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Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

innsertnamehere said:
They are annoying for pedestrians as you have to cross to the middle to cross one (sort of like Highway 7 on the 400), but for drivers the roads are streamed well enough there isn't really any confusion as to where you have to go.
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Is it though, compared to currently? They have to cross two roadways then, rather than 3 now. And I assume there'll be some crossing signal with good stopping distances, rather than the current situation, where you have to cross an on- or off-ramp!

I suppose the Airport Road extension makes it 3 ... but it would be 4 if they extended Airport Road with the old ramps.

Looks a lot safer to me. Hopefully they include a cycle path with the sidewalk.
 
innsertnamehere said:
I haven't driven through a Diverging Diamond but from the videos of them I have seen they seem pretty straightforward when using them.

They are annoying for pedestrians as you have to cross to the middle to cross one (sort of like Highway 7 on the 400), but for drivers the roads are streamed well enough there isn't really any confusion as to where you have to go.

I know MTO is planning a second one at Mapleview Drive in Barrie on Highway 400 as well.
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Before, I thought a SPUI would have been perfect for Mapleview, but it seems that the diverging diamond model has supplanted the SPUI as the solution for exits like that.

There are two SPUIs (single-point urban interchanges) in Ontario: at Highway 406 and Fourth Avenue in St. Catharines and at Airport Parkway and Hunt Club Road in Ottawa.
 
W. K. Lis said:
Will be ignored by Toronto and Ontario...

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Interesting, but doesn't cover a number of questions. Most products that incorporate recycled material still require virgin material, so does the 'plastic' road require a lot of new plastic? It would interesting to know how it stands up to salt and sand abrasion and what its load bearing capacity is. I like the idea of incorporating plastic crumbs into asphalt; Ontario is already doing that with recycled rubber in some applications
 
Not sure if we have a thread for Highway 2A.

So I'll put this here.

A report to the June 25th meeting of Scarborough Community Council seeks approval for 'improvements' to this highway.

Namely, a vast amount of new Sound Barrier, and illumination.

I find this very disheartening as I feel strongly that the bulk of Highway 2A should be normalized as a City road, and the neighbourhoods on either side connected.

This is a remnant of the Scarborough Expressway whose time never really was; and ought not to be any more.


From said report:

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On the barrier that this highway constitutes.

From Trevor Heywood's excellent Metroscapes Blog and his Crossing the Line post, in particular:

1623431627146.png


from: https://metroscapes.ca/2020/12/12/crossing-the-line/
 
Highway 2A is actually a remnant of the original Toronto-Oshawa highway from the 1930's, that was made sort of redundant when the Toronto Bypass highway opened which was constructed in the 1950's. The cancelled Scarborough Expressway would have connected to it, but 2A itself wasn't constructed with that intent.

The highway isn't really that useful but I'm not sure how much "demolition" would really achieve as the adjacent neighbourhoods have been built to put their backs to the highway, it's not a good intensification candidate, and a 4-6 lane arterial would likely still be needed along the same route as you can't really route traffic onto Kingston Rd. adjacent.

I wouldn't be opposed to connecting Meadowvale Road as an at grade intersection, but you would probably face opposition from the residents along that street which is a quiet cul de sac right now. The highland Creek overpass can probably go as well but again I'm not sure how much it's elimination would actually achieve beyond unlocking a small amount of development land.
 
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innsertnamehere said:
Highway 2A is actually a remnant of the original Toronto-Oshawa highway from the 1930's, that was made sort of redundant when the Toronto Bypass highway which was constructed in the 1950's. The cancelled Scarborough Expressway would have connected to it, but 2A itself wasn't constructed with that intent.

The highway isn't really that useful but I'm not sure how much "demolition" would really achieve as the adjacent neighbourhoods have been built to put their backs to the highway, it's not a good intensification candidate, and a 4-6 lane arterial would likely still be needed along the same route as you can't really route traffic onto Kingston Rd. adjacent.

I wouldn't be opposed to connecting Meadowvale Road as an at grade intersection, but you would probably face opposition from the residents along that street which is a quiet cul de sac right now. The highland Creek overpass can probably go as well but again I'm not sure how much it's elimination would actually achieve beyond unlocking a small amount of development land.
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In a way it's kind of in a similar position as the Allen (both somewhat useless spurs of the 401), although Allen Rd has lots of overpasses bridging neighbourhoods.
 
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whydidimakethis said:
In a way it's kind of in a similar position as the Allen (both somewhat useless spurs of the 401), although Allen Rd has lots of overpasses briding neighbourhoods.
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Allen road has a much larger footprint with more potential for demolition, but the above grade subway along it complicates it. If you were to bury the subway line you could probably build a 4-6 lane arterial road to replace it and unlock a fair bit of development land. It would be pricey to do though, and the existing neighbourhoods are fairly well connected as it is because of the high number of overpasses, especially south of Lawrence.
 
June 13
Retaining wall supports have been removed from the Leslie off ramp being built. The bridge structure still not pour, but with the backfilling of the ramp done now it should see concrete shortly.

Earth has been place on top of the EPS geofoam and graded. The guard barrier wall rebar in place and waiting the forms to pour the concrete for it.

The off ramp was close so crews could install drainage at the foot of the ramp that connect to the current ramp.
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Undead said:
Is this ramp just being rehabbed or did they also change the geometry?
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Not rehabbed, but a new one with geometry change all around. The existing one still in service until this is complete. The cut off will happen sooner than the current one
 
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