Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

[innsertnamehere]

This 1967 aerial imagery shows the 403 (then the "Chedoke Expressway") under construction up the escarpment - you can see the large rock cut still visible today on the east side, the highway platform, and the large artificial slope on the west side which, being brand new, is entirely bare of vegetation:

 

[lenaitch]

It would be really convenient if there was a complete wye here.
View attachment 483405
Trains could come into London, then reverse straight on to St. Thomas and Port Stanley. Without that you would have to first reverse back to the turn, slow down, and then go forward down to the coast. Maybe the low frequency of GO trains would justify just putting rail down the middle of Hamilton Rd but I assume we don't really do that nowadays. It wouldn't be so bad if the service to London was smaller DMUs (or hybrid DMUs with pantographs) and not the huge hulking train sets they currently use. Maybe electrify to Kitchener and then time DMUs to be at the platform for continuing passengers? Just replace the Kitchener trains first with hybrid DEMUs since we need to get more rolling stock going anyway for expansion? That way you won't have massive trains trying to navigate some sort of half assed rail on Hamilton Rd. Or even just to be faster getting up to the existing turn! Too many options.

This gap in St Thomas would need to be filled in but that's a no brainer. Right of way is preserved.


View attachment 483407

They also both still have historic railway stations so just add some signs and PRESTO readers and your off to the races.
Yeah my main thing is just the rolling stock. Again, may be a good reason to give the Kitchener line DEMUs first. You can even still use the Bombardier cars on the Kitchener as well just introduce the DEMUs for the services to either past Brampton or past Kitchener.

Use pantograph on the southern electrified portion then switch to diesel for heading into the "boonies".

Anyway rant over.

All of these millions of public dollars to access a community of slightly over 2,000. Interesting.

 

[innsertnamehere]

I mean I think the main purpose would be to serve St. Thomas, not Port Stanley.. but, well, yea.

 

[SashaLemon]

Yeah the majority of the budget would be needed to go to St. Thomas, Port Stanley is a bonus.

 

[innsertnamehere]

The preferred design for the widening of Highway 403 and Highway 6 through Aldershot and into Hamilton is now available online for review:

Transportation Environmental Study Report - HIGHWAY 403 AND HIGHWAY 6 INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENTS

Transportation Environmental Study Report The Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) was available for a 30-day comment period from June 15, 2023 to July 17, 2023. The comment period is now closed TESR Content Available on Study Website OGN English PDF Transportation Environmental...

hwy403hwy6preliminarydesignea.ca

It proposes to widen Highway 403 to 8 lanes from the QEW to York Boulevard and Highway 6 to 6 lanes south of Highway 5. The interchange between Hwy 6 and Hwy 403 will also be reconstructed to remove the left-side merge and introduce a second lane for southbound-eastbound movements and eastbound-northbound movements.

The full roll plan is available here:

https://hwy403hwy6preliminarydesignea.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/AppendixF-RecommendedPlan.pdf

 

[PinkLucy]

I’m going to miss that left side merge …. Said no one ever.

 

[nfitz]

The preferred design for the widening of Highway 403 and Highway 6 through Aldershot and into Hamilton is now available online for review:

Transportation Environmental Study Report - HIGHWAY 403 AND HIGHWAY 6 INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENTS

Transportation Environmental Study Report The Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) was available for a 30-day comment period from June 15, 2023 to July 17, 2023. The comment period is now closed TESR Content Available on Study Website OGN English PDF Transportation Environmental...

hwy403hwy6preliminarydesignea.ca

It proposes to widen Highway 403 to 8 lanes from the QEW to York Boulevard and Highway 6 to 6 lanes south of Highway 5. The interchange between Hwy 6 and Hwy 403 will also be reconstructed to remove the left-side merge and introduce a second lane for southbound-eastbound movements and eastbound-northbound movements.

3 lanes on Highway 6 north to Highway 5!

They need a full grade-separated interchange (or a big roundabout) at 5 and 6 before 15-people are killed there, when there's a massive collision.

 

[innsertnamehere]

3 lanes on Highway 6 north to Highway 5!

They need a full grade-separated interchange (or a big roundabout) at 5 and 6 before 15-people are killed there, when there's a massive collision.

That intersection will be getting a new interchange in the next few years, MTO currently has it scheduled for "2025".

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[afransen]

I’m going to miss that left side merge …. Said no one ever.

Yes, it was bad. I'm happy I don't have to go that way much anymore.

 

[gweed123]

I’m going to miss that left side merge …. Said no one ever.

I drive that stretch of the 403 every day that I'm in the office. In the PM peak going east to Burlington (thankfully I commute into Hamilton in the AM and out in the PM), the right lane is actually the fastest lane because of the heavy merge volume coming from SB 6 to EB 403.

I like the ramp reconfiguration for sure, but I'd much rather the 403 configuration be 3+1HOV instead of just 4 general traffic lanes.

As for widening the 403 up the hill to Ancaster, a project that would make a huge difference in vehicular flow without breaking the bank would be to extend the 3rd WB lane on the 403 from its current terminus just east of Southcote to have it become the off-ramp lane for Hwy 6 SB. From taper start to taper start it's about 900m. It would require realigning the road a bit to eat into the median under the Southcote overpass, because the shoulder is right up against the columns of the overpass, but it's definitely doable. Likewise, have the NB-to-EB Hwy 6 on-ramp lane continue and become the EB Linc off-ramp lane instead of merging into the 2 EB 403 through lanes and then widening out again.

The 403 between Hwy 6 and the Linc is almost always congested, even during the middle of the day. I feel like those two improvements would make a pretty big difference, without being hugely expensive projects.

 

[nfitz]

That intersection will be getting a new interchange in the next few years, MTO currently has it scheduled for "2025".

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Excellent!

I suppose one day, we'll have a full expressway from the 403 to the Conestoga Parkway along Highway 6 and Highway 7. They could call it Highway 467

 

[Sunnyside]

Excellent!

I suppose one day, we'll have a full expressway from the 403 to the Conestoga Parkway along Highway 6 and Highway 7. They could call it Highway 467

I don't think Highway 6 is supposed to be a full expressway.... just close to one with the interchange at Highway 5 and bypassing Morriston. It'll still be a RIRO+median (?) generic 'rural road' highway for most of the stretch between the 401 and Highway 5/the 403.

It's hard to say if the demand is there for a full expressway with bottlenecks at each end, and parallel options for KW-Ham trips like the planned 400-series highway paralleling Highway 24 and the existence of Highway 8. Those would help capture excess demand from KW-Ham, which seems to be a major driver of Highway 6 use on this stretch today besides for accessing Guelph. I could see demand pick up if the 413 were built, however.

 

[innsertnamehere]

I'd like to see that stretch of 6 upgraded to a RIRO expressway like 11/35.. but it would be a massive project to bring it up to a full freeway and I'm not sure it's necessary.

As it operates today it's a terribly substandard highway connection between two population centres each with over 3/4 of a million people and only 50kms apart. There really needs to be a consistent, 4-lane, connection without stoplights.

 

[nfitz]

I don't think Highway 6 is supposed to be a full expressway.... just close to one with the interchange at Highway 5 and bypassing Morriston. It'll still be a RIRO+median (?) generic 'rural road' highway for most of the stretch between the 401 and Highway 5/the 403.

That's the short-term plan. Which drops the gap to only 20 km. Traffic will only go, particularly as north of Freelton is outside the green belt.

This decade - probably not. But I'd be surprised if it won't be full expressway in 50 years. Sooner for full expressway from 401 to the new Highway 7.

 

[ericmacm]

I am doubtful we will see a full expressway on HWY 6 anytime soon, but I’m of the opinion that it is gradually moving in that direction. I don’t think it will be justified until both KWCG and Hamilton are larger, until HWY 7 is complete, and until HWY 6 is full grade separated through Guelph. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more control on access and intersection removals, as well as property acquisitions/expropriations along the highway in the near future, though.

As for HWY 424, I don’t think that is going to have much of an impact on HWY 6’s future, as HWY 6 is a much more direct connection between KWCG and Hamilton. I think that HWY 424 is going to sit on the back burner until Brantford fills up it’s northern expansion lands (which probably won’t take long given the crazy rate of development out there), and Cambridge development jumps to the south side of McQueen Shaver Boulevard, which I am now suspecting is going to end up forming part of HWY 424 in the future, given that a 60 m ROW is being maintained along that corridor.