 years to do it all.

This, and don't expect it to stop any time soon because of other widening plans around Guelph, and eventually 10 laning all the between Cambridge and Milton. In the long term, having such a wide highway for such a long distance guarantees some part will require maintenance somewhere at any given time.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

It's confusing as it's actually different sections of work completed at different times right beside each other.

Kitchener's widening is broken into two seperate contracts, the first from Highway 8 to Hespeler Road, the second from Hespeler road to Townline Road. The first contract finished up over a year ago and is now that massive 6-lane part, the second half started basically just as the first part was finishing and is still getting done.

Each part only took 3-4 years, but combined it seems like forever.

It's the same thing with the 401 through Mississauga, MTO widened from Hurontario to the Credit River first, and now is doing it into Milton. It makes it feel like it's been happening forever, but the part west of the Credit River is only really under construction for 3-4 years before it will be done.

Don't get me started on the 400... which has been in a constant state of construction since 2013 or so with various interchange replacements, widenings, median replacements, bridge replacements, etc. MTO does 2-3 interchanges every year along it and is slowly working it's way down the list.. they are getting close now but still need another 5-6 years to do it all.

Basically the week I got my AZ license back in 1990 was when they put the orange barrels up at Wellington Rd to start widening the 401 towards Toronto. 20 years later, they finally had a consistent 3 lanes each way with centre wall, after various phases of construction in different areas over the years. I feel like right around that finishing was when the redevelopment of the 410-Mavis stretch started. Including the multiple attempts to rip down the old Hurontario overpass. Apparently, they needed some really heavy duty equipment to finish the job. It was months that the bottom chunk of the south side of the bridge abutment was sitting there, with the new bridge already open.

eta: Apparently it was over a year with that piece of the old bridge still there.

August 2011. https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.63008...7i13312!8i6656

July 2012 https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.63002...7i13312!8i6656

[Djeffery]

In the London area, the 401 (and 402) will be closed next weekend overnights for bridge girder installation at Dingman Dr, just west of Wellington Rd. I believe the detours will the same as last summer when the old bridge was demolished, westbound exits at Wellington or Exeter, and enters again at Wonderland, while eastbound 401 and 402 will exit at Wonderland. I believe it's Friday and Saturday night closures, but it might only be 1 night, the signs say March 25-26 9pm-8am.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

In the London area, the 401 (and 402) will be closed next weekend overnights for bridge girder installation at Dingman Dr, just west of Wellington Rd. I believe the detours will the same as last summer when the old bridge was demolished, westbound exits at Wellington or Exeter, and enters again at Wonderland, while eastbound 401 and 402 will exit at Wonderland. I believe it's Friday and Saturday night closures, but it might only be 1 night, the signs say March 25-26 9pm-8am.

Highway signage shows this being pushed back to next weekend now. April 1 and 2.

[MolsonExport]

The highway that is never a highway. There is ALWAYS construction, which slows traffic down greatly, thereby negating the entire purpose of the highway. I have never, in 18 years, driven between London and Toronto without encountering construction.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The highway that is never a highway. There is ALWAYS construction, which slows traffic down greatly, thereby negating the entire purpose of the highway. I have never, in 18 years, driven between London and Toronto without encountering construction.

1987 was my first solo drive, as a teen. Haven't seen it clear in that time. Always something being built

[sonysnob]

Signs for the now toll free 412 from the 401:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...pr21_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...pr21_24x16.png


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...pr21_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...pr21_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...pr21_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...pr21_24x16.jpg

[TownGuy]

Glad to see the tolls removed. Both highways were severely underused. People just continued taking whatever route they took previous to the highways being opened.

[ScreamingViking]

At some point (especially under a government such as the current one) I could see 412 and 418 get extended north.

[Dengler Avenue]

412 yes, 418 harder sell given the proximity of 115

[sonysnob]

Two views looking westerly from the Brimley Road overpass in Scarborough towards the construction through Kennedy Road. The express lanes have been shifted to the north to accommodate bridge and pavement reconstruction. As part of this work, the westbound collector to express transfer will be moved from west of the interchange at Kennedy to east of it, and an additional westbound collector lane will be added from east of Markham Road to Kennedy.


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...pr21_24x16.jpg


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...pr21_24x16.jpg

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by TownGuy

Glad to see the tolls removed. Both highways were severely underused. People just continued taking whatever route they took previous to the highways being opened.

I would use the 412 to get to Highway 7 a couple times a year when I was in the area, but I think most people didn't realize how relatively inexpensive the road was, and if I actually lived in the area I doubt I would use it as much as the tolls would add up. When I only drive that way 3-4 times a year, it's easy to just pay the $2 to save the pain of Lakeridge.. but if I had to do it every day, I may be a bit more careful.

Overall, I agree, toll removal will make sure the infrastructure gets better use.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

1987 was my first solo drive, as a teen. Haven't seen it clear in that time. Always something being built

We are probably similarly aged. (me: 1969 born)