Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

[BurlOak]

This is my major concern with the highway plan. The Wellington interchange as designed is going to be drastically over-built and over-priced, just so they can have 100km/h flyovers instead of 70 km/h ramps.

I understand that route is finalized. Does it appear anywhere on the MTO website. I have tried to search through there and found no details. I would expect to find a route showing interchanges and overpasses, but I could not find it. I also had the same problem with Highway 404. I beleive that 10 or 15km is now under construction, but I can not find any real details about it.

 

[nfitz]

I understand that route is finalized. Does it appear anywhere on the MTO website. I have tried to search through there and found no details. I would expect to find a route showing interchanges and overpasses, but I could not find it. I also had the same problem with Highway 404. I beleive that 10 or 15km is now under construction, but I can not find any real details about it.

The EA was completed in 1997, and amended in 2007. At the time, it was all on the EA website - http://www.highway7ea.ca

Can't find it on the Internet anymore ... wouldn't be surprised if there's a copy in my downloaded documents at home somewhere. It should be available in local libraries.

 

[Markster]

The EA was completed in 1997, and amended in 2007. At the time, it was all on the EA website - http://www.highway7ea.ca

Can't find it on the Internet anymore ... wouldn't be surprised if there's a copy in my downloaded documents at home somewhere. It should be available in local libraries.

Check out this post over at Wonderful Waterloo, where someone had the foresight to save a copy.

 

[dowlingm]

Personally, I would like to see an O-Train style DMU running between Downtown Kitchener and Downtown Guelph. Add in a few more stops (nothing fancy, much like the O-Train stops), and I think it would be a pretty successful service. Double track at select locations where necessary in order to get better frequencies, maybe at the midway point for example.

A Metrolinx ARL train (FRA compliant DMU) is pretty much exactly what you're looking for. Rather than electrifying the initial service stock in 2015-2020, Metrolinx should buy EMUs and put the DMUs to work on regional routes like Georgetown-London which VIA are abandoning but an L10 standard GO consist is overkill for.

 

[BurlOak]

The EA was completed in 1997, and amended in 2007. At the time, it was all on the EA website - http://www.highway7ea.ca

Can't find it on the Internet anymore ... wouldn't be surprised if there's a copy in my downloaded documents at home somewhere. It should be available in local libraries.

I think it seems odd that none, or few, of MTO studies are actually shown on their website. I am sure that many people would be interested in what plans there are along the various corridors. Giving information on expansion and construction plans would better show the public where their tax dollars are going.

TTC is best for this as the progress for the Spadina subway is on their website and so are the EA's. Same with the Transit City lines - you can still read about then. Metrolinx alone does a poor job, as witnessed from questions on many threads "I som some construction activity - does anyone know what is going on"

 

[nfitz]

I think it seems odd that none, or few, of MTO studies are actually shown on their website. I am sure that many people would be interested in what plans there are along the various corridors. Giving information on expansion and construction plans would better show the public where their tax dollars are going.

TTC is best for this as the progress for the Spadina subway is on their website and so are the EA's. Same with the Transit City lines - you can still read about then. Metrolinx alone does a poor job, as witnessed from questions on many threads "I som some construction activity - does anyone know what is going on"

All new reports seem to be on-line in their library. This one is so old, it's only available in hardcopy, but is still listed in their library website. So they do seem to have changed their policy, 2-3 years ago.

 

[dunkalunk]

Here is a link to the most recent document containing the proposed routing I was able to find. Contained in the minutes is a copy of a presentation made to the Region of Waterloo's Planning and Works Committee in April 2011.

http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/regionalGovernment/resources/PM2011-0412.pdf

One thing to note. The value engineering consultant MMM Group have a cost estimate pegged in their presentation as being greater than $400M. Odd considering that in news media I've only seen the $300 figure reported.

 

[Dan416]

Are they going to call this new Highway 7 Highway 7 or give it a new name? Could they call it 407?

What will they call the old Highway 7? Does it already have another name like former Highway 7 did in Peel?

 

[GenerationW]

Just for you CC they'll rename it Highway 10.

 

[ShonTron]

Are they going to call this new Highway 7 Highway 7 or give it a new name? Could they call it 407?

Good question. Hanlan Parkway is slowly being converted from an expressway to a freeway (with the Laird Drive interchange construction near the Sapporo/Sleeman brewery underway), it might make sense giving the Hanlan and Guelph-Kitchener freeways a single 400-series number, and merely give concurrent Highway 6 and Highway 7 designations. Or just keep the Highway 7 designation as 7 and 8 maintain their designations in the freeway portions of the Conestoga Expressway.

What will they call the old Highway 7? Does it already have another name like former Highway 7 did in Peel?

Within Guelph, it will continue to be called Woodlawn Road West, and in Kitchener, Victoria Street North (even though it goes in an east-west direction!). There is no official alternate name in Woolwich or Guelph-Eramosa Townships (the sections that are fully maintained by the province).

 

[Lone Primate]

Good question. Hanlan Parkway is slowly being converted from an expressway to a freeway (with the Laird Drive interchange construction near the Sapporo/Sleeman brewery underway), it might make sense giving the Hanlan and Guelph-Kitchener freeways a single 400-series number

Part of it depends on who's responsible for it, though... whose budget that's tagged to. Unless it's in MTO's bailiwick, the province won't give it a 400-series number no matter how lanes wide it ends up. I don't think it can even be officially a "highway" unless it belongs to MTO.

Does anyone know who's going to end up owning and operating it?

 

[jamincan]

Reviving the highway numbering thread, if the MTO were to pursue a more logical and consistent numbering system, I think they would have to drop the 4xx system and adopt an entirely different system (Letter number pairing most likely to avoid ambiguity) that could be used in conjunction with the old numbering system for an interim period.

Also, the MTO is currently looking at upgrading Highway 11 between Barrie and Gravenhurst and there are a number of options to eliminate the RIRO configuration. Eventually I understand it is supposed to be 6 lanes to Gravenhurst.

I wish they would consider reversing lanes for 400 to Barrie, because it really would be unnecessary to have the extra capacity in both directions since the congestion is almost always exclusively in one direction. I'm not sure how that could be done safely though, have there been any examples elsewhere?

 

[weekend_guy]

I wish they would consider reversing lanes for 400 to Barrie, because it really would be unnecessary to have the extra capacity in both directions since the congestion is almost always exclusively in one direction. I'm not sure how that could be done safely though, have there been any examples elsewhere?

I can't say for sure and I don't have any pictures of it, but on a recent trip to Pittsburgh I swore I saw that the I279 north of the city had lanes that could be reversed depending on traffic flow demand.

 

[ShonTron]

I can't say for sure and I don't have any pictures of it, but on a recent trip to Pittsburgh I swore I saw that the I279 north of the city had lanes that could be reversed depending on traffic flow demand.

Correct about Pittsburgh. The Kennedy Freeway in Chicago (I-94 north of the Loop) has a reversible core/express carriageway as well.

 

[Paolo]

Are they going to call this new Highway 7 Highway 7 or give it a new name? Could they call it 407?

What will they call the old Highway 7? Does it already have another name like former Highway 7 did in Peel?

Highway 7 in Peel goes by 3 names

one is the former provincial highway 7, they still call it that, some businesses still use the name highway 7 in their address or refer to the intersection as highway 7 and so and so. THey also go by the civic name, so one part of hwy 7 is called bouvaird, the other part of highway 7 is known as queen street

Top it off, the entire highway 7 is also known as peel regional road 107. peel regional road 7 was taken up, which would have made more sense, oh well