Roads: Fantasy Proposals

[gweed123]

Never thought of that alignment for 407 but makes sense as veering south of Milton would be difficult due to the conservation lands in that area. Plus there are a lot of valuable properties throughout that stretch which would no doubt spur a lot of NIMBYism. Ultimately the Halton stretch of 407 would benefit from integrating into the E-W 403 route as development expands north of Dundas. It would also help alleviate QEW congestion over time.

Yup, I think keeping the 407 north of the 401 for its entire length solves a whole host of issues, most of which you've mentioned. It also provides a true bypass of the 401 through the entire GGH, as someone could conceivably go from Peterborough to Kitchener on entirely 400-series highways (minus the ~2km stretch of 35/115 that's RIRO) without ever touching the 401.

Having a toll-free 403 through northern Burlington and Oakville would take a pretty sizable load off the QEW and pretty much every intersecting N-S arterial. That stretch would be an ideal candidate for HOV lanes too.

 

[north-of-anything]

@north-of-anything Some of the roads around Weston suffer the same problem - awkward curves and intersections

I always thought so as well, so I chose what I thought was the worst area for that and tried my best.

This one preserves more of the existing grid. The Jane-Weston intersection is altered slightly to make SB Jane - WB Weston turns less awkward, and allowed Buttonwood Avenue to finally connect to Weston Road.
Bartonville West now intersects with Victoria Boulevard, while Bartonville East simply connects with Weston and Ray at 90 degree angles. Sedan Avenue is extended from Nickle to Craydon, with a few more cross-streets added from Cobalt to Nickle, and from Craydon to Victoria, while Nickle and Rutherford lose access to Weston Road.

This proposal involves a complete redevelopment between Cobalt, Jane, Weston, Ray, and the GO/CP corridor. Cobalt is unchanged, bar an extension along the rail line that ends just shy of Ray Avenue. Nickle Street now bisects the block between Cobalt in the northwest and Ray to the east. The SW-NE roads, starting at the closest to the Jane-Weston intersection, are Mahoney Avenue, Craydon Avenue (across from Ernest Dockray), Rutherford Avenue, Bartonville Avenue East (across from Bartonville West), and Victoria Boulevard. I envision a design like this to lead to a New Regent Park-style mid-to-highrise development, so it would most likely rrely on the implementation of a Jane or EgWest rapid transit line.

 

[Neutrino]

St. Phillips - Dixon - Royal York, Weston - St. Phillips, Scarlett - St. Clair - Dundas and Weston - Black Creek are also wonky. Plus the local street grid in Pelmo Park has a bunch of discontinuous streets.

 

[north-of-anything]

St. Phillips - Dixon - Royal York, Weston - St. Phillips, Scarlett - St. Clair - Dundas and Weston - Black Creek are also wonky. Plus the local street grid in Pelmo Park has a bunch of discontinuous streets.

All of those intersections are tight and awkward by necessity, whether by physical or historical constraints - I wouldn't propose paving an arterial road over a cemetery. As for Pelmo Park, to me it doesn't really look that bad. I would be more concerned about the neighbourhoods east of Jane - Maple Leaf in Particular, but also that northwest of Wilson/Lexfield.

 

[north-of-anything]

And now for something completely off-the-wall.

This is the Gamble Parkway, a controlled-access highway running through Richmond Hill and northern Vaughan to connect the 400 to the 404. There is an interchange with Keele Street for westbound drivers and Kirby Road for eastbbound drivers, a full interchange with a tiny extension of Gamble Road into Vaughan to serve Bathurst Street, a full interchange at Bayview Avenue, and a WB entrance/EB exit at Leslie Street. There are extensions possible along the Whitchurch-Stouffville/Markham border to Highway 48, and to Kleinburg at Highway 48.

This route would require expropriation of existing development, mainly single family residential, immediately north of Gamble Road and 19th Avenue. In other words, this will never happen.

 

[BurlOak]

I think a little north of there is more logical.

 

[north-of-anything]

I think a little north of there is more logical.

View attachment 197353

Right through the Oak Ridges Conservation Reserve? Plus, an interchange at Dufferin to serve the 0 people that won't just use Keele or Bathurst? Not a chance.

 

[BurlOak]

Right through the Oak Ridges Conservation Reserve? Plus, an interchange at Dufferin to serve the 0 people that won't just use Keele or Bathurst? Not a chance.

Putting a highway through farmland and a bit of forest still seems easier than tearing down a bunch of houses.
(At first I didn't think I could get a Bathurst interchange in, so I put Dufferin first. Agree that it would be the most superfluous - if Bathurst is feasible. I think you almost need an interchange at Yonge, which didn't exist in the above post.)

This also connects nicely with the 413 coming in from South of Bolton/Nobleton (which is actually more sensitive lands than the Oak Ridges area).

 

[ericmacm]

Introducing the Sandwich Parkway in Windsor, Ontario.

This concept is for a highway extension from the new Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway to connect the Ambassador Bridge to Highway 401, in order to remove bridge traffic from Huron Church Road. Believe it or not, this exact route has actually been discussed to a certain degree and could very well become an actual road in the future. The highway would follow a rail corridor (Essex Terminal Railway) and link up with the terminus of the Herb Gray Parkway, right where the new Gordie Howe Bridge will sit in a few years. As the Gordie Howe Bridge ramps up construction, the Ambassador Bridge Company desires to connect their bridge to the highway as well, given that Huron Church Road is responsible for the worst traffic slowdowns in international shipping across the continent. While one would assume that the new Gordie Howe Bridge would replace the Ambassador and consequently, run the Ambassador out of business, this is not the case at all. The Ambassador Bridge Company was recently granted approval to build a second, larger span right next to the existing one and could potentially cause even more traffic problems.

The highway would directly run from the Herb Gray terminus to the Ambassador Bridge with no interchanges except for a small connection to College Avenue, at the intersection with Huron Church Road. There are some small houses and buildings (many of which are abandoned), as well as some industrial sites that would be affected by the construction of this highway and need to be torn down. Most of these are located near the bridge at the moment and will likely be torn down as the new proposed border plaza gets constructed. There is probably enough space to create a highway connection in this location. There is also a large amount of space near the terminus to connect to the Herb Gray, as it is mostly empty, and could probably be done with overpasses. The highway would likely only need to have 4 lanes.

However, there are 2 large issues that could make this project a little harder to complete. One of the main issues is that the Essex Terminal Railway lines would likely need to be moved around significantly in order to create more room, as well as to accommodate the changes at the border plaza. The Essex Terminal Railway, as a whole, needs to be reworked because it cuts through most of Windsor at grade, even directly in front of the Ambassador border plaza, but that's another issue for another day. The other main issue is a social one, where this highway could effectively cut off the Sandwich neighbourhood from the rest of Windsor. It could, however, be managed by burying portions of the highway under greenway overpasses with pedestrian pathways and parkland, which is what was done for the Herb Gray Parkway.

 

[north-of-anything]

If Allen Road was ever downgraded or decommissioned as a highway, and remade as collector roads...

I envision Allen Road as remaining on the western side of Line 1 between Transit Road and Yorkdale Road, intersecting with Wilson instead of crossing over it.

From there, an extension of Yorkdale Road's eastern branch (whether as Yorkdale Road or with another name) intersects with Ranee before following the former southbound lanes. This road would intersect at Flemington Road, and at a Marlee Avenue extension to access Lawrence. From there, it would pass underneath Dell Park and Glengrove, before terminating at Glencairn. South from Glencairn will be Jane Jacobs Boulevard, which intersects Ridelle Avenue. Whitmore Avenue will end at this boulevard, while Jane Jacobs Blvd will end on the west side of the Cedarvale station.

On the eastern side of Line 1, Newgate Road would be extended southwards along the former northbound lanes to terminate at Eglinton, while at the north end of Newgate, Briar Hill Avenue will continue west and make a sharp turn north, and then continue until Glencairn, where it will intersect with a short extension of Coldstream. North of Coldstream, the Allen Road ROW would be repurposed for public use.

 

[Johnny Au]

View attachment 197665

If Allen Road was ever downgraded or decommissioned as a highway, and remade as collector roads...

I envision Allen Road as remaining on the western side of Line 1 between Transit Road and Yorkdale Road, intersecting with Wilson instead of crossing over it.

From there, an extension of Yorkdale Road's eastern branch (whether as Yorkdale Road or with another name) intersects with Ranee before following the former southbound lanes. This road would intersect at Flemington Road, and at a Marlee Avenue extension to access Lawrence. From there, it would pass underneath Dell Park and Glengrove, before terminating at Glencairn. South from Glencairn will be Jane Jacobs Boulevard, which intersects Ridelle Avenue. Whitmore Avenue will end at this boulevard, while Jane Jacobs Blvd will end on the west side of the Cedarvale station.

On the eastern side of Line 1, Newgate Road would be extended southwards along the former northbound lanes to terminate at Eglinton, while at the north end of Newgate, Briar Hill Avenue will continue west and make a sharp turn north, and then continue until Glencairn, where it will intersect with a short extension of Coldstream. North of Coldstream, the Allen Road ROW would be repurposed for public use.

One problem though:

Instead of a north-south Briar Hill or a north-south Coldstream, it would be better to use Rosebury Avenue, which is the name of the street where Allen Road is now.

This is to help retain the address numbering of both Briar Hill and Coldstream.

 

[Neutrino]

I would get rid of Allen because it dumps too much traffic on Dufferin, Lawrence and Eglinton. Instead, the Dufferin bus should be improved, much higher density brought in around the subway stations and Lawrence Manor revitalized. In the future when Downsview Airport is redeveloped, the Dufferin jog can be eliminated and a complete interchange built at 401-Dufferin to replace Allen.

 

[Streety McCarface]

I would get rid of Allen because it dumps too much traffic on Dufferin, Lawrence and Eglinton. Instead, the Dufferin bus should be improved, much higher density brought in around the subway stations and Lawrence Manor revitalized. In the future when Downsview Airport is redeveloped, the Dufferin jog can be eliminated and a complete interchange built at 401-Dufferin to replace Allen.

Genuinely don't think a bus would be enough in that case, you'd need a light rail line or better.

 

[north-of-anything]

One problem though:

Instead of a north-south Briar Hill or a north-south Coldstream, it would be better to use Rosebury Avenue, which is the name of the street where Allen Road is now.

This is to help retain the address numbering of both Briar Hill and Coldstream.

You're right; I didn't realize that they both continued west of Dufferin. Rosebury can be used for that stretch instead, or it can swap names with Jane Jacobs Boulevard.

 

[junctionist]

Introducing the Sandwich Parkway in Windsor, Ontario.

This concept is for a highway extension from the new Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway to connect the Ambassador Bridge to Highway 401, in order to remove bridge traffic from Huron Church Road. Believe it or not, this exact route has actually been discussed to a certain degree and could very well become an actual road in the future. The highway would follow a rail corridor (Essex Terminal Railway) and link up with the terminus of the Herb Gray Parkway, right where the new Gordie Howe Bridge will sit in a few years. As the Gordie Howe Bridge ramps up construction, the Ambassador Bridge Company desires to connect their bridge to the highway as well, given that Huron Church Road is responsible for the worst traffic slowdowns in international shipping across the continent. While one would assume that the new Gordie Howe Bridge would replace the Ambassador and consequently, run the Ambassador out of business, this is not the case at all. The Ambassador Bridge Company was recently granted approval to build a second, larger span right next to the existing one and could potentially cause even more traffic problems.

The highway would directly run from the Herb Gray terminus to the Ambassador Bridge with no interchanges except for a small connection to College Avenue, at the intersection with Huron Church Road. There are some small houses and buildings (many of which are abandoned), as well as some industrial sites that would be affected by the construction of this highway and need to be torn down. Most of these are located near the bridge at the moment and will likely be torn down as the new proposed border plaza gets constructed. There is probably enough space to create a highway connection in this location. There is also a large amount of space near the terminus to connect to the Herb Gray, as it is mostly empty, and could probably be done with overpasses. The highway would likely only need to have 4 lanes.

However, there are 2 large issues that could make this project a little harder to complete. One of the main issues is that the Essex Terminal Railway lines would likely need to be moved around significantly in order to create more room, as well as to accommodate the changes at the border plaza. The Essex Terminal Railway, as a whole, needs to be reworked because it cuts through most of Windsor at grade, even directly in front of the Ambassador border plaza, but that's another issue for another day. The other main issue is a social one, where this highway could effectively cut off the Sandwich neighbourhood from the rest of Windsor. It could, however, be managed by burying portions of the highway under greenway overpasses with pedestrian pathways and parkland, which is what was done for the Herb Gray Parkway.

Windsor's west side and university would be better off without the noise, blight and physical barriers created by the Ambassador Bridge. I feel that building an expressway to make it easier for cars to reach the Ambassador Bridge would be a bold step in the wrong direction to further ghettoize the Sandwichtown neighbourhood instead of revitalizing it. The Gordie Howe International Bridge will remove much of the traffic from Huron Church as is.

It's in Windsor's best interest to let the Ambassador Bridge's business slowly die off, so that the west end can be revitalized. If the owner of the Ambassador Bridge wants to take a gamble on an ill-advised new crossing, so be it. It will probably just accelerate the bridge company's decline. There's no need to waste money supporting the Ambassador Bridge with a freeway connection.