Trans Canada Highway Twinning: Segments U/C - Page 6

rrskylar · #**101** Posted **Mar 11, 2009, 2:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rathgrith

Does Thunder Bay even get traffic jams to warrant an freeway?

Come on Thunder Bay has at least the same population as it had in 1966!~

eemy · #**102** Posted **Mar 11, 2009, 3:06 PM**

To provide some perspective, Highway 7 at the boundary between Guelph and Waterloo, which is slated to be replaced by a 4 lane expressway, reaches aadt volumes of 22600. Is on par with Highway 11 between Orillia and Gravenhurst, which is presently an expressway, and far busier than the section to North Bay which is currently being upgraded. It is far busier than the any other section of Highway 17 save Highway 417, even those parts 4-laned around Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, as well as Highway 69 between Parry Sound and Sudbury (also being upgraded). It's busier than Highway 400 north of Barrie, most of Highway 402, all of 405, 416 south of Ottawa and 417 east of Ottawa.

Granted, many of those are rural highways (except most notably, the 405); however, I do think that some sort of improvement is warranted around Thunder Bay. I suspect the biggest reason those parts don't receive more improvements is that there are only two ridings in the area. Highway 400/69/11 improvements buy votes from everyone in the GTA who has a cottage up north.

FYI, my assessment was based on a quick scan of this report from 2005.

harls · #**103** Posted **Mar 11, 2009, 3:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

Highway 400/69/11 improvements buy votes from everyone in the GTA who has a cottage up north.

I think that's the same reason why Autoroute 5 is being extended - cottage country for Ottawa.

Acajack · #**104** Posted **Mar 11, 2009, 4:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by harls

I think that's the same reason why Autoroute 5 is being extended - cottage country for Ottawa.

"Free" money too. There is an agreement between the federal government and the Quebec government for highway improvements in the Quebec portion of the national capital (Ottawa-Gatineau) region, under which the feds agree to pay 50% of all such projects.

So for Quebec, it’s an easy way to increase its autoroute mileage in the Outaouais for half the price. Provided that the area is within the boundaries of the national capital region (NCR). The current Autoroute 5 project is covered, but I’ll bet a million bucks it never goes one millimetre further than the NCR northern boundary.

This also explains why Autoroute 50 going east was relatively easily extended to Buckingham, but then took so long to get construction moving towards Thurso. The NCR limits end at Buckingham.

vid · #**105** Posted **Mar 11, 2009, 8:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Come on Thunder Bay has at least the same population as it had in 1966!~

Actually we're back up to our 1971 population now!

(See Section B)

The area around Orillia and North Bay doesn't have many ridings either but it is cottage country for Torontonians so they go there and experience it and are more likely to support it. Torontonians rarely come to Thunder Bay, they don't know what it is like very well.

Mininari · #**106** Posted **Mar 12, 2009, 7:13 PM**

News today: (orginally posted in the gateway discussion thread in the Local Vancouver section by Stringray2004)

IMPROVEMENTS TO HIGHWAYS 1 AND 97A IN B.C. INTERIOR

Highway 1

The Pritchard to Hoffman’s Bluff project, located approximately 42 kilometres east of Kamloops, will widen three kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway from two lanes to four lanes and upgrade an intersection at Stoney Flats Road. This $19.5-million project is expected to create approximately 200 direct and indirect jobs.

The Hoffman’s Bluff project, located approximately 45 kilometres east of Kamloops, will realign and widen 3.1 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway through Hoffman’s Bluff. This $42-million project is expected to create over 400 direct and indirect jobs.

The Clanwilliam Bridge project involves the reconstruction of 2.3 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway from two lanes to four lanes, including the construction of a new four-lane bridge across the Canadian Pacific Rail line. This $29-million project is expected to create approximately 300 direct and indirect jobs.

The Donald Bridges project will upgrade approximately four kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway from two lanes to four lanes with the construction of a new four-lane Donald Bridge over the Columbia River and a new four-lane Donald Overhead Bridge that crosses Canadian Pacific Rail line. This $63-million project is expected to create over 600 direct and indirect jobs.

amor de cosmos · #**107** Posted **Mar 12, 2009, 7:57 PM**

according to one of the MLAs who was at the announcement, Hoffman's Bluff is especially nightmarish. before she got into politics she was a nurse & she took care of crash victims all the time at her hospital.

Quote:

March 12, 2009
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Department of Transport and Infrastructure

CANADA AND B.C. IMPROVE HIGHWAY SAFETY, CREATE JOBS

VICTORIA – An accelerated investment of $174 million for highway improvements in B.C.’s Interior will create jobs, stimulate the economy and improve road safety, announced federal Transport and Infrastructure Minister John Baird and B.C. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Kevin Falcon today. Construction on the first of the highway projects is expected to begin in the upcoming construction season.

“Only three short months ago, I met with my provincial counterparts in Vancouver where we agreed to fast-track infrastructure spending, stimulate the economy and create new jobs for Canadians,” said Baird. “Today’s announcement is a clear example that we are delivering on our promise.”

“The B.C. government has been working with the Government of Canada to get these dollars flowing quickly into communities across the province,” said Falcon. “Not only are these projects important improvements to safety, they’re an important stimulus to local economies, and it’s estimated that this investment will create over 1,700 direct and indirect jobs.”

The funding will allow for engineering for five highway improvement projects along highways 1 and 97A in the Southern Interior region of the province to be accelerated, enabling tendering and construction to advance as quickly as possible.

Both the Province and the Government of Canada have identified these projects as a priority for infrastructure funding consideration. The federal government is setting aside up to a maximum of $78 million, which will amount to a maximum of 50 per cent of eligible costs, for these projects. Federal funding is conditional on the projects’ meeting all federal eligibility requirements of the Building Canada Fund and the signing of a contribution agreement(s) with the Province of B.C. The B.C. government is contributing over $96 million for these projects.

The Government of Canada is accelerating and expanding recent federal investments in infrastructure with almost $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding over two years.

These highway projects are part of an overall $14-billion capital infrastructure program supported by the Province to create jobs and vital public infrastructure in every region of B.C.

IMPROVEMENTS TO HIGHWAYS 1 AND 97A IN B.C. INTERIOR

Highway 1

The Pritchard to Hoffman’s Bluff project, located approximately 42 kilometres east of Kamloops, will widen three kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway from two lanes to four lanes and upgrade an intersection at Stoney Flats Road. This $19.5-million project is expected to create approximately 200 direct and indirect jobs.
The Hoffman’s Bluff project, located approximately 45 kilometres east of Kamloops, will realign and widen 3.1 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway through Hoffman’s Bluff. This $42-million project is expected to create over 400 direct and indirect jobs.
The Clanwilliam Bridge project involves the reconstruction of 2.3 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway from two lanes to four lanes, including the construction of a new four-lane bridge across the Canadian Pacific Rail line. This $29-million project is expected to create approximately 300 direct and indirect jobs.
The Donald Bridges project will upgrade approximately four kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway from two lanes to four lanes with the construction of a new four-lane Donald Bridge over the Columbia River and a new four-lane Donald Overhead Bridge that crosses Canadian Pacific Rail line. This $63-million project is expected to create over 600 direct and indirect jobs.

Highway 97A

The Pleasant Valley to Lansdowne project will upgrade four kilometres of Highway 97A from a two-lane rural arterial design to a four lane rural arterial 100 km/h design, with accompanying intersection improvements to enhance safety and address capacity concerns. This $20-million project is expected to create approximately 200 direct and indirect jobs.

http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_rele...026-000343.htm

craner · #**108** Posted **Mar 17, 2009, 6:08 AM**

Quote:

CANADA AND B.C. IMPROVE HIGHWAY SAFETY, CREATE JOBS

Incremental but positive news just the same.

Canadian Mind · #**109** Posted **Mar 18, 2009, 2:52 AM**

So for every 10 million dollars 100 jobs are made.

100 000 per person isn't too bad at all.

vid · #**110** Posted **Mar 28, 2009, 4:28 AM**

Some good news! Not twinning, but close enough for us, for now.

Quote:

4-laning cash finally in place
Jim Kelley | The Chronicle-Journal | March 27, 2009

Area politicians have been pushing for it for decades and it‘s finally going to happen next year. Funding for the four-laning of the Trans-Canada Highway between Thunder Bay and Nipigon has been included in the provincial budget.

“In 2010, we will begin the four-laning of the Highway 11-17 corridor between Thunder Bay and Nipigon,” Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle said Thursday. “Certainly this is something I‘ve been working on for a very long time and I‘m very excited to see this.”

Gravelle said funding for the project is included in the Northern Ontario highways budget of $648 million.

See the article in full here.

eternallyme · #**111** Posted **Mar 29, 2009, 2:04 AM**

The ultimate goal should be for the entire TCH mainline length to be not just twinned, but a high-standard freeway at least across the mainland (including fixed link islands).

Length of the TCH mainline: ~6,400 km
Length twinned: ~3,530 km (55%)
Length that is a full freeway: ~1,980 km (31%)

dmuzika · #**112** Posted **Mar 30, 2009, 6:04 AM**

I don't think this was posted yet, but Alberta Transportation is currently studying a bypass for Medicine Hat, see http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/2612.htm. The current alignment is an expressway with a mixture of interchanges and traffic signals. The overall recommended alignment (see Open House #3) is a south bypass that bypasses Redcliff, Medicine Hat, and Dunmore and includes a multi-level interchange with the Crowsnest Hwy (Hwy 3).

lubicon · #**113** Posted **Mar 30, 2009, 5:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmuzika

I don't think this was posted yet, but Alberta Transportation is currently studying a bypass for Medicine Hat, see http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/2612.htm. The current alignment is an expressway with a mixture of interchanges and traffic signals. The overall recommended alignment (see Open House #3) is a south bypass that bypasses Redcliff, Medicine Hat, and Dunmore and includes a multi-level interchange with the Crowsnest Hwy (Hwy 3).

I'd love to see that, plus a bypass of Strathmore.

Acajack · #**114** Posted **Mar 30, 2009, 5:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by vid

Some good news! Not twinning, but close enough for us, for now.

I am not that up on news from NW Ontario but this is nonetheless a huge surprise to me. I had thought highway widenings in Northern Ontario weren’t in anyone’s plans for years to come, except for the roads south from Sudbury (400/69) and North Bay (11) towards Toronto.

Any idea what the AADT is on this stretch (I realize it combines traffic coming from both Hearst and Kap on the 11 and the Soo and Sudbury on the 17)?

eemy · #**115** Posted **Mar 30, 2009, 7:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

I am not that up on news from NW Ontario but this is nonetheless a huge surprise to me. I had thought highway widenings in Northern Ontario weren’t in anyone’s plans for years to come, except for the roads south from Sudbury (400/69) and North Bay (11) towards Toronto.

Any idea what the AADT is on this stretch (I realize it combines traffic coming from both Hearst and Kap on the 11 and the Soo and Sudbury on the 17)?

4000-5000

http://www.raqsb.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/fa027808647879788525708a004b5df8/f51986ea499a13b08525745f006dd30b/$FILE/2005%20Annual%20Average%20Daily%20Traffic%20(AADT).pdf

waterloowarrior · #**116** Posted **Mar 30, 2009, 8:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

4000-5000

http://www.raqsb.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/fa027808647879788525708a004b5df8/f51986ea499a13b08525745f006dd30b/$FILE/2005%20Annual%20Average%20Daily%20Traffic%20(AADT).pdf

hehe, that's like a collector rd. in the GTA and about 1/4 to 1/3 as busy as a county road out in the rural fringe

Acajack · #**117** Posted **Mar 30, 2009, 8:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

4000-5000

http://www.raqsb.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/fa027808647879788525708a004b5df8/f51986ea499a13b08525745f006dd30b/$FILE/2005%20Annual%20Average%20Daily%20Traffic%20(AADT).pdf

Thanks for the numbers. That’s quite low. I think Highway 17 (after it goes from four to two lanes) west of Ottawa is in the 10,000 to 15,000 range for a good distance going towards Pembroke.

And Quebec Autoroute 50 on the north shore of the Ottawa River is being built as a “super-2" in many stretches where AADT will nonetheless be in the 8,000-10,000 range.