Highway 401: Proposed Province-Wide Widening

[lordmandeep]

I think he means in like India and China there are many new 4-6 lane highways going in all directions.


That is true but I have been on these highways in India and many times find yourself on a 10 feet wide single 2 way getting off those highways.

 

[nfitz]

I think he means in like India and China there are many new 4-6 lane highways going in all directions.

I'm not sure China really is what one counts as third-world these days. India? Uh-huh ... I've driven 4-lane highways in India ... they are rare, filled with cows, elephants, and even camels. You haven't see road-kill until you've seen camel road-kill. Having spent time in India, I still find the statement utterly mind-boggling!

 

[UD2]

Let's widen Sheppard and York Mills/Wilson to 6 lanes and you'll have my vote.

No. Widen Sheppard no problem and I couldn't care less about Wilson.

But leave York Mills alone as the road is perfect the way it is. And where it isn't perfect (Yonge to Bayview), I ain't paying the tax dollar for land acquisition.

What they need to do is to deal with Leslie (Lawrance to the 401) during the afternoon rush hour. Seriously, where does all those cars come from? And why are there so many traffic lights between York Mills and the 401.

 

[wyliepoon]

No, I don't think we should give names to our highways, because they never stuck. The only ones that do are the Macdonald-Cartier (as if anyone still refers to that), the Veteran's Memorial Highway (quick! where is it?), and sections in urban areas, like the Queensway in Ottawa (still largely used, partly as part of the Queensway isn't the 417).

I think the names will stick if they were placed on more prominent signage, such as the green information/direction signage, instead of the shields on the side of the road. QEW is the most commonly used name mostly because 'QEW' is displayed consistently on all signage.

 

[Edward Skira]

What they need to do is to deal with Leslie (Lawrance to the 401) during the afternoon rush hour. Seriously, where does all those cars come from?

Those cars come from people wanting to go westbound on the 401. They want to avoid the DVP traffic north of Don Mills so they get off at Don Mills. Since Don Mills has no access to the 401 they use Leslie instead. I've done it many times.

 

[drum118]

I have just received an update for Update on Shell Info Centre 401/Argentiathe plans for the old Shell Info Centre‏.

The MTO went to tender last year to get a new operator for all their service centres on the provincial highways. The location was included in this.

MTO advised the new operator that this site is not viable for a service centre as they will require some of the land for future highway widening.

The decision has therefore been made for the buildings to be demolished and the facility permanently closed.

I have not been advised what MTO will do with the remnant land in the future as this would depend on how much land is left after future widening.

In the interim, MTO will continue to keep security on the site and Peel Regional Police have the location on their regular monitoring.

 

[waterloowarrior]

401 is now 6 lanes from west of 38/Gardiners to Montreal Street... eventually this will extend to Highway 15. 135-140KM to go between Cobourg and Kingston

 

[MisterF]

All this investment into the 401 and yet they're cutting back on VIA Rail corridor routes. We still haven't learned have we?

 

[unimaginative2]

The Federal government is cutting back on VIA while the provincial government is investing in highways and transit too. One government is investing in infrastructure and the other isn't.

 

[MisterF]

The Federal government is cutting back on VIA while the provincial government is investing in highways and transit too. One government is investing in infrastructure and the other isn't.

Yes I know which level of government is responsible for what. I meant in general terms. But now that you mention it, different modes of intercity transport being handled by different levels of government with no coordination is part of the problem.

 

[Paolo]

401 is now 6 lanes from west of 38/Gardiners to Montreal Street... eventually this will extend to Highway 15. 135-140KM to go between Cobourg and Kingston

Where is montreal street? and what is 38 / gardiners?

i know the 401 is 3 lanes untill u hit coburg then it becomes 2 lanes. but it goes back to 3 lanes around kingston area. do u mean they are going to widen it from 2 to 3 lanes all the way from coburg to kingston? that would be about time


Also I think they need to invest in extending the collector lanes from the 427 east bound. right now all west bound traffic in the collectors terminates on both hte 427 north and south, leaving only 4 east bound lanes which is a big bottle neck from the 8 lanes there normally is. do they not realize if you squeeze 8 lanes into 4 you have a huge bottle neck? not everyone in the collector needs to take the 427, most try to merge onto the express to get under that tunnel they call the 427 overpass

 

[Haljackey]

My thoughts on the 401 widening over the next few decades. Since the 401 is pretty much the only 'backbone highway' (many other areas have secondary freeways) and this part of the province is growing the 401 is going to need major reconstruction and widening.

Short term:
-Highway 3 to Dougal Parkway: 4 to 6 lanes
-Highway 4 to Highway 402: 4 to 6 lanes
-Mississauga Road to Hurontario Street: 6 to 14 lanes

Mid term:
-Highway 407 to Mississauga Road: 6 to 12 lanes
-Highway 402 to Highbury Ave: 6 to 8 lanes
-Salem Road to Wast Durham connector: 6 to 10 lanes

Long term:
-Essex County Road 42 to Highway 4: 4 to 6 lanes
-Highway 402 to Highbury Ave: 8 to 10 lanes
-Highbury Ave to Highway 403: 6 to 8 lanes
-Highway 8 to Highway 407: 6 to 10 lanes (2 HOV lanes)
-Brock Road to Eest Durham Connector: 10 to 14 lanes
-East Durham Connector to West Durham Connector: 6 to 10 lanes
-West Durham Connector to Highway 35/115: 6 to 8 lanes
-Burnham Street to Frontenac County Road 38: 4 to 6 lanes
-Montreal Street to Highway 416: 4 to 6 lanes

'Super' long-term
-Entire 401 will have min. 6 lanes
-Highbury Ave. to Highway 403 10-laned
-Highway 403 to 8 8-laned
-Collector/express system pushed west to Milton, possibly as far west to K/W
-Collector/express system pushed through 427 to 409
-Collector/express system pushed east to Oshawa
-401 8-laned from Highway 35/115 to 137

 

[gweed123]

Where is montreal street? and what is 38 / gardiners?

i know the 401 is 3 lanes untill u hit coburg then it becomes 2 lanes. but it goes back to 3 lanes around kingston area. do u mean they are going to widen it from 2 to 3 lanes all the way from coburg to kingston? that would be about time


Also I think they need to invest in extending the collector lanes from the 427 east bound. right now all west bound traffic in the collectors terminates on both hte 427 north and south, leaving only 4 east bound lanes which is a big bottle neck from the 8 lanes there normally is. do they not realize if you squeeze 8 lanes into 4 you have a huge bottle neck? not everyone in the collector needs to take the 427, most try to merge onto the express to get under that tunnel they call the 427 overpass

Gardiners Road is on the west side of Kingston, and Montreal Rd is on the east side. They basically widened the 401 to 6 lanes through the Kingston area.

I drive this stretch quite frequently. In fact, I actually drove it today. Right now, the stretch between Toronto and the Quebec border that needs widening the most is the stretch between Trenton and Belleville. This area caries a lot of traffic between those two cities, in addition to the regular thru-traffic. The bridge work that they were doing over the Trent River (which was finally recently finished) is capable of supporting a 6 lane 401, in addition to any on or off ramps.

After doing that, I'd widen from Cobourg to Trenton, and then from Belleville to Kingston. East of Kingston, I don't think any widenings will be needed for a while. And east of the 416, I don't think it will ever.

 

[nfitz]

Gardiners Road is on the west side of Kingston, and Montreal Rd is on the east side.

Montreal Street. Gardiner's Road was former provincial Highway 38 ... well, Midland Avenue was actually ... Gardiners used to stop at Princess Street (former Highway 2) until relatively recently ... sometime in the 1980s.

After doing that, I'd widen from Cobourg to Trenton, and then from Belleville to Kingston. East of Kingston, I don't think any widenings will be needed for a while. And east of the 416, I don't think it will ever.

I wouldn't be surprised if they widen the 401 one more interchange from Montreal Street to Highway 15 ... or whatever that's called these days.

 

[unimaginative2]

I remember reading the EA for widening the 401 west of Mississauga. It included a collector/distributor system between the two Highway 6s. The funny part was the maps which needed to assume present circumstances outside the scope of the EA, so it showed this massive 12-lane highway complex through Milton suddenly shrinking to 6 at the Mississauga border.

With the greenbelt, I don't think we'll ever see the need for much more than maybe one extra lane beyond Milton. I'd rather even that investment go to improving rail service.