Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister F
I can't see any way to justify 6 laning the entire length of the 401. What comparable areas have a 6 lane highway of that length? I can think of I-90 through the US Northeast Corridor and the M40/M6 through the length of England, but both of those regions have 3-4 times the population density of the Windsor-Quebec Corridor. I think we're too reliant on the 401; it's the only major route through the area. We would do well to have stronger alternate routes and modes for travel to Ottawa and Quebec.
Ontario/Canada would do better to invest in a robust passenger rail system through the corridor (Via Rail's dedicated tracks proposal would be a good start) combined with upgrades to Highway 7. It wouldn't have to be built to 400-series standards; something like an at grade expressway or super-2 would improve travel times enough to divert quite a bit of traffic off the 401.
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Highway 7 needs to have a few bypasses built and a bit more in the way of services along the way; my experience is that while it's shorter than taking the 401/416 from Toronto to Ottawa, it can take longer.
The route could be shortened by building a new alignment between Perth and Carleton Place, to the east of Mississippi Lake. I believe there actually was a plan on the books to do just that about 50 years ago but it was never done. Also bypasses of communities like Norwood, Havelock, and Marmora would help.
There's also a lack of services between Peterborough and Perth. There's sufficient gas stations, and there's Tim Hortons and a couple Subways along the way, but not a whole lot else. Taking the 401 route lets you stop in Belleville or Kingston, which have a lot more. But demand along Highway 7 isn't high enough for additional restaurants; it would take increased traffic to make a valid business case for some additional restaurants or hotels.