Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

[pman]

I guess tolling that stretch of 401 during high demand periods would be out of the question.

 

[Leo_Chan]

I guess tolling that stretch of 401 during high demand periods would be out of the question.

Can you imagine the backups on the 401-427-409-401 if that happened and no restrictions were put in place.

 

[darth_freeman]

One reason why the Eglinton Crosstown LRT and the Finch West LRT should be extended to the Pearson Transit Hub. To provide less reliance on the automobile for commuting and travel to & from the airport.

Except no one going to the airport uses this section of 401.

Basically, some of the traffic was supposed to transfer to the Richview Expressway. That was the start of the problems.

How quickly people make fun of 401 for being called a "bypass" originally and then forget that there were more urban expressways in the original plan that would actually have let 401 operate as a bypass.

 

[darth_freeman]

Based on the source document, a significant amount of trucks are heading north from the west. The proposed GTA west highway would be able to redirect these very effectively to help de-clog this bottleneck.

 

[11th]

Sure, but the argument here is the sign doesn't tell you estimated travel time to downtown Toronto, only Highway 6 or the Linc, so what purpose does it serve? It's like comparing apples to oranges. You can get to Guelph on a highway that isn't really that busy in this amount of time OR you can get to Hamilton on a highway that really isn't that busy in this amount of time. Those of us who travel to TO from the west with any amount of frequency know that the congestion doesn't start until after those points, whichever way you take.

Feels like we are going circles here. I was speaking about congestion caused by night time construction west of the GTA on the 401, which can easily add a good 20min to the drive. Detours in that area is a pain because the roads are often disjointed. By the time you get into the GTA (where everyone knows is traffic busy), you at least have more options for detours. The information currently provided on the sign is of course useless (as you'd like to imply) for regular commuters.

 

[JasonParis]

Basically, some of the traffic was supposed to transfer to the Richview Expressway. That was the start of the problems.

Ahhh, that makes total sense. Like others on here, it's always been a bit of a mystery to me why this was built the way it was.

I present my proposal of tunneling the 409 under the airport to a connection with the end of the 403 as a solution to alleviate congestion in the area.
Benefits:
- provides access to the airport from the west without using the 410/401/427 interchange mess.
- provides an alternative route through the area on the 409 from the east.
Negatives:
- cost
- sensitive land east of the 403

I do see the sense in this, but I wonder how mammoth of a project tunneling under Pearson would be, and ultimately if it is worth it.

 

[Transportfan]

One solution to close the gap in the collector lanes would be to tunnel a set under the 401 between Renforth and 409.

 

[W. K. Lis]

One solution to close the gap in the collector lanes would be to tunnel a set under the 401 between Renforth and 409.

...with a sewage sewer flowing as a highway median and storm sewers on the sides.

 

[Haljackey]

I was in Windsor for Canada Day. The 401 is such a different animal there.

 

[innsertnamehere]

The extension down there feels so American - it's a very interesting piece of infrastructure.

 

[Kitsune]

odd but for some reason highway69.ca - the website that details the various upgrade projects for 69 has been set to redirect to http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/highway-bridges/ . Ummm.

 

[Johnny Au]

The extension down there feels so American - it's a very interesting piece of infrastructure.

It's a very interesting idea to Americanize that stretch, especially given how close it is to the United States.

It helps acclimatize American drivers to Ontario highways.

 

[TransitBart]

The Whitemud Drive in Edmonton looks like that. Chunelled.

 

[idc24]

Whitemud Drive, Edmonton

https://mapio.net/s/5190259/

 

[muller877]

The extension down there feels so American - it's a very interesting piece of infrastructure.

If you look at the history of the build the community wanted direct access across to the other side. By trenching you don't have huge bridges that are a pain to cross. I personally think that they overspent on this infrastructure but it is a beautiful road and it strikes a balance between the communities needs and the needs of the greater transportation network (but the pendulum may have been solid gold with the costs involved)