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Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

innsertnamehere said:
^ where did you hear this? I don't see why the HOVs wouldn't open (without the toll option) before opening the extension.

The 2021 date would just be the start of tolling the HOVs.
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You're right about HOV. Got a little mixed with the 2 HOV/HOT projects. The current work is targeted for 2018 completion. I meant the HOT lanes between 407 to Highway 427 won't open till 2021. The project can complete but MTO could keep it closed like the space reserved for HOV lanes on the 401 between 410 and Hurontatio.

There is actually 3 projects
1. Highway 409 to Steeles widening to 8 lanes (3+1 HOV) -2018
2. Steeles to Hwy. 7 widening to 8 lanes (3+1 HOV) -2021
3. Highway 427 extension -2020

Date reference
http://www.ohmpa.org/files/PIQ_Road_Tour_2016/9. Dante Pangilinan_MTO Central Region.pdf
 
that pdf lists Steeles to 7 as completed in 2020.. probably to coincide with the 427 extension.

I believe the 2021 date listed is for when tolls start, separate from the actual road infrastructure.
 
Province announced that in the spring, I believe that is the Federal contribution announcement.

What is interesting though is that it lists the distance of the project as 5km, while the distance between Hespeler and Townline is only around 4km. I guess it means it will be widened a km or so past Townline too.
 
innsertnamehere said:
What is interesting though is that it lists the distance of the project as 5km, while the distance between Hespeler and Townline is only around 4km. I guess it means it will be widened a km or so past Townline too.
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I expect it will be widened to 5 lanes under the townline bridge, and additional km covers the new ramp locations and tapering down to 3 lanes.
 
yup. That is different than the existing widening to Hespeler from 8 though, which ends at the off ramp, and does not travel under Hespeler Road. The Hespeler Road bridge apparently will be replaced as a part of this project though, so that is probably why.

I imagine it will be similar to how the HOVs will end on the 400 at King Road, where it runs a bit further past the interchange.


Has anyone seen anything about the 400 widening south of King Road? Everywhere I look I see 2018 as the completion date but as far as I know the tender has yet to be issued.. It looks like it is going to be a 2 season project, which seems very fast. Its not like there isn't structure work, they have to widen an underpass and replace an overpass bridge.
 
When we think of elevated highways in Toronto, the Gardiner probably comes to mind. What I never noticed is that we have another elevated highway. A part of highway 427 is built on an elevated structure. It's remarkable for the volume of the structure. It's elevated from just north of the Queensway to Vickers Road, which is north of Dundas Street West. The structure is something interesting about what I once thought was a banal piece of infrastructure.
 
I was on a section of four lane 69 when I noticed a standard transport truck passing under a overpass with maybe an inch or less clearness from hitting the bridge. The bridge itself is sitting with a non-standard middle support pier of solid rock. Is this normal clearance or has it sunk a bit ?
 
innsertnamehere said:
407ETR needs to widen their part from York/Durham Line to Brock Road soon though, its rather awkward today the way there is that 4 lane gap between two 6 lane sections.
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This section will should start construction this year (widening + rehab of existing lanes).

Steve X said:
There is actually 3 projects
1. Highway 409 to Steeles widening to 8 lanes (3+1 HOV) -2018
2. Steeles to Hwy. 7 widening to 8 lanes (3+1 HOV) -2021
3. Highway 427 extension -2020
Click to expand...

Aren't #2 & #3 the same project? Part of the Highway 427 extension.

innsertnamehere said:
Has anyone seen anything about the 400 widening south of King Road? Everywhere I look I see 2018 as the completion date but as far as I know the tender has yet to be issued.. It looks like it is going to be a 2 season project, which seems very fast. Its not like there isn't structure work, they have to widen an underpass and replace an overpass bridge.
Click to expand...

This should start this year with completion in 2019 (3 seasons).

junctionist said:
When we think of elevated highways in Toronto, the Gardiner probably comes to mind. What I never noticed is that we have another elevated highway. A part of highway 427 is built on an elevated structure. It's remarkable for the volume of the structure. It's elevated from just north of the Queensway to Vickers Road, which is north of Dundas Street West. The structure is something interesting about what I once thought was a banal piece of infrastructure.
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This is not really an elevated structure, but just a section of road with retaining walls on both sides. In other words, it's not a "bridge" like the Gardiner.
 
darth_freeman said:
This is not really an elevated structure, but just a section of road with retaining walls on both sides. In other words, it's not a "bridge" like the Gardiner.
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There are two concrete walls on both sides of the highway for a long distance, suggesting that we're looking at a purpose-built elevated structure. You could be right that they're retaining walls built along a naturally raised section of land where the highway was built. But even if they're just retaining walls, Highway 427 was built one storey above grade in Etobicoke. That part of the highway is elevated above the surrounding streets by design.
 
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Interesting about the 427 tolls in the Northern section of the highway only.
I use the highway daily, and it doesn't follow the traffic patterns of the rest of the majors, perhaps because of the airport. You often have heavy traffic in both directions (particularly south of the 401) during both morning and afternoon rush hours, which I think is why it is the third busiest highway in North America. What's also interesting is that I think many people who use the highway are unaware that it runs a collector/express system, partly because none of the signage indicates it, instead just the exists are listed. You'll often have the "express" which is the main highway, backed up quite far, and can quickly zoom right through the collector express exchanges (north-bound only, southbound, there is one "icky" spot where the collectors is basically forced down to 1 lane which slows things down), while everyone else waits in the backed-up traffic. It would be nice if they extended the E/C system with the expansion, but it would likely be way to expensive.
 
How would the electronic tolling know if you are using the lane as HOV (with 2/3 or more people) or to charge you the fare as a HOT? Or is this only a HOT lane, no HOV? Also, has this been tested anywhere? I understood the HOT lanes on the QEW during Pan AM (do they still exist?) because you had to purchase the pass ahead of time. But if the option is to choose the lane on the spot (via electronic tolling) won't people just use the regular lanes unless it becomes very busy.. and at that time, everyone could make the same choice to jump in the HOT lane, thus making it just as congested as the other lanes.
 
I saw a similar setup in California when I was there. They required you to have a transponder if you wanted free HOV access, then you pressed a button on the transponder to indicate that you are a HOV. It works on trust and presumably enforcement that you do in fact have multiple people in your car. If you didn't have the transponder set to HOV or didn't have a transponder at all, it tolled you.
 
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