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

[Dan416]

According to a notice from the City of Mississauga we received regarding the closure of the Second Line structure over the 401, Phase II of the 401 Expansion, between east of Mavis to east of the Credit River, is currently under design work and scheduled to commence in 2013 (Phase I is supposed to finish in 2013).

 

[Tuscani01]

Does it say anything about a new bridge being built for Second Line, even if its just a pedestrian bridge? It would be a shame to lose that connection. I used to bike over all the time when I live there.

 

[Markster]

Is there any information at all as to what they're planning for that section? It looks like things get expensive past the credit river, so I presume it will still collapse down to 6 lanes total before the river?

 

[nfitz]

Is there any information at all as to what they're planning for that section? It looks like things get expensive past the credit river, so I presume it will still collapse down to 6 lanes total before the river?

They've already built the new Mississauga (Erin Mills) bridge over the 401, with space for the collector/express system. Last I heard, it would be 12 (or 14?) lanes westward just past Mississauga Road, and then collapse between Mississauga Road and Winston Churchill to 10 (without collector/express) to at least Milton ... but I'm not sure if they've since rethought extending the Collector/Express westward past the 407.

 

[ShonTron]

I think that whether the 401 is collector and express west of the 407 depends largely on the 413 study, which proposes either a parallel to 401 north of Milton, or meeting the 401 at the 407 and having 401 West handle the planned capacity towards Cambridge/Kitchener.

 

[Dan416]

They've already built the new Mississauga (Erin Mills) bridge over the 401, with space for the collector/express system. Last I heard, it would be 12 (or 14?) lanes westward just past Mississauga Road, and then collapse between Mississauga Road and Winston Churchill to 10 (without collector/express) to at least Milton ... but I'm not sure if they've since rethought extending the Collector/Express westward past the 407.

I guess from east of the Credit River to west of Mississauga Rd would be Phase III.

 

[airplane-dude]

I guess from east of the Credit River to west of Mississauga Rd would be Phase III.

Was just talking about this with a friend the other day.. The terrain is gets really funky after Mavis - lots of ups and downs, so any extension there wouldn't be all that easy. Plus as you get closer to Mississauga Rd, the free space also tightens up. Hopefully they do it, but I'm sure it won't be anytime this decade.

 

[Dan416]

Was just talking about this with a friend the other day.. The terrain is gets really funky after Mavis - lots of ups and downs, so any extension there wouldn't be all that easy. Plus as you get closer to Mississauga Rd, the free space also tightens up. Hopefully they do it, but I'm sure it won't be anytime this decade.

Well when did they start Phase I? 2009? 2010? Assuming it started in 2010, and it finishes on schedule in 2013, and Phase II will take 2013-2016. If they start Phase III as soon as Phase II is done in 2016, then it could be finished in 2020.

 

[Haljackey]

The collector/express system can't be extended west of Highway 407 because the 407 overpasses aren't long enough. I doubt they'll rebuild them because they are relatively new and they will probably violate Highway 407 ETR's contract/lease.

The C/E system, at it's maximum, would start east of the 407. The 401 could run 10 lanes (8+2 HOV) to Milton and probably 8 lanes (6+2 HOV possibly?) to Highway 8 in Kitchener.

Getting back on topic regarding the area of the current project, it doesn't seem right to build all these lanes just to have it all end with 6 lanes again at the end. It would probably make better sense to widen the entire stretch by a lane or two then go with the C/E system. But Alas, the supports for the overpasses in Mississauga only warrant C/E widening, which is slow and expensive.

 

[nfitz]

The C/E system, at it's maximum, would start east of the 407. The 401 could run 10 lanes (8+2 HOV) to Milton and probably 8 lanes (6+2 HOV possibly?) to Highway 8 in Kitchener.

The current EA from Milton to Cambridge has option for Milton to Highway 6 of 8-lanes (4A), 10-lanes (4B), 10-lanes + HOV (4C) and a 12-lane C/E system - http://www.highway401-hespeler-halt...wy 6 South to Wellongton_Halton Boundary).pdf

One would presume that they haven't completely eliminated extending the C/E system past Mississauga Road, though that was certainly the original plan (transition from C/E to 10-lanes between Mississauga and Winston Churchill).

 

[salmonz]

Highway 401 through Milton is under study for express/collectors:
http://highway401milton.com

 

[salmonz]

There is also a study for Highway 401 for express/collectors from Trafalgar Rd in Milton to east of the Credit River in Mississauga:
http://www.highway401credit-to-trafalgar.com

 

[vistaway]

Let's hope they don't make the mistake of going with the partial core/collector option through the 407 interchange. Shades of the 401/427.

Back on topic, I noticed that a new ramp from NB Hurontario to WB 401 has been paved, and much of the new collector has an asphalt topcoat.

 

[Markster]

It's pretty astonishing the level of expansion they have planned. Assuming all the proposals go with the maximum-size options, we'll nearly have Express-Collectors all the way (save for the escarpment climb,) to Highway 6, and minimum 5 lanes through Kitchener/Cambridge.

It's nice to see HOV lanes finally getting onto the 401. The only question is how long it's going to take for them to start extending the lanes into the city, where they will do the most good.

 

[Dan416]

Can anyone tell me the advantage to a 10 lane core-collector system over the 10 lane core? They're both 10 lanes.