The 401

[wave46]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

This really isn't that that spectacular a fact when you put it in context. The 401 is one of the longest freeways in North America and serves as the major freeway for the urban agglomeration that contains 20% of the country's population. There's nothing comparable in the US. There are several that are long and run thhrough several major cities en route. But none of those cities represent as large a proportion of the national population as Toronto does to Canada. Nor do those interstates have the same importance to local traffic flow in those major cities. The 401 being the busiest Highway in North America sort of speaks to how many fewer highways we have and how important it is to local travel in the GTA.

It's just more that the MTO decided to go whole hog on a superfreeway through Toronto instead of braiding it with smaller freeways. It was less destructive to do that instead of bulldozing existing neighbourhoods. It's doubly worse since the 407 - which was to take some of the long-distance load off the 401 - is so expensive.

Imagine if LA had half the number of freeways, but the same number of lanes of traffic. You'd funnel the same traffic onto the 405 or whatever was left. So you'd have this 25-lane freeway through LA that had traffic counts of 750,000 vehicles per day or some sort of insane number.

[PhotoJim]

Originally Posted by wave46

It's doubly worse since the 407 - which was to take some of the long-distance load off the 401 - is so expensive.

And it's extremely expensive for out-of-region travelers that aren't constantly in southern Ontario. While transponders for some toll systems like those in Florida, Texas and Illinois can be gotten by casual travels pretty easily and cheaply, and only require occasional balance top-ups, the 407 offers no such convenience. I did find out by accident, though, that the operators don't check motor licensing records in all jurisdictions, so if you live in the right place, it's effectively toll-free. But that's not likely true for any nearby states or provinces.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

As for length, our numbering terminates at provincial boundaries. The interstates don't. A more equivalent comparison might be adding up the 401 in Ontario and the 20 in Quebec.

If the TCH were numbered Highway 1 in all provinces, it would beat them all!

That said, exit numbers and mile markers reset when you cross a state border, even if you're still on the same Interstate with the same number.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I
That said, exit numbers and mile markers reset when you cross a state border, even if you're still on the same Interstate with the same number.

The interstate stats though measure the whole length. Not state segments.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by PhotoJim

And it's extremely expensive for out-of-region travelers that aren't constantly in southern Ontario. While transponders for some toll systems like those in Florida, Texas and Illinois can be gotten by casual travels pretty easily and cheaply, and only require occasional balance top-ups, the 407 offers no such convenience. I did find out by accident, though, that the operators don't check motor licensing records in all jurisdictions, so if you live in the right place, it's effectively toll-free. But that's not likely true for any nearby states or provinces.

And in fact, back when the tolls first started in the late 90's, anyone with a non-Ontario plate got a free ride. Some areas for much longer than others as Ontario made reciprocity agreements with other provinces and states.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

The interstate stats though measure the whole length. Not state segments.

Of course.

[PhotoJim]

Originally Posted by Acajack

If the TCH were numbered Highway 1 in all provinces, it would beat them all!.

I thought we were talking about freeways, though. Not only is the large majority of the TCH not a freeway, much of it (including the large majority of it in Ontario) remains a two-lane undivided highway.

Heck, Saskatchewan only finished twinning the TCH in the late 1990s. And the only freeway segments here are the ones carrying it around Regina.

[Dengler Avenue]

I heard that EB Express Lanes through the west end of Sauga have been open to traffic. Finally, HOV lanes on the 401?!?! (The one in Cambridge is general purpose for now.)

[Dengler Avenue]

I just saw a crash on 401 WB collector lanes west of Renforth. (It probably happened just seconds earlier as someone frantically ran to the car that’s resting against the barrier.) I was gonna use car audio to call 911 just like last time. Stupid thing tuned me to 88.5 FM instead. -_-
I was gonna pull over and make the call, just to see that there was no shoulder due to construction. I was like, “Forget it, they might have called anyway.”
I hope the driver lives.

[Dengler Avenue]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1318292598260465666
This is about time. There should have been a loop from Yonge Street SB to 401 E the whole time. Also, merging from 401 to Yonge Street NB is simply a pain in the bullocks.

Edit: Look through slides 10 to 19: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/...tIEZzMavBTbdP4

401 & Warden is also bad (especially during rush hour) because of the reverse parclo. It's about time to have the accesses to 401 converted to dual left-turn lanes. (Then there's also Sheppard Avenue E EB to 404N, but that one works fine outside of PM rush, from my memory.)

[Dengler Avenue]

https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/ontario-s...bury-1.5160934
Great news for 401 through C-K. The west side of "city" will see 401 widened to 6 lanes. It will be interesting to see how C-K O.P.P. sets up speed traps in that stretch in the future.

[MolsonExport]

^great news for the stretch of the 401 known as carnage alley.

[Dengler Avenue]

http://401cbridge.com/
The website for the stretch from Highway 24 to Townline Road is up.

[Dengler Avenue]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ONtranspo...00153546416128
For the first time ever, there’s an HOV lane on the 401.
I thought Cambridge would have beaten Mississauga to it though.

[Truenorth00]

Read recently that the OnRoutes were sold to a British infrastructure asset management outfit. Chances that they'll put EV fast chargers at the OnRoutes? It's getting kinda ridiculous that we don't have fast chargers at service centres for the busiest expressways in the country.

[sonysnob]

A recent view of the 401 looking easterly from the James Snow Parkway overpass in Milton. Construction of the future collector lanes is well underway between James Snow and the 407:


http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_4...ec20_24x16.jpg

[MolsonExport]

Does anyone think there will be any further widening of the existing widest spots of the 401?

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Does anyone think there will be any further widening of the existing widest spots of the 401?

I'm doubtful. I'm not sure how much room is left north and south of the 16 and 18 lane sections through Toronto. Some of those stretches are pretty tight up against other infrastructure, or would require longer overpasses that would not be cheap. We could see some of the 12-lane sections expanded though.

Whether there are any lasting travel demand impacts from the pandemic will be a key thing to watch. *IF* peak period traffic becomes lower, or levels off, then expansion probably won't be necessary... but that also depends on how things shift in the mid-peak period, within which trips have been rising for a while now. I doubt they'd exceed the old peak hours though.

Longer term the issue of automated vehicles still looms. They may bring the opportunity to safely increase the amount of vehicles using existing capacity. But the possibilities and timing of that are their own debate entirely!

[Dengler Avenue]

I’ve always wondered. Does autonomous vehicle mean that one must stick to the speed limit if not lower?

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I’ve always wondered. Does autonomous vehicle mean that one must stick to the speed limit if not lower?

I would assume that following the limits in each area would be required for that type of system to work properly.