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  #221  
Old Posted May 17, 2015, 1:32 PM
sonysnob sonysnob is offline
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The extensions of the CN Kingston underpass are finished now on the 401. Traffic will soon be shifted onto the extended underpass so that the existing bridge can be repaired/replaced.

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  #222  
Old Posted May 18, 2015, 1:15 AM
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Originally Posted by sonysnob View Post
The extensions of the CN Kingston underpass are finished now on the 401. Traffic will soon be shifted onto the extended underpass so that the existing bridge can be repaired/replaced.
Can you fill us in on what is being done here? Hadn't heard of it until now. Did they widen the highway at the same time, or is it already a six-lane section?
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  #223  
Old Posted May 18, 2015, 12:21 PM
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Can you fill us in on what is being done here? Hadn't heard of it until now. Did they widen the highway at the same time, or is it already a six-lane section?
This work is being done as part of the project to widen the 401 between Montreal Road and Hwy 15 in Kingston to six lanes. This photo looks northeasterly from a rock cut east of Montreal Road towards the railway grade separation and the Great Cataraqui Marsh. Work to finish the highway widening is supposed to be finished in 2017.
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  #224  
Old Posted May 18, 2015, 7:13 PM
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This project has been proceeding at a snail's pace. They started in 2013 (meaning 4 years to completion, for just a short widening!), and most of the time I've been through there, there were no workers or even equipment on site.

The segment through the remainder of urban Kingston, from Montreal Street to Gardiners Road, was widened from 4 to 6 lanes from 2009 to 2012. This project completes the 6 laning through all of Kingston.

That widening isn't really necessary for Kingston's traffic needs. The 401 bypasses the city at its northern fringe so very little local traffic actually uses it. The main reason why it's being widened is because the MTO plans for all of the 401 from the GTA to the 416 to eventually be 6 lanes, and there's so many structures in the Kingston segment nearing end of life (it's one of the oldest sections of the 401 being built in the late 1950s), that major work was needed here anyway. It was determined that the cost of widening to 6 lanes actually wasn't that much more than the cost of keeping it at 4 while future proofing all structures for 6, so they went whole hog and widened the thing.
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  #225  
Old Posted May 19, 2015, 12:41 AM
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Originally Posted by 1overcosc View Post
This project has been proceeding at a snail's pace. They started in 2013 (meaning 4 years to completion, for just a short widening!), and most of the time I've been through there, there were no workers or even equipment on site.

The segment through the remainder of urban Kingston, from Montreal Street to Gardiners Road, was widened from 4 to 6 lanes from 2009 to 2012. This project completes the 6 laning through all of Kingston.

That widening isn't really necessary for Kingston's traffic needs. The 401 bypasses the city at its northern fringe so very little local traffic actually uses it. The main reason why it's being widened is because the MTO plans for all of the 401 from the GTA to the 416 to eventually be 6 lanes, and there's so many structures in the Kingston segment nearing end of life (it's one of the oldest sections of the 401 being built in the late 1950s), that major work was needed here anyway. It was determined that the cost of widening to 6 lanes actually wasn't that much more than the cost of keeping it at 4 while future proofing all structures for 6, so they went whole hog and widened the thing.
I'd think Belleville and Trenton will be widened to 6 lanes next, as those are the busiest sections between Cobourg and Kingston. When it comes to longer sections, Cobourg to Colborne and Belleville to Trenton (excluding the urban portions) are the busiest.

In addition, the Highway 62 interchange in Belleville will need reconstruction - the cloverleaf (especially with the Highway 37 interchange close by) is not a safe ramp design. I would guess a Parclo-AB2 (all ramps west side) would replace it to maximize space between 37 and 62.
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  #226  
Old Posted May 22, 2015, 1:45 AM
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I love the fact that the 401 is 6 laned from London to the GTA. It was horrible when it was only 4 lanes: trucks, and trucks, and more trucks. behind trucks, beside trucks, getting passed by trucks, getting boxed in by trucks. fucks.
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  #227  
Old Posted May 22, 2015, 12:18 PM
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I just really wish they would make the stretch through Chatham Kent 6 lanes, so the entire stretch from Windsor to Toronto is 6 lanes or more. I hate driving through CK for that reason, as well as all the speed traps!
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  #228  
Old Posted May 22, 2015, 2:29 PM
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I imagine Cobourg-Kingston will be 6 laned first, it has higher AADT.
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  #229  
Old Posted May 22, 2015, 2:48 PM
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I just really wish they would make the stretch through Chatham Kent 6 lanes, so the entire stretch from Windsor to Toronto is 6 lanes or more. I hate driving through CK for that reason, as well as all the speed traps!
I've been going to Windsor a lot this year, and the stretch through Chatham sucks. The pavement is really not in good shape, very bumpy unless you're in a big SUV or something. I read there is a plan to rebuild the roadbed.

Why not just use this as an opportunity to widen the highway as well? All the overpasses seem to be ready to support a 6 lane cross section and the land is flat so it should be relatively easy.
-Also, one of the 2 rail overpasses isn't being used anymore, so that saves rebuilding one of them... Just fill it in or take out the dirt entirely.

A lot of trucks use this stretch too and being behind a truck passing another truck like 1km/h slower just plain sucks.
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  #230  
Old Posted May 22, 2015, 4:27 PM
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That's the worst when a truck tries to pass another when they're both basically doing the same speed, so annoying!
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  #231  
Old Posted May 22, 2015, 5:17 PM
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A far cheaper way of fixing that problem rather than 6-laning all the highways, would be to pass a new law that either:
1) prohibits trucks from passing another truck unless the other truck is going 90km/h or less;
2) and/or, prohibit them from any lane other than the rightmost lane, with exceptions made for exits on the left. In places where a highway gains a lane on the right the truck is required to move right as soon as safe to do so
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  #232  
Old Posted May 23, 2015, 2:32 AM
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Work is very much underway on the widening through Cobourg. The interchange with Hwy 45 is going to be extensively reconfigured as part of the construction. It looks like the ramps might be in a proper parclo configuration on the north side, and in a diamond configuration on the south side.

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  #233  
Old Posted May 24, 2015, 3:41 AM
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Why is the road paint orange?
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  #234  
Old Posted May 24, 2015, 4:19 AM
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Why is the road paint orange?
Orange denotes construction. I think they do the same thing on the Autobahn.
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  #235  
Old Posted May 24, 2015, 3:00 PM
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Why is the road paint orange?
It has been used in Southern Ontario, mostly, if not entirely on freeways for the last 5 or 6 years in construction zones. The MTO made Ontario the first jurisdiction to do in in North America. Quebec is also doing it now.

I like it because it shows that the lanes have been moved and reminds motorists to keep their speeds down.

Last edited by Loco101; May 25, 2015 at 2:49 AM.
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  #236  
Old Posted May 24, 2015, 7:18 PM
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It's very standard for freeway construction in Ontario.
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  #237  
Old Posted May 24, 2015, 7:22 PM
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Yes the orange lane markings are awesome.
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  #238  
Old Posted May 25, 2015, 2:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1overcosc View Post
A far cheaper way of fixing that problem rather than 6-laning all the highways, would be to pass a new law that either:
1) prohibits trucks from passing another truck unless the other truck is going 90km/h or less;
2) and/or, prohibit them from any lane other than the rightmost lane, with exceptions made for exits on the left. In places where a highway gains a lane on the right the truck is required to move right as soon as safe to do so
I was stuck behind a semi for 30kms going southbound at Brockville this weekend. All semi's are supposd to be limited to 110, so there needs to be something done. Either remove the limiter, or ban passing.
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  #239  
Old Posted May 26, 2015, 1:14 AM
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Originally Posted by MoreTrains View Post
I was stuck behind a semi for 30kms going southbound at Brockville this weekend. All semi's are supposd to be limited to 110, so there needs to be something done. Either remove the limiter, or ban passing.
I find this to be a problem the further east you go in Ontario. I've gotten stuck behind quite a few trucks hogging the left lane between Kingston and Highway 416. Could it be Quebec trucks?
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  #240  
Old Posted May 26, 2015, 2:52 AM
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Originally Posted by manny_santos View Post
I find this to be a problem the further east you go in Ontario. I've gotten stuck behind quite a few trucks hogging the left lane between Kingston and Highway 416. Could it be Quebec trucks?
Cornwall has a large warehousing industry, so while the 401 isn't exceptionally busy, the percentage of trucks on the road is fairly high, so elephant races between trucks aren't particularly uncommon. Quebec has the same speed limiters law for trucks as Ontario does.
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