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

[dullturtle06]

Fundamentally disagree. The impact of each and every additional lane on a highway is fairly minimal due to factors like weaving, and the amount of capacity you gain will quickly be minimized. It's far more impactful to create new routes that lessons the necessity of the core trunk route.

your statement is pure fact, and i wish someone in the MTO would wake up and actually try to ease gridlock. so far the MTO has been only focused on rehab and very very minor extensions (427). and adding more lanes. oh they do love adding more lanes. even the 401 with 12 lane cross section. MTO still wants to add more lanes.

 

[crs1026]

your statement is pure fact, and i wish someone in the MTO would wake up and actually try to ease gridlock. so far the MTO has been only focused on rehab and very very minor extensions (427). and adding more lanes. oh they do love adding more lanes. even the 401 with 12 lane cross section. MTO still wants to add more lanes.

The solution to gridlock will not be found in adding more lanes of highway…. funny how highway lanes fill up as fast as they are built.
An old boss had a favourite maxim -“If you find yourself in a hole, the first step to solving the problem is always to stop digging”

- Paul

 

[dullturtle06]

The solution to gridlock will not be found in adding more lanes of highway…. funny how highway lanes fill up as fast as they are built.
An old boss had a favourite maxim -“If you find yourself in a hole, the first step to solving the problem is always to stop digging”

- Paul

The necessary approach is to build highways and transit. Both are the solution. None are the problem. The population is increasing and so is demand for transport.

Some trips can be better with transit, others are better with the car.

Highways criss cross Europe too. These enable enhanced connectivity. Its all about a balanced approach.

Highways, rail, cycling, and air transport all work together to relieve pent up demand. They are all solutions and should be enhanced. Having more capacity and more options helps everyone because it allows more movement in a society.

 

[DirectionNorth]

The necessary approach is to build highways and transit. Both are the solution. None are the problem. The population is increasing and so is demand for transport.

Some trips can be better with transit, others are better with the car.

Highways criss cross Europe too. These enable enhanced connectivity. Its all about a balanced approach.

Highways, rail, cycling, and air transport all work together to relieve pent up demand. They are all solutions and should be enhanced. Having more capacity and more options helps everyone because it allows more movement in a society.

We have plenty of highways. The 401 is one of the longest four-carriageway roads in the world. We have the Gardiner, DVP, 407, 400, 410, etc. There would be enough highways in Toronto, if we weren't so car obsessed.

 

[Steve X]

We have plenty of highways. The 401 is one of the longest four-carriageway roads in the world. We have the Gardiner, DVP, 407, 400, 410, etc. There would be enough highways in Toronto, if we weren't so car obsessed.

Except we have major bottlenecks in the system such as only one highway to cottage country. The lack of a Toronto bypass. The 401 between Woodstock and London is also a problem. Let's not talk about Toronto to Ottawa and Montreal.

Any shutdowns on these highways would lead to major economical losses as there is no good alternatives for commercial traffic to reroute.

 

[drum118]

Except we have major bottlenecks in the system such as only one highway to cottage country. The lack of a Toronto bypass. The 401 between Woodstock and London is also a problem. Let's not talk about Toronto to Ottawa and Montreal.

Any shutdowns on these highways would lead to major economical losses as there is no good alternatives for commercial traffic to reroute.

From Woodstock to London, you are screw to the point it will be stop and going on all roads bypassing it. London to Windsor you could use 3 or the 402 to bypass the 401 requiring to exit Canada and reenter Windsor if that where you are going. 3 will be stop and go.

401 was to be the bypass around Toronto, but the centre of Toronto these days.

Going east will be stop and go and out of your way to bypass to 401.

Been forced off the 401 a number of times in stop and go traffic with no clue how to get around the mess.

The 401 is no different to the US highway system without long detours to get to another I highway down there.

Time to move this talk to the Highway thread .

 

[jamincan]

They recently blocked off the right side of the 401 eastbound between Townline Rd and Wellington Rd 32. Does anyone know what they are planning there? I had thought construction was only supposed to extend up to Townline.

 

[Undead]

The lack of a Toronto bypass.

We have two...

 

[afransen]

The problem is the 401 in this section predates modern highway designs. A whole slew of badly designed interchanges for a not so busy 401 was used while thsi part of Etobicoke became a major industrial site cause of the proximity of the airport and the 401. This led to major trucking traffic in the area.

The 401 to 400 ramps are low traffic flow slow speed ramps with single lanes. The weaving problem on the collectors from Weston to the 400 is a major issue too. This section being the most busiest highway in North America doesn't help things either.

Now that construction season has started, the 401 express between Keele and Allen is down to two lanes leading to another disaster summer for all traffic from the 427 to the Allen.

The EB 401 to 400 ramp is absolutely bonkers. I am shocked that it hasn't been upgraded.

 

[tstormers]

Some shots from Saturday heading West.

 

[drum118]

The EB 401 to 400 ramp is absolutely bonkers. I am shocked that it hasn't been upgraded.

The Highway 401 expansion, which began in 2020, includes the widening of Highway 401, from six lanes to 10 lanes, the replacement of the Hespeler Road bridges, rehabilitation of the Townline Road underpass and Wellington County Road 32 underpass.

 

[KevinT]

Westbound 401 traffic is now running on the new span of the Grand River bridge in the Kitchener/Cambridge area. Just east of it up to King St the center wall has already been broken up for the next diversion, my wife and I suspect the eastbound traffic will be running on the old westbound section, but I can't recall exactly what the next interim config will be.

 

[KevinT]

Eastbound 401 traffic over the Grand River is now on the original westbound span, with the old eastbound set to come down. My wife shot these for me as we drove through the area headed east last night:

 

[KevinT]

I took the Nikon on a bike ride Monday night to get a long lens shot from the footbridge. The westernmost span was already mostly gone:

I also found another vantage point along the Grand:

I find this interesting because the Fountain St bridge over the Grand was replaced a few years back, and took forever because of strict environmental requirements that no material be dropped in the river. They practically took the old bridge apart by hand. This is just a kilometer or so upstream from there, but doesn't seem to be under the same burden of care.

 

[jamincan]

I find this interesting because the Fountain St bridge over the Grand was replaced a few years back, and took forever because of strict environmental requirements that no material be dropped in the river. They practically took the old bridge apart by hand. This is just a kilometer or so upstream from there, but doesn't seem to be under the same burden of care.

Province vs. municipality? Rules for thee, but not for me?