Trans Canada Highway Twinning: Segments U/C

[vid]

The Nipigon River Bridge is ahead of schedule, with the lower portions of the north and centre tower complete. It will be open in 2017.

The 4-lane stretch is the connector between two stretches of twinned highway that opened last year. It opened a few days ago, so we now have about 36km of twinned highway from Balsam Street in Thunder Bay to Birch Beach in Shuniah. Another twinned segment near Nipigon is supposed to be in the works.

http://www.netnewsledger.com/2014/09...-near-nipigon/

[sonysnob]

MTO is looking for a consultant to design the next phase of Hwy 11/17 twinning between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. Th design phase looks like it is going to last between 2015 and 2017, so it would seem likely construction would commence in 2018:

9. Description of Project:
This assignment involves obtaining all necessary information to finalize Preliminary Design and undertake Detail Design for a four-lane divided Highway 11/17 from 1.5 km east of Highway 587, easterly for 14.8 km.
-
The purpose of the assignment is to complete all required design activities, public consultation (including two PICs), compile a contract package ready for tender, and secure all necessary approvals.
-
Preliminary Design
-
The assignment will include the evaluation of alternative highway alignments and Preliminary Design for the following sections:
-
-West Loon Road to East Loon Road for 3.1 km
-Pearl River and the MTO Maintenance Patrol Yard for 2.3 km
-Pearl Lake for 2.3 km; and
-
Finalizing the horizontal and vertical alignment specified in the Planning and Preliminary Design Report (December 1995) for the entire length of the project and preparing Approved Line and Grade drawings for Highway 11/17 (New) with median including at grade side road connections; and
-
Preparing an Addendum to the original Environmental Study Report (January 1996). Generally, the Addendum is required to incorporate revisions to the three above noted sections and additional property requirements to address technical requirements of the design; and
-
Finalizing the Draft Design Criteria included in the Planning and Preliminary Design Report.
-
Detail Design
-
The assignment will include all investigations/recommendations/associated reports for highway engineering, pavement engineering, foundation engineering, bridge engineering, environmental, drainage and hydrology engineering, electrical engineering, and traffic engineering. The crossing at Pearl River will be included in the design. The assignment will include preparation of one contract package.
-
The undertaking is a Group “B” project under the Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Transportation Facilities. A Design and Construction Report will be required.
-
The Ministry will provide selected Preliminary Design Reports at the RFP stage (e.g. Planning and Preliminary Design Report, Environmental Study Report). All preliminary reports will be made available to the successful proponent (e.g. Fisheries Habit Assessment, PIC Summary Reports, etc.).
-
AN INTERNAL (CONSULTANT) CONSTRUCTABILITY REVIEW WILL BE REQUIRED ON THIS PROJECT; STAFF WITH THE REQUIRED EXPERTISE SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED IN THE EOI SUBMISSION. IDENTIFIED STAFF SHOULD HAVE A MINIMUM OF 5 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISION/ADMINISTRATION/MANAGEMENT AND HAVE WORKED ON AT LEAST THREE PROJECTS OF SIMILAR SIZE AND SCOPE.
-
This is a complex project, involving construction of the Trans-Canada Highway on new alignment. This section of highway is in rugged terrain.


10. Assignment approximate start and completion dates:
Pre-contract engineering phase: January 2015 to September 2017
Construction administration phase: (tentative timing) N/A

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

MTO is looking for a consultant to design the next phase of Hwy 11/17 twinning between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. Th design phase looks like it is going to last between 2015 and 2017, so it would seem likely construction would commence in 2018:

9. Description of Project:
This assignment involves obtaining all necessary information to finalize Preliminary Design and undertake Detail Design for a four-lane divided Highway 11/17 from 1.5 km east of Highway 587, easterly for 14.8 km.
-
The purpose of the assignment is to complete all required design activities, public consultation (including two PICs), compile a contract package ready for tender, and secure all necessary approvals.
-
Preliminary Design
-
The assignment will include the evaluation of alternative highway alignments and Preliminary Design for the following sections:
-
-West Loon Road to East Loon Road for 3.1 km
-Pearl River and the MTO Maintenance Patrol Yard for 2.3 km
-Pearl Lake for 2.3 km; and
-
Finalizing the horizontal and vertical alignment specified in the Planning and Preliminary Design Report (December 1995) for the entire length of the project and preparing Approved Line and Grade drawings for Highway 11/17 (New) with median including at grade side road connections; and
-
Preparing an Addendum to the original Environmental Study Report (January 1996). Generally, the Addendum is required to incorporate revisions to the three above noted sections and additional property requirements to address technical requirements of the design; and
-
Finalizing the Draft Design Criteria included in the Planning and Preliminary Design Report.
-
Detail Design
-
The assignment will include all investigations/recommendations/associated reports for highway engineering, pavement engineering, foundation engineering, bridge engineering, environmental, drainage and hydrology engineering, electrical engineering, and traffic engineering. The crossing at Pearl River will be included in the design. The assignment will include preparation of one contract package.
-
The undertaking is a Group “B” project under the Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Transportation Facilities. A Design and Construction Report will be required.
-
The Ministry will provide selected Preliminary Design Reports at the RFP stage (e.g. Planning and Preliminary Design Report, Environmental Study Report). All preliminary reports will be made available to the successful proponent (e.g. Fisheries Habit Assessment, PIC Summary Reports, etc.).
-
AN INTERNAL (CONSULTANT) CONSTRUCTABILITY REVIEW WILL BE REQUIRED ON THIS PROJECT; STAFF WITH THE REQUIRED EXPERTISE SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED IN THE EOI SUBMISSION. IDENTIFIED STAFF SHOULD HAVE A MINIMUM OF 5 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISION/ADMINISTRATION/MANAGEMENT AND HAVE WORKED ON AT LEAST THREE PROJECTS OF SIMILAR SIZE AND SCOPE.
-
This is a complex project, involving construction of the Trans-Canada Highway on new alignment. This section of highway is in rugged terrain.


10. Assignment approximate start and completion dates:
Pre-contract engineering phase: January 2015 to September 2017
Construction administration phase: (tentative timing) N/A

If that is completed, how far until completed from Thunder Bay to Nipigon?

[vid]

That project will bring divided highway to a little bit more than halfway to Nipigon, so by 2018 with the new bridge and highway near Nipigon and the TCH twinned from Thunder Bay to just east of Pearl, the stretch will be about 60% twinned. At this pace (about 5km per year and 40km to go) we'll probably have a twinned highway by about 2026.

[Acajack]

Construction of last 40 km segment of Autoroute 85 announced today:
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=999889

Construction to begin in 2017.

This is the last missing divided highway link between ON-QC and the Maritimes.

Once this is completed you'll be able to drive on a divided highway from Windsor ON to Halifax NS, among other routes.

[ssiguy]

When complete will this be full freeway standard from QC to Halifax or just 4 laned?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

When complete will this be full freeway standard from QC to Halifax or just 4 laned?

Full freeway, and it would extend a continuous Canadian freeway system all the way from Windsr ON to Windsor NS, a distance of approximately 2000 km.

[eemy]

Not fully grade-separated though, so it doesn't count.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

Not fully grade-separated though, so it doesn't count.

Where are the segments that aren't grade-separated? There can't be that many on the route between the two Windsors.

The only one I can think of is a railway level crossing on the A-20 in the Drummondville/St-Hyacinthe area that has an EXEMPT designation which means it's almost never used by trains and all vehicles except dangerous goods trucks can zoom right through it.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Where are the segments that aren't grade-separated? There can't be that many on the route between the two Windsors.

The only one I can think of is a railway level crossing on the A-20 in the Drummondville/St-Hyacinthe area that has an EXEMPT designation which means it's almost never used by trains and all vehicles except dangerous goods trucks can zoom right through it.

I agree, it is fully grade separated (except for the level railway crossing in St Hyacinthe and two level railway crossings around Moncton which are also spurs and almost never used). Aside from that, it's all limited access with each road access point being a full interchange.

When A85 is complete in 2020, all of "old" Canada will have a full freeway system, integrated with the continental freeway system at multiple access points extending from Sarnia/Port Huron to Woodstock/Houlton.

[White Pine]

Originally Posted by vid

That project will bring divided highway to a little bit more than halfway to Nipigon, so by 2018 with the new bridge and highway near Nipigon and the TCH twinned from Thunder Bay to just east of Pearl, the stretch will be about 60% twinned. At this pace (about 5km per year and 40km to go) we'll probably have a twinned highway by about 2026.

Just wondering, do you think there's a need for a divided highway out from Thunder Bay?

[eemy]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Where are the segments that aren't grade-separated? There can't be that many on the route between the two Windsors.

The only one I can think of is a railway level crossing on the A-20 in the Drummondville/St-Hyacinthe area that has an EXEMPT designation which means it's almost never used by trains and all vehicles except dangerous goods trucks can zoom right through it.

Yeah, I was thinking of the railway crossing. It really doesn't make a difference imo, I was more thinking about the endless debates over whether something is truly a metro or light metro or LRT or LRT with less caffeine etc. and it seemed we weren't being sufficiently pedantic in this thread for this forum.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

Yeah, I was thinking of the railway crossing. It really doesn't make a difference imo, I was more thinking about the endless debates over whether something is truly a metro or light metro or LRT or LRT with less caffeine etc. and it seemed we weren't being sufficiently pedantic in this thread for this forum.

Et tu, Jeremus?

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Construction of last 40 km segment of Autoroute 85 announced today:
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=999889

Construction to begin in 2017.

This is the last missing divided highway link between ON-QC and the Maritimes.

Once this is completed you'll be able to drive on a divided highway from Windsor ON to Halifax NS, among other routes.

Interesting that the federal government story fails to mention that A-85 is part of the Trans Canada highway network. (route transcanadienne)

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by White Pine

Just wondering, do you think there's a need for a divided highway out from Thunder Bay?

YES. There is no alternate route in that area, and traffic volumes are quite high. If there is a closure, then Canada is essentially divided in two.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Construction of last 40 km segment of Autoroute 85 announced today:
http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=999889

Construction to begin in 2017.

This is the last missing divided highway link between ON-QC and the Maritimes.

Once this is completed you'll be able to drive on a divided highway from Windsor ON to Halifax NS, among other routes.

The main Trans-Canada highway will be freeway from Arnprior, ON to Antigonish, NS.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by White Pine

Just wondering, do you think there's a need for a divided highway out from Thunder Bay?

Definitely. And Hwy 17 should be divided between Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay.

[craner]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Full freeway, and it would extend a continuous Canadian freeway system all the way from Windsr ON to Windsor NS, a distance of approximately 2000 km.

I like it.
Now we have to work on western Ontario and Eastern BC.
Maybe one day we'll have 4-lane divided from Sydney NS to Sydney BC.

[ghYHZ]

Originally Posted by Loco101

The main Trans-Canada highway will be freeway from Arnprior, ON to Antigonish, NS.

Not quite……There will still be a 40km gap between Sutherlands River and the Antigonish By-pass.

The Nova Scotia Government is proposing to complete this section as a Toll Road but that’s probably several years away.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...ways-1.3120344

The 7.5 km first phase of the Antigonish By-pass has been open since
September 2012……





…..and the 8km second phase is well along and scheduled to open next year in Fall 2016.

[Loco101]

I stand corrected and thanks. I thought that 40km section was almost completed but obviously not. I remember the Antigonish bypass under construction on my way to Newfoundland a few years ago.