Roads: Highway 401 Widening - Highway 8 to Highway 410 (MTO, U/C, Planned)

[mistersg1]

WB at #25, the rightmost lane becomes a dedicated exit lane. Second rightmost ends. HOV turned into a general lane.

So yes its a very similar if not the same config as the 410 NB where you really only have 2 general lanes at this merge point when there 3 before.

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Timelapse vid of the Milton-Mississauga widening

And let me also guess, HOV lane technically ends right before the two lane drops you mentioned so it looks like no GPL space was lost.

The 410 situation is worse because it used to have an auxiliary lane that joined from Steeles, now this lane ends roughly halfway on your way to Clark, and then there are the two forced exits at Clark and Queen which are also spaced very closed together.

A vehicle which enters from EB will have to move over three lanes to stay on the 410 beyond Queen, in a span of less than 3km.


Also, do we know why the Halton section of the 401 project had to be built as a complex freeway? Wouldn’t a solid 10 lane span have been better after Winston Churchill? I should mention that the Halton complex freeway isn’t like the other two sections (and Hwy 427 for that matter) because it doesn’t have any transfers, it’s an essence like the 400 at Hwy 7/Langstaff or the Conestoga Parkway where Hwy 7 and 85 split up.

 

[Leo_Chan]

Also, do we know why the Halton section of the 401 project had to be built as a complex freeway? Wouldn’t a solid 10 lane span have been better after Winston Churchill? I should mention that the Halton complex freeway isn’t like the other two sections (and Hwy 427 for that matter) because it doesn’t have any transfers, it’s an essence like the 400 at Hwy 7/Langstaff or the Conestoga Parkway where Hwy 7 and 85 split up.

I don't have an answer for this, but in my mind having 2+3+3+2 can prevent dangerous drivers who go from left lane and cross 6 lanes sharply to take the exit.

 

[mistersg1]

I don't have an answer for this, but in my mind having 2+3+3+2 can prevent dangerous drivers who go from left lane and cross 6 lanes sharply to take the exit.

In a complex freeway, this behaviour is kind of encouraged but more spread out. A complex freeway with transfers encourages drivers to change lanes, that is first moving over to exit in a transfer, and then moving over 3 or 4 lanes in the collectors again to exit again.

The HOV lanes also have this problem in a way, as it requires moving all the way to the right from the HOV lane if one wants to exit. Case in point, if I’m in the HOV on 403 WB when wanting to continue on Hwy 403 towards Hamilton, I will actually move over at the designated point to leave the HOV lane for exiting Winston Churchill because I’m afraid of having a potential problem if I have to rapidly change lanes.

 

[Haljackey]

Also, do we know why the Halton section of the 401 project had to be built as a complex freeway? Wouldn’t a solid 10 lane span have been better after Winston Churchill? I should mention that the Halton complex freeway isn’t like the other two sections (and Hwy 427 for that matter) because it doesn’t have any transfers, it’s an essence like the 400 at Hwy 7/Langstaff or the Conestoga Parkway where Hwy 7 and 85 split up.

I am surprised by this too, and since the collectors west of the 407 provide access to just 2 exits, I would assume the vast majority of traffic would clump in the express- making them way overused in comparison to the collectors. It's still early, but I guess we will see.

What this system does do is provide a much better connection to the 407 itself, especially going westbound as the 2 exit lanes from the 407 become 2 mainline 401 lanes. I remember there was lots of lane changing between 407 and Trafalgar on 401 WB in the past, and as a interim solution a full auxiliary lane was built between these two interchanges to help with weaving. Now this 'complex freeway' setup helps separate things even further so the flow should be better, at least in theory.

If the 413 is ever built, things would get even more complicated here so having the 401 split up in a collector-express config will help through traffic get past the maze of spaghetti ramps unimpeded.

 

[Ravager]

A strange thing happened the other day. I somehow missed the Winston Churchill Ramp exit! I was surprised and everyone in the car was surprised also.

 

[TRONto]

A strange thing happened the other day. I somehow missed the Winston Churchill Ramp exit! I was surprised and everyone in the car was surprised also.

Drove on the newly expanded highway over the weekend. It was great. Traffic flowing on a weekend as one would expect. Decades late, but Happy its here.

 

[crs1026]

While driving in from Waterloo last evening, I noticed a pattern to the signs prohibiting trucks in the left lane.

Where the highway was in "complex" mode, ie collectors and express with a barrier between them, trucks were prohibited from the left lane of the collectors - but at the start of the divided zone, there was a sign over the left express lane with an "Ends" clarification.

Where the two separate parts merged into one four-lane wide crossover zone, the left lane of the combined had a sign reading "No trucks - Starts"

So basically, anything goes in the express sections but no trucks in the left lane of the collectors.

- Paul

 

[mtomo]

While driving in from Waterloo last evening, I noticed a pattern to the signs prohibiting trucks in the left lane.

Where the highway was in "complex" mode, ie collectors and express with a barrier between them, trucks were prohibited from the left lane of the collectors - but at the start of the divided zone, there was a sign over the left express lane with an "Ends" clarification.

Where the two separate parts merged into one four-lane wide crossover zone, the left lane of the combined had a sign reading "No trucks - Starts"

So basically, anything goes in the express sections but no trucks in the left lane of the collectors.

- Paul

that's because express has the HOV lane