The 401

[sonysnob]

Quick video of a drive across the 401 through Cambridge last month, driving through some of the widening that is ongoing at that way... note the queue of transport trucks waiting to get on to the eastbound side of the 401 from Hwy 8.

• Video Link

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Quick video of a drive across the 401 through Cambridge last month, driving through some of the widening that is ongoing at that way... note the queue of transport trucks waiting to get on to the eastbound side of the 401 from Hwy 8.

• Video Link

These days coming out of Kitchener via Hwy 8 it is sometimes faster to exit to King Street (old Hwy 8) and get on the 401 eastbound there. Depends how much traffic is on King.

[sonysnob]

^ I was north of Elmira yesterday for work and had to return back to Scarborough at the end of the day. I deliberately drove back via old Highway 86 to Guelph and entered the 401 via the Hanlon just to avoid the bottom end of Highway 8. I took Highway 8 west of the 401 yesterday to get into Kitchener, and it looked like they had made some modifications to the eastbound lane drops, but traffic was still already snarled by lunch time.

[MolsonExport]

Any new updates and photos?

[haljackey]

Drove through Toronto a couple weeks ago. The additional EB collector Lane between Allen Road & Yonge Street express exit is nearly done.

VMP interchange is completely closed. I believe a 4th aux lane will be built on each side between VMP and Westchester Bourne interchanges will be added as part of the project.

Highway 19 overpass being replaced, going to be a roundabout.

Collector-Express project in Mississauga and 10 lane widening in Kitchener still underway.

[MolsonExport]

ten lanes in the kitchen. wow. I find the traffic more snarled on 401-Milton than (pre-construction) on 401-KW.

[MolsonExport]

That damned outlet mall in Milton...has totally fucked up the traffic in that area. How many people are delayed how many hours on a given day/week/month due to this fucking place?

[MolsonExport]

blogto

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

That damned outlet mall in Milton...has totally fucked up the traffic in that area. How many people are delayed how many hours on a given day/week/month due to this fucking place?

It's the same thing for the QEW by the 405. There's a new outlet mall that backs up traffic on the Niagara-bound lanes to St. Catherine's on weekends.

You almost need interchange to the mall, sort of like the 401 to Yorkdale in Toronto (but that's also busy).

[ericlewis91]

What exactly are the plans for 401 through KWC... I was trying to figure it out since its been under construction for 20 years at this point! HA

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by ericlewis91

What exactly are the plans for 401 through KWC... I was trying to figure it out since its been under construction for 20 years at this point! HA

Phase 1:
8+2 HOV from Highway 8 to Highway 24

Phase 2:
8+2 HOV from Highway 24 to Waterloo Reg. Rd. 33 (Townline Rd.)

Phase 3 (possibly):
8+2 HOV from Waterloo Reg. Rd. 33 (Townline Rd.) to Highway 6.

Highway 401 will then be 10+2 HOV between the two Highway 6 interchanges and then probably 8+2 HOV to Milton, where the collector-express system will start to 407ETR, and then again from 407ETR to the existing system in Mississauga.

So ya, lots of construction headaches for 401 in the western Greater Golden Horseshoe. Maybe the Highway 7 freeway will help a bit to offset this between Kitchener and Guelph.

[sa230e]

Originally Posted by haljackey

So ya, lots of construction headaches for 401 in the western Greater Golden Horseshoe. Maybe the Highway 7 freeway will help a bit to offset this between Kitchener and Guelph.

Any news on that project?

[Innsertnamehere]

Highway 7 is supposed to start full construction next year. There is some minor preparatory work underway currently.

[haljackey]

Couple CBC articles about 401 safety in east and west Ontario

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa...ayor-1.4295362

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windso...-401-1.4297084

[Blitz]

Any word on an end date to this madness? I have to travel from London to Guelph a few times a month and it's actually faster these days to first go a little north of London and then take country roads through Oxford County to Highway 7/8 in Kitchener and then through to Guelph. The backups on the 401 starting at Cambridge are pretty bad.

[haljackey]

Some more detail about the 401 expansion between Mississauga and Milton

http://www.infrastructureontario.ca/Hwy-401-Expansion/

Features
-12 lane core-collector system from the Credit River to Winston Churchill Boulevard;
-10 lanes from Winston Churchill Boulevard to Highway 407 ETR/ Highway 401 interchange;
-12 lane core-collector system from Highway 407 ETR/ Highway 401 interchange to east of the James Snow Parkway;
-10 lanes from the James Snow Parkway to west of Regional Road 25;
-Median HOV lanes; and
-Support facilities and features - drainage, lighting, signage, ATMS, carpool lots etc.

-----

I'd also assume there would be projects in the works to fill in the widening projects in Kitchener (Hwy 8), Cambridge (Hwy 24), Guelph (Hwy 6) and Milton too. Maybe 8+2 HOV minimum from Hwy 8 to Hwy 407 ETR?

[Blitz]

Another thing I'm perturbed about....there needs to be some kind of median through Chatham-Kent. All this money they're spending in and around the GTA while people keep dying through that stretch in the southwest.

[Innsertnamehere]

There has been a ridiculous amount of money spent on the 401 through the windsor area already.. the 6 lane configuration is fare more than what traffic levels warrant.

[Blitz]

Despite what some GTA folk might think, Chatham-Kent is not the "Windsor area". There has to at least be a cable median installed through this stretch. The grass median is very narrow and it's way too easy for traffic to cross it.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

There has been a ridiculous amount of money spent on the 401 through the windsor area already.. the 6 lane configuration is fare more than what traffic levels warrant.

Sorry, but the 401 should have been extended to the border in Windsor decades ago! It's very warranted, and so was the expansion to 6 lanes with medians throughout Essex County! Windsor is the busiest border crossing in the country and serves massive trade between the two countries. The entire length of the 401 should be at least 6 lanes with medians. It's an embarrassment that this hasn't already been done on Canada's busiest highway! Not every penny of money for the highway needs to go to the GTA!