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Roads: Highway 407 East (Durham Region)

Not sure it is politically palatable to take a "free" highway and toll it though. I'd suspect you might see it become a 415 or a 435.
Well that assumes that by being called the 407 it has to be tolled, which isn't the case.
 
that one isn't as insane as it generally aligns with the GTA west corridor that was initially studied a decade ago, but generally probably still not really necessary..
It's not insane until one looks at the topography and protected wetlands it's cutting through.

I highly doubt anyone is going to approve a new alignment through the Niagara Escarpment - at least at that location; unless it entered a tunnel below the escarpment.
 
Ok, how about a possible westward section? This could hook up to the Highway 7 freeway (whenever it is built) in Guelph.

Something like this?
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Again, good for redundancy and will help relieve some congestion on the 401 between K-W and Mississauga.

The N/S section of the 407 could be renumbered something else.

That would also create a mess of flyovers at the 401/407/413 interchange. Lots-a-spaghetti.
-If the 413 is built, it could connect to it somewhere further north too, using the 413 for a small stretch between the two sections

I know this thread is for 407E, but if this was built we could call it 407W :p

In my proposal I have the 407 swing south of Milton continuing W-SW to hwy 8 then swinging E to connect with either the Lincoln Alexander parkway or Munro airport in Hamilton. The N/S stub section of the 403/407 would be renamed to a new hwy (Hwy 419) continuing N to meet the GTA West highway.
 
Kinda seems like we should be investing in rail. Connect Milton to Cambridge. Upgrade the Kitchener Line.

Dumping more cars at the 401/407 interchange won't help anything.
Luckily we are investing quite a bit in rail! The province is spending hundreds of millions to bring better GO service to Kitchener and Guelph. Same with towards Bowmanville in the east.
 
So think we'll finish it one day? If the 407E was extended further- back to the 401, that would give you a more direct connection, and relieve some congestion on the 401 section it bypasses.

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Always good to have some redundancy in the network, even if it is tolled.

There is absolutely no need for that. The 401 has a lot of space to be widened in that stretch. That area needs highway upgrades, not new corridors. Extending the 6-laning of the 401 to Kingston would cost a fraction of some 407 extension and would deliver far larger benefits.
Intercity rail improvements (high speed or otherwise) should take priority over either one of these ideas. But if more highway capacity is needed going east we'd be better off building it on the Highway 7 corridor than further expanding the 401. Much of the traffic on the 401 is going towards Ottawa - almost half the traffic exits at the 416. And the Highway 7 corridor is a lot more direct. It could take a lot of traffic off the 401 and provide much needed redundancy to the highway system.
 
Ya this is getting more into fantasy roads thread but if the 413 was built maybe we can get another Highway 7 freeway extension to it from Guelph.

Don't nitpick this straight line, obviously it would meanader a bit to bypass towns, environmentally sensitive areas, etc
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I'm all for expanding rail and transit service, but I'm also a big proponent of redundancy in the network. Even if it was expanded, the 401 is a single point of failure here... no other efficient way for all the economic activity the highway provides currently exists between K-W and Greater Toronto. The Highway 7 freeway to Guelph is a start, however.
 
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that is pretty much exactly the corridor initially studied in the 413 early justification studies and it was determined that it was unnecessary and that widening the 401 was fine to (I think) 2041.
 
To say one cant have a non toll 407 because people are used to it is ridiculous. Everywhere in the world, there are highways that have toll sections, and places that don't.
If there is a 5 km of non-tolled portion and 95 km of tolled portion in a 100 km highway, then people will remember it as a toll road. The examples in other parts of the world you have in mind must have some decent non-tolled portion.
 

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