Topic: Ontario's Highways (Read 403632 times)

un1 · « **Reply #50 on:** March 03, 2009, 08:15:42 AM »

Wow that looks nice, I think it might be a candidate for my next avatar.

haljackey · « **Reply #51 on:** March 08, 2009, 06:51:02 PM »

Here's a newly completed interchange along Highway 400 in northern Ontario:

un1 · « **Reply #52 on:** March 08, 2009, 07:05:57 PM »

How new? Is the section from Parry Sound to Nobel completed? Or is that the former gap (I forget the name)?

yanksfan6129 · « **Reply #53 on:** March 08, 2009, 07:42:31 PM »

I like the way the rock outcroppings were incorporated into that interchange.

haljackey · « **Reply #54 on:** March 09, 2009, 01:02:09 PM »

Quote from: un1 on March 08, 2009, 07:05:57 PM

How new? Is the section from Parry Sound to Nobel completed? Or is that the former gap (I forget the name)?

Its with highway 141 I believe, wherever that is.

un1 · « **Reply #55 on:** March 09, 2009, 03:09:20 PM »

Geez, I guess living in the middle of Ontario helps with geography.

haljackey · « **Reply #56 on:** March 27, 2009, 03:46:42 PM »

A couple more pictures of interest:

Elevated highway in downtown Toronto:

Paint testing:

Chris · « **Reply #57 on:** March 27, 2009, 05:10:06 PM »

Is that first one the Gardiner? I heard stories about chopping a part of it down...

un1 · « **Reply #58 on:** March 27, 2009, 06:29:42 PM »

The first one, yes, and yes there is plans but I really hope they never happen.

haljackey · « **Reply #59 on:** March 27, 2009, 11:49:41 PM »

Yes many people want to see the elevated section of Gardiner taken underground similar to what the Big Dig did to Boston's ugly elevated highway.

The problem is that there just isn't enough money to finance this massive project, (remember that the US has a much larger budget than Canada) and the problems Boston faced during construction are feared to happen here.

I also recall there were plans to tunnel another highway under Lake Ontario and connect further east (similar to the Chunnel). It would contain a separate road and subway deck. It seems like a pipe dream at this point, however.

Others just want to tear down the Gardiner and replace it with a surface street. Although this might get rid of the eyesore, it would significantly hamper the Gardiner's capacity, leading to heavy traffic congestion.

sonysnob · « **Reply #60 on:** March 29, 2009, 08:29:46 AM »

Maybe the Toronto government just throws out the idea of dismantling the Gardiner to see what kind of reaction it Garnishes? If nothing else, it's good to think the City has the foresight to appreciate that a significant replacement strategy will need to be implemented for the continued good repair of the highway.

ctsignguy · « **Reply #61 on:** March 29, 2009, 10:41:11 AM »

I remember the 401 quite well...

i used to go to the GTA to see my (at the time) SO in Scarborough...i would always arrive in early afternoon, and spend almost 90 minutes from 427 to 404 (I told her the 401 in that stretch was 'the world's longest parking lot' and she didnt argue the point...

Always a busy road....i recall we left the airport area around 2AM where we had attended Anime North (the con had ended at 5:30P, we had simply spent several hours in a Tim Horton's shooting the breeze with some mutual friends from Hamilton over pop, juice, coffee and donuts) and that road was STILL incredibly busy for that hour of the night! @_@

Hellfighter · « **Reply #62 on:** March 30, 2009, 02:48:37 PM »

Have they agreed on whether and where to extend the 401?

haljackey · « **Reply #63 on:** March 31, 2009, 12:04:49 AM »

Hellfighter06: I think a possible route has pretty much been confirmed, but you know the government. It could take decades before we see the thing completed!

Anyways a couple more pictures of interest I found:

One of the iconic "parclo" interchanges the province is known for. This one is along Highway 407.

The wide 401 cuts its way through a golf course!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed them!

Chris · « **Reply #64 on:** March 31, 2009, 10:08:35 AM »

Quote

The wide 401 cuts its way through a golf course!

I've seen crazier things, like the I-278/I-495 in New York right through a cemetary

haljackey · « **Reply #65 on:** April 03, 2009, 12:30:50 AM »

Yay, Spring is here! Finally we can put this behind us:

un1 · « **Reply #66 on:** April 03, 2009, 07:40:41 AM »

Not here haljackey, we just got 30 cm of wet and heavy snow even though all of our temperatures are staying above freezing now (even at night).
The sad thing is that our snow melted just before it!

haljackey · « **Reply #67 on:** April 04, 2009, 11:57:11 AM »

Here's a shot of one of closest interchanges near me. (Wellington Road @ the 401).

Recently it was reconstructed from an outdated 3/4 cloverleaf interchange to a large, higher capacity parclo type.

Here's a shot of one of the new entrance ramps:

haljackey · « **Reply #68 on:** April 24, 2009, 04:48:43 PM »

Argh it looks like their making concrete highways again.

Still, the new section of the 410 is nicely designed. Here's a pic:

sonysnob · « **Reply #69 on:** April 25, 2009, 08:41:59 AM »

^ Neat pictures. What's neat is that Phase 3 of the extension will actually be surfaced in asphalt.

Alps · « **Reply #70 on:** April 25, 2009, 10:18:32 AM »

WHY the concrete hatred? It's much more durable than asphalt for freeways and heavily trafficked arterials.

deathtopumpkins · « **Reply #71 on:** April 25, 2009, 06:54:45 PM »

Some people just prefer asphalt over concrete for their own reasons...

sonysnob · « **Reply #72 on:** April 26, 2009, 10:22:58 AM »

the other nice thing about concrete is it allows for roadbuilders to pave over it with asphalt once the concrete is starting to wear. The worn concrete still serves as a pretty decent roadbase for another decade or two.

I'll admit though, I know a lot of states like Michigan pave arterial City streets with concrete. I have never been much a fan of that.

haljackey · « **Reply #73 on:** April 26, 2009, 02:25:28 PM »

I hate concrete, especially on highways.

Why? Its bumpy, and you can't see the lines on the road so well. Look at the pic on the last page and you'll see they put black paint right after the lane markings so you can see it. That looks horrible!

When you're going fast on concrete all you hear is bump, bump, bump whereas asphalt is a smooth, quiet ride. When roads start to wear down asphalt can easily be repaired whereas concrete is a more difficult, expensive job. When concrete is left in a bad condition it gets even worse as there are more cracks resulting in a even bumpier ride that can take a toll on your car.

I've even seen some concrete highways that have been repaired with asphalt. Their cracks and potholes are filled with asphalt which looks horrible.

Asphalt, if built right and properly maintained, is much better than concrete. It also works better in Canada as asphalt can expand and contact better than concrete during the many freeze/thaws this country experiences when the temperature hovers around the freezing mark.

sonysnob · « **Reply #74 on:** April 26, 2009, 04:20:25 PM »

News:

Author Topic: Ontario's Highways (Read 403632 times)

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