News   Mar 28, 2024
 477     0 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 318     0 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 332     0 

403-Waterdown Road Full Interchange

CDL.TO

Moderator
Member Bio
Joined
Apr 22, 2007
Messages
4,274
Reaction score
122
Location
Christie Pits
A minor piece of news, but I think it is interesting.

--------------------


Long-awaited Hwy. 403 interchange now open

After two years in the making, the interchange at Highway 403 and Waterdown Road is officially open.

The $10.8-million project, which saw the construction an off-ramp from the westbound 403 to Waterdown Road and an eastbound on-ramp from the Aldershot GO station access road, is intended to ease traffic on nearby routes. The ramps will redirect heavy trucks from Plains Road, improve response times for emergency vehicles and make west Burlington more accessible along the GTA-Niagara trade corridor.

Calling it a “proud day for Burlington†Mayor Cam Jackson predicted the project would take more than 1,000 trucks off Plains Road every day while delivering more customers to local businesses. Echoing Jackson, Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven said the interchange would “open up the area and act as a stimulus to businesses along Plains Road and in west Aldershot.â€
 
There will be one downside to this though: more people from Waterdown will be using Waterdown Rd to connect to the 403 now. And widening the road would be pretty difficult and expensive to do, as it's a pretty windy and hilly road up to Waterdown. I foresee this becoming an even bigger issue as Waterdown continues to grow.
 
Ah ... I was driving the 403 the other day avoiding construction, and on Plains Road ... and I was scratching my head that there didn't seem to be a single way to get on the 403 for over 10 km from the edge of Lake Ontario (Cootes Paradise) all the way to east of the 403/407/QEW interchange.

Ironically now I know it was the traffic jam from the Waterdown interchange construction that was messing me up! Probably haven't driven that way for a couple of years ...
 
There will be one downside to this though: more people from Waterdown will be using Waterdown Rd to connect to the 403 now. And widening the road would be pretty difficult and expensive to do, as it's a pretty windy and hilly road up to Waterdown. I foresee this becoming an even bigger issue as Waterdown continues to grow.

Waterdown Road is scheduled for an upgrade to a proper artery with the only hold up being the City of Burlington does not want to pay for their fair share.
 
This is great for accessing the Aldershot station which was difficult when coming from the east before. I'm not sure why Burlington would want to pay to upgrade Waterdown road considering the only developable portion for them is between 403 and Plains Rd. Why would Burlington want to upgrade a road through the escarpment?
 
I meant from a financial perspective. The previous poster indicated the only obstacle was Burlington's refusal to pay their fair share. My thinking is that since the expansion offers Burlington very little benefit their fair share is zero or very close to it.
 
I meant from a financial perspective. The previous poster indicated the only obstacle was Burlington's refusal to pay their fair share. My thinking is that since the expansion offers Burlington very little benefit their fair share is zero or very close to it.

I would bet that the issue is the definition of "fair share"!
 
So, you mean, like it'd benefit Waterdown/Flamborough/Hamilton (hey, common municipal entity these days) more than Burlington proper?
 
Yes, it provides little benefit to Halton / Burlington, maybe even negative benefit if they give a high ranking to escarpment protection, so why would Burlington want to pay to upgrade the road? Hamilton / Waterdown is the one that wants the road.
 
I've been through here now a few times since this opened and I think the design is abysmal.

Waterdown Road now has three signalized intersections in close proximity with the lanes meandering to accommodate double left turn lanes and traffic islands at different points. It looks like the design was compromised by a house that the city or province decided not to expropriate and now sits on Waterdown Road in between an on-ramp and the highway

The GO station entrance is also now a 403 on ramp. Nothing like trying to pull out from a parking lot to a road where trucks are barrelling through to get on the highway.
 
Anyone know if there's any plans to upgrade the 410-Courtneypark partial interchange to a full one?
 
Anyone know if there's any plans to upgrade the 410-Courtneypark partial interchange to a full one?

I doubt it. Courtneypark is so close to the 401/403 interchange that adding more ramps would cause crazy amounts of weaving on the highway. The Derry Road acceleration/deceleration lanes also extends very close to Courtneypark and thus if you want more ramps here you'll have to braid them to eliminate weaving. Braiding is very costly and eats up a lot of land.
 
I doubt it. Courtneypark is so close to the 401/403 interchange that adding more ramps would cause crazy amounts of weaving on the highway. The Derry Road acceleration/deceleration lanes also extends very close to Courtneypark and thus if you want more ramps here you'll have to braid them to eliminate weaving. Braiding is very costly and eats up a lot of land.

Well then at the very least they should finish the 401-403-410 interchange. It's pretty useless since you can't get on the 401 West travelling northbound on the 403/410.
 
Well then at the very least they should finish the 401-403-410 interchange. It's pretty useless since you can't get on the 401 West travelling northbound on the 403/410.

I know that new collector's lanes are currently being built on the 401 west of the 410. That will go on until about 2013 according to the construction signs. I'm guessing that once the collector's lanes are completed it will be much easier to complete the entire interchange. It seems like more lanes are also being added to the southbound 410.

Staying on the issue of incomplete interchanges, I saw an MTO description in the Star a few months ago detailing plans to complete the 403-QEW interchange in Oakville. I haven't heard or seen anymore news on that development since. Anybody have any information?
 

Back
Top