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Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

It hasn't really been mentioned here yet, but Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph has officially started construction this summer. It'll take about 4 years to build. For fun, here's the interchange planned with highway 85.
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This report regarding the 401 widening from Hespeler Rd. in Cambridge to Halton sheds some light on the plans for Highway 6. It recommends the trumpet interchange at the Hanlon be replaced (pg. 83) and Hwy 6 run concurrently with Hwy 401 on auxiliary lanes (pg. 55) before they exit at a location slightly west of the current Hwy 6 South interchange (pg. 89). The current 6 South interchange would be closed on the south side of the 401 with Brock Road curving west after crossing the 401 and meeting Hwy 6 just south of the 401 at its new alignment. New ramps would connect to a roundabout on Brock Rd that would also connect to the existing Hwy 6 alignment. It's a bit confusing and much easier to understand when looking at the diagram.

Question, and apologies if this is well known (I've been following the forums for some time but only just now made an account): how does one go about finding this type of information? Jamincan, the url to the report you linked is very specific, trying to access http://www.highway401-hespeler-halton.ca/ itself isn't possible. The report also mentions projects like "Brantford to Cambridge Transportation Corridor Study", which I've heard nothing about. And Markster, I haven't seen those diagrams anywhere before! The MTO doesn't seem to be very friendly in terms of making its construction and planning info publicly accessible, unless theres something I'm missing?

As an aside (and maybe this isn't the right topic for this), those reports mention somethings like Cambridge exploring the possibility for a roundabout at Pinebush/Hespeler. But it's not listed anywhere on the regions' future contstruction projects on their site. Is there a better resource for finding these more region-specific plans?
 
its tough because MTO will only publicize info in the local areas they are working in. It takes a strong google-fu to find it all.

MTO will usually let their websites for an EA expire after a few years as well. You usually only have 2-3 years after the EA starts to actually view the individual websites.
 
Yeah, they create dedicated project websites for each project, instead of, say, putting them on a central site.
It's meant keeping an ear to the ground, and lots of googling. It's quite frustrating as the domains get older and occasionally disappear from the web. You find that when the MTO has dusted off a plan and announced they're going to start building, that there are no more documents about it online anywhere.
 
On this topic....

There's MTO's spanking new traffic traffic monitoring centre called COMPASS, with a big screen capable of displaying all 240 traffic camera video feeds. I believe this new "control room" got activated on July 9th.

Things like faster accident response and recovery, to get traffic moving sooner, etc.

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-s...m-compass-control-centre-during-pan-am-games/
https://twitter.com/StevenDelDuca/status/621675128590630912

compass.jpg
 

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There's MTO's spanking new traffic traffic monitoring centre called COMPASS, with a big screen capable of displaying all 240 traffic camera video feeds. I believe this new "control room" got activated on July 9th.

Things like faster accident response and recovery, to get traffic moving sooner, etc.

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-s...m-compass-control-centre-during-pan-am-games/
https://twitter.com/StevenDelDuca/status/621675128590630912

View attachment 50722

Not that it wouldn't be a lot better than whatever they had before, but that's a lot of cameras to watch one screen.

On another note, can anyone tell me where I can get a big screen like that? :D
 
Not that it wouldn't be a lot better than whatever they had before, but that's a lot of cameras to watch one screen.

On another note, can anyone tell me where I can get a big screen like that? :D

Even if you could get a big screen like that, you'd need a system (esp. graphics cards) capable of powering a gigapixel display.

AoD
 
My company has software that manages the data that is presented on Operation Center displays, like in the photo above. Reach out if you'd like to buy some software - its not cheap :)!
 
QEW/Dixie Interchange rebuild funding announcement:

http://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2015/...-ottawa-to-improve-qew-dixie-interchange.html

EA Consultation site w/ docs:

http://qewdixieea.ca/consultation/

AoD

On the topic of the QEW, does anyone know what's going on with the Credit River bridge rehabilitation? I was under the impression this section would be widened to make room for future HOV lanes as well as reconfiguring the QEW-Mississauga Rd. interchange.
 
My company has software that manages the data that is presented on Operation Center displays, like in the photo above. Reach out if you'd like to buy some software - its not cheap :)!
On another note, can anyone tell me where I can get a big screen like that? :D
I'm not 100% sure, but looking carefully -- and comparing to conference rooms we have had -- and the shape of the screen -- I now think it's a rear-projection screen, driven by an expensive ultra-high-definition projector. Might be a segmented screen, too.

If you're only interested in Netflix instead of control room graphics...it's actually gotten reasonably cheap:

More inexpensive brand new HD projectors can now be had for only $500 (or $300 used 720p off eBay). I have one of those. They are lots of fun with a WiFi Netflix stick (Roku Streaming Stick, $50). It's like a "Netflix antenna", a tiny thumbdrive thingy that plugs into the HDMI port. No cable, no cable box, no player box needed. So you can set up anywhere on your property without wires or complexity (except a power outlet). Backyard movie nights on a bedsheet, or indoors on a white wall. 100 to 150 inch size with bright image after sundown. Cheapest price per inch money can get!

Edit: Just realized tech has improved further. This model can do 200 inches (2-storey-tall) very brightly at night for only $420 USD (a shocking 3200 lumens), zooming smaller to 100 inch would become almost brighter than a TV unless dialed down, making it usable with some lighting instead of totally dark room -- lit room like like the control room (but with maybe slightly fewer pixels). Prices are closer to 500-700 new locally for true-HD, for Staples or Best Buy. Non-HD projectors are cheaper, as low as $300.
 
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On the topic of the QEW, does anyone know what's going on with the Credit River bridge rehabilitation? I was under the impression this section would be widened to make room for future HOV lanes as well as reconfiguring the QEW-Mississauga Rd. interchange.
From what I remember, and this may be wrong, they deferred the building of the north bridge (why, I'm not sure), and instead constructed the river-level access road (which you can see if you are going westbound) and then undertook some stopgap rehabilitation on the underside of current bridge to extend it's lifespan by 10 - 15 years. The current bridge needs a full rehab of it's deck, but can't be done until the north bridge is up and they can shift the traffic.
 
From what I remember, and this may be wrong, they deferred the building of the north bridge (why, I'm not sure), and instead constructed the river-level access road (which you can see if you are going westbound) and then undertook some stopgap rehabilitation on the underside of current bridge to extend it's lifespan by 10 - 15 years. The current bridge needs a full rehab of it's deck, but can't be done until the north bridge is up and they can shift the traffic.

Ya it appears this is the case. Construction was progressing quite rapidly and suddenly tailed off. Perhaps the Dixie interchange reconstruction takes precedent and once that is complete, the northern Credit River bridge can continue as planned. Widening the stretch before Dixie would allow for eastward expansion of the HOV lanes from Trafalgar.
 
Has anyone seen any plans / drawings / what have you for the currently underway 401 widening from Hespeler Road to Highway 8, in Cambridge? I mean, I know what it is that they're doing, but it would be nice to see the actual drawings for it. I'm just curious as to the path it will be taking, how much land will be used up, and some other stuff that they supposedly had plans for along the way (trails, etc).

All I've been able to find is the future plans for the 401 from Hespeler Road to the Hanlon.
 

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