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Ontario Highway's 11 and 69 (PHOTOs)

Started by AsphaltPlanet, January 16, 2012, 09:18:45 PM

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AsphaltPlanet

Information pertaining to Ontario's Highway's doesn't always make much of a splash on here, but I'm posting this anyway.

I have recently authored a set of webpages detailing some of the highway construction that has been ongoing to widen both Highway 11 and Highway 69 to four-lane highways.  These multi-year projects are probably the most important construction projects ongoing in my province.  For both highways, work has been ongoing to extend the freeways north for several years.  Currently, Highway 11 is nearly twinned for the entire distance between Barrie and North Bay with construction to open the final stretch of highway set to be completed later this year.  Highway 69 is much further off, but work is ongoing to fill in the gap between Parry Sound and Sudbury.

First, I'll talk about Hwy 11.  The page that I have linked too below details a section of highway that has been four laned between 2001 and 2010 between Huntsville and Burk's Falls, ON.  I have included both pre-construction and post-construction photos to try and show the work needed to twin the highway.  I have attempted to write the pages in such a way that anybody can understand the construction progress without requiring any prior knowledge of the project.  This page includes information between Huntsville and Burk's Falls.  Subsequent construction is ongoing north of Burk's Falls, however I haven't finished (or started) that page yet.

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_11_images/hwy11_p2d_images.htm

The second page that I have recently completed is for Hwy 69/400 through Parry Sound.  Work on this section of highway was completed late in 2010.  Again, I have tried to structure the page so that anybody can understand how the construction progressed.  Perhaps I am biased, being the proud Ontarian that I am, however the Hwy 69 construction project has been very, very impressive.

http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_60-69_images/Hwy69_p2_images.htm

Cheers.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.


xonhulu

Just looked over a good bunch of your webpages, and enjoyed your photos very much!  I'm shamed to confess, I needed to break out an atlas so I knew exactly where these routes were.  But your coverage was very thorough, and I really had fun seeing a part of Ontario's highway system that I've yet to experience first-hand.  Hopefully, I'll get up there someday, though with the report I just saw on projected gas prices this summer, I wonder if that'll be ever!

A few questions:

- is the ON 400 designation gradually replacing ON 69, or are the routes going to be co-signed?

- looking at the map, the region between ON 400's current terminus and Sudbury looks pretty sparsely populated.  I was curious what the traffic counts along ON 69 through here are like, and if the expansion to a freeway is driven more by current needs or projected future growth.

- so exactly what is the rationale behind the 400-series numbers?  If they're meant to be applied to Ontario's freeways, then shouldn't ON 11 be given a 4xx designation, as well?  It looks like it's been improved to freeway standards along most of its length, unless my RMcN Atlas is overstating its status.  Not to mention ON 115, which is also depicted in my atlas as being a freeway.

- unrelated question, but why is the southern branch of the TCH routed on ON 7, instead of following ON 400 down into Toronto, then following ON 401 eastward?  Was the idea to bypass Toronto?  That seems strange since Canada's other major cities are all linked by the TCH.  Plus it puts the TCH on the two-lane ON 7 rather than the 401 freeway.  It just seems odd.

It looks like you have a lot of stuff on your pages, so I'll make it a point to check out more of your content in the coming days.  Good work!

webfil

Quote from: xonhulu on January 16, 2012, 09:56:31 PM
- so exactly what is the rationale behind the 400-series numbers?  If they're meant to be applied to Ontario's freeways, then shouldn't ON 11 be given a 4xx designation, as well?  It looks like it's been improved to freeway standards along most of its length, unless my RMcN Atlas is overstating its status.  Not to mention ON 115, which is also depicted in my atlas as being a freeway.

That depends of your definition of a freeway, but I think Rand McNally might be off a little bit on that one. ON-11 is a freeway indeed on some sections (newly built sections and existing ones around Orillia, Bracebridge and Huntsville), but you might be a little disappointed if you expect this to be a freeway. A tiny ON-11 section (between ON-400 and CR-93/Pentaguishene Road) used to bear secret ON-400A designation, prior to 11 being downloaded from the local network onto its actual routing.

ON-115 is a freeway indeed, although on its standalone section only. When multiplexed with ON-35, it is quite the same type of highway as ON-11 : A high-speed (90 km/h=55 mph) 4-lane divided highway without access limitation, but without median crossings ("right-in/right-out" RIRO highway). IIRC, bikes and pedestrians are not allowed on 35/115.

xonhulu

Gotcha.  I figured Rand McNally might not get the freeway status completely right.  They've done this in a few other places, marking something as freeway when it's actually just expressway.

AsphaltPlanet

Quote from: xonhulu on January 16, 2012, 09:56:31 PM
Just looked over a good bunch of your webpages, and enjoyed your photos very much!  I'm shamed to confess, I needed to break out an atlas so I knew exactly where these routes were.  But your coverage was very thorough, and I really had fun seeing a part of Ontario's highway system that I've yet to experience first-hand.  Hopefully, I'll get up there someday, though with the report I just saw on projected gas prices this summer, I wonder if that'll be ever!

A few questions:

- is the ON 400 designation gradually replacing ON 69, or are the routes going to be co-signed?

Right now, Hwy 69 and 400 are co-signed through much of Parry Sound.  In the long term, the Highway 69 designation will be dropped, and the highway will just be the 400.  Kind of the same situation as I-86 with New York 17.

Quote from: xonhulu on January 16, 2012, 09:56:31 PM
- looking at the map, the region between ON 400's current terminus and Sudbury looks pretty sparsely populated.  I was curious what the traffic counts along ON 69 through here are like, and if the expansion to a freeway is driven more by current needs or projected future growth.

There is almost nothing between Parry Sound and Sudbury along Highway 69.  In fact, a great deal of the territory isn't even organized into townships.  Hwy 69 isn't excessively busy right now, but it takes a high volume of trucks, and I believe that the traffic volumes are growing fairly steadily.

Quote from: xonhulu on January 16, 2012, 09:56:31 PM
- so exactly what is the rationale behind the 400-series numbers?  If they're meant to be applied to Ontario's freeways, then shouldn't ON 11 be given a 4xx designation, as well?  It looks like it's been improved to freeway standards along most of its length, unless my RMcN Atlas is overstating its status.  Not to mention ON 115, which is also depicted in my atlas as being a freeway.

The 400's are very much akin to Interstate highways.  Webfil's explanation is correct, but I can go into a bit more detail for the 115.  Back in the old days, Hwy 407 was envisioned to extend all the way from Toronto easterly to the Highway 35/115 junction.  East of the 35/115 junction, Highway 115 is a freeway -- south of the Highway 35/115 junction it isn't.  A lot of Ontario road geeks speculate that before Highway 407 was re-routed southerly and turned into a toll road, the eastern leg of Highway 115 was supposed to be part of the 407.

Quote from: xonhulu on January 16, 2012, 09:56:31 PM
- unrelated question, but why is the southern branch of the TCH routed on ON 7, instead of following ON 400 down into Toronto, then following ON 401 eastward?  Was the idea to bypass Toronto?  That seems strange since Canada's other major cities are all linked by the TCH.  Plus it puts the TCH on the two-lane ON 7 rather than the 401 freeway.  It just seems odd.

I don't know the exact answer as to why this is.  I agree that Hwy 7 isn't a particularly logical alignment of the TCH.  I speculate that the designation of Highway 7 as part of the route has to do with funding.  With the exception of the initial construction of the TCH, Canada has never had a federal highway funding program.  It is up to each province to fund their highway network exclusively.  But... when the TCH was first being constructed, provinces were able to enter into agreements with the Federal government to secure funding for highway construction and upgrades.  By the time that the Trans-Canada Highway Act was passed into law, Ontario had already built significant portions of both Highway 400, and Highway 401, and while Highway 7 existed, it wasn't much more than a cart path in some sections.  So my guess is the province applied for TCH funding for the upgrade of Highway 7, and the designation has stuck.  There are some historic forks of the TCH that may have been funded this way as well.  For example, Ontario Highways 129 and 101 between Thessalon and Wawa were once included as the Chapleau Route of the TCH.  Even today, Highway 129 is a treacherous highway; it is almost unfathomable that it was once a part of the national highway.

Quote from: xonhulu on January 16, 2012, 09:56:31 PM
It looks like you have a lot of stuff on your pages, so I'll make it a point to check out more of your content in the coming days.  Good work!

Thanks, I appreciate your kind words.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

Alps

So the big question, will Ontario be selling off these 69 shields to the highest bidders?

AsphaltPlanet

Highway 69 shields tend to find a home on the rec-room wall by their own volition.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

ghYHZ

Your Top Photo.......what a nice shot for MOT's Provincial Highway Map!

Thanks for posting.

AsphaltPlanet

^ Thanks.  I love autumn in Northern Ontario.  It's for days like that why I am a roadgeek.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

aridawn

Quote from: xonhulu on January 16, 2012, 10:45:33 PM
Gotcha.  I figured Rand McNally might not get the freeway status completely right.  They've done this in a few other places, marking something as freeway when it's actually just expressway.

Speaking of Rand McNally, the have for Years have been printing errors on roads in Ontario.  One big error is the lack of Services being printed on ON-401. They have been listing them as rest areas, instead of Service plazas.  The other one is listing ON-137 at a two lane road from the Ivy Lee bridge to ON-401 in Lansdowne, ON.

AsphaltPlanet

#10
Some new Highway 11 photos, taken in the winter:

Highway 11:

Driving north towards Huntsville:


From Burk's Falls South, current northern end of the divided highway:


Two lane section between Burk's Falls and Sundridge:




The southern Highway 124 interchange:


From the Hill Valley Road overpass, looking south:


Machar Strong Boundary Road (not a provincial highway)
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

Stephane Dumas

Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on March 05, 2012, 11:56:06 PM
Some new Highway 11 photos, taken in the winter:

Highway 11:

Two lane section between Burk's Falls and Sundridge:



Interesting to see those black-on-white signs instead of white-on-green sign. It reminds me of that old Ohio distance sign taken by Michael Summa who's posted at http://www.gribblenation.com/ohpics/vintage/ 

AsphaltPlanet

In this case, the white signs have been used to indicate that roads that formerly intersected Highway 11 itself are now accessible from the new service road.

Beautiful drive though.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

AsphaltPlanet

Some before and after photos of the former Hwy 11 (now Hwy 124) near South River.  The highway network was substantially altered in 2011 with the completion of a new freeway:

Looking north from South River
Pre-construction:

Post-construction:


Division for the interchange north of South River:
Pre-construction:

Post-construction:


Looking south into South River.  The descent into the village is far less dramatic with the completion of the new freeway:
Pre-construction:

Post-construction:


More photos (and high resolution photos) are available here:
http://asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_120-129_images/Hwy124_images.htm
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

AsphaltPlanet

A couple of recent Highway 11 photos:






I shot a bunch more like this -- it was a beautiful night on a beautiful highway.  This stretch of freeway opened late in 2011.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

JREwing78

They use the wrong lane ending signs on the end of the twinned section in the first picture.

AsphaltPlanet

^ The right lane is striped as ending, though it doesn't look like it in the photo.  The divided highway ends sign is however inverted in the upper photo.
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

StogieGuy7

All that said, it's still a beautiful road.  Thanks for sharing!



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