Ontario Highways

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by vid

no it doesn't. This is northern ontario.

bingo!

[Dengler Avenue]

https://www.narcity.com/ca/on/toront...093tqukCmtNFOQ

Speed cameras in Toronto Proper? Uh oh...

[Lugnut]

Wow.

I wonder if they can double to enforce HOV lanes?

[Dengler Avenue]

AFAIK for HOT lanes, OPP does have drones to take pictures of violators.

On another note, does anyone have pictures of the junction/interchange of 401/3 in Windsor/Tecumseh before Honourable Herb Grey Parkway was a thing? I'm simply curious.

[Dengler Avenue]

By the way, for Highway 102, I didn't know the speed limit's 90 kph only between Sistonen's Corner and Highway 589. In hindsight, I'm not surprised though: Dawson Road in T Bay looks too built-up for 90 kph.

Also, google street view as recent as June 2018 showed that a lot of trucks still used 102 instead of 11-17.

[vid]

Trucks never really used 11/17, they always used 102 because it's a short cut. They will continue using it until something physically prevents them from doing so. The city could very well just reduce the speed limit along the entire length and enforce it, which would certainly piss off truckers. Local residents won't be able to complain; they demanded change.

The speed limit goes down as you get close to the city, from 90 to 80 at Dog Lake, 80 to 70 around Lydia Avenue, 70 to 60 around Paquette Road, and 60 to 50 at Hilldale. This does two things: slows down inbound traffic gradually as it enters the city, and speeds up outbound traffic gradually as it leaves the city. It also reduces the need for improved highway geometry, which in such a built up area would be expensive. Dawson Road's right of way is itself one of the oldest roads in the region, going back to the 1870s. Some of the houses along it are nearly as old.

Arthur Street goes from 80km/h to 50km/h just 500m before a controlled intersection, so that phasing of speed limits wasn't a routine thing.

[Dengler Avenue]

It really takes a controlled-access four-lane 11-17 between Shabaqua Corners and T Bay to take trucks off 102 eh?

[vid]

It will take a by-pass north of the city to do that.

[Dengler Avenue]

https://www.kitchenertoday.com/local...eGcI85iLBtMJoM

[Dengler Avenue]

MTO treats a commercial long-haul like 2.5 passenger vehicles.

Here’s my question:
On a rural 2-lane arterial highway, I see 3000 passenger vehicles and 2000 commercial ones pass by per day, per year.
Is AADT supposed to be 3000 + 2000 = 5000, or 3000 + 2000 * 2.5 = 8000?

[sonysnob]

AADT is whatever the actual traffic volume is. So if there are 3000 passenger vehicles and 2000 commercial vehicles then the AADT is 5000.

In terms of actual highway operation, typically a designer would design the highway for the peak hour, which (at least when I learned it in college), was the busiest 15 minute interval of traffic multiplied by four. Designing a highway has to do with the actual distribution of traffic throughout the day much more than a specific AADT. In addition to vehicle make up, the terrain also has an effect. A 7% grade on a road with significant truck volumes will feel congested with much lower traffic compared to the same traffic volumes on a flat road.

Rural highways such as 11 or 17 tend to have fairly even traffic distribution throughout the day and don't have much additional traffic during the peak hours of the morning and afternoon commute. For example, for the most part, the 400 is being widened between Toronto and Barrie to meet the needs of peak hour flow caused by commuting (and recreational traffic) rather than just the baseline traffic caused by other long haul traffic.

[Dengler Avenue]

https://hwy404widening.ca/reports/

[sonysnob]

The design of the 404 kind of irks me. The 404 was designed for a cross-section of ten basic lanes, but they have allocated so much space to the shoulder and buffer of the proposed HOV lane that they are using almost all of the entire space in the median for a single HOV (or really, an HOT) in each direction.

Irked.

[Dengler Avenue]

What irks me is that north of Aurora, MTO’s only adding an HOV lane.

I’ve always thought it would add another general purpose lane then an HOV lane.

[sonysnob]

^ That plan was put forward by the previous government. Time will tell if the current PC party is as full steam ahead with the implementation of HOV lanes as the previous government.

[sonysnob]

Some information about the permanent closure of the 400 interchange at Canal Road:

9. Description of Project:
The replacement of the Highway 400 NBL and SBL twin Overpasses at Canal Road. The replacement of the structures will accommodate 3 NB and 3 SB lanes following construction and will allow for widening into the median for an ultimate 10-Lane cross section. Substructures will be constructed for the future widening to the ultimate 10-lane cross section.

Other improvements include:
• Realignment and profile adjustment of Highway 400 for 1.37km to accommodate the new bridge alignment and increase vertical clearance over Canal Road
• Rehabilitation of Highway 400 pavement for 1.33km from the limits of the realignment to the limits of adjacent contracts to the north and south of this contract.
• Realignment and profile lowering of Canal Road to accommodate the proposed south bridge abutment and increase vertical clearance to the underside of the new bridges.
• Realignment and profile adjustments of Davis Road and Wist Road to accommodate the proposed Highway 400 embankment widening and ditches.
• Retaining walls will be installed between the widened Highway 400 and Davis and Wist Roads.
• Permanent closure of the Highway 400 ramps and at Davis Road and Wist Road.
• Lining the Holland (Schomberg) River Culvert
• Replacement of all existing signage within the construction limits.
Other requirements include:
• The project is being undertaken as a “Group B” Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Transportation Facilities 2000.
• Approximately 0.30 ha of private property will be permanently acquired to accommodate the Highway 400 widening.
• Fill embankments for the widened approaches to the new bridges will be pre-loaded.


10. Assignment approximate start and completion dates:
Pre-contract engineering phase: N/A
Construction administration phase: (tentative timing) June 2019 to December 2021

[Horus]

I wonder if that will also include realignment of the canal, to be consistent with the previous canal relocation that took place within the last 5-10 years?

"Profile lowering" of Canal road is also interesting, since Canal Road is also functional as a dyke to prevent flooding of the Holland Marsh. (although relocation of the canal would be equally as effective in that respect.

[sonysnob]

I'm not 100% certain, but I do believe that the canal will be relocated to the north. I'm guessing they'll use the dredgings from the new canal to raise the profile of the dyke beneath the 400 interchange as it looks like has been done to both sides of it.

[Innsertnamehere]

Got some real Dutch level engineering going on I see..

[Dengler Avenue]

https://mobile.twitter.com/OPP_GTATr...46627665620993

OPP tweeted that Conestoga Parkway S is completely closed at Ottawa Treet (Kitchener).