[Bojaxs]

That seems backward to me. Someone travelling from Montreal to Detroit contributes nothing to the care of non-transcanada roadways in Ontario. That's the last group the Ontario government should be providing a subsidy for.

You see, this is the wrong type of thinking towards the 401. Yes a lot of car drivers who are simply passing by Toronto will contribute nothing to the local economy. Yet the 401 was built to accommodate the movement of freight/ trucks.

A truck delivering a good from the U.S. Rust belt to Montreal makes an indirect contribution towards the Toronto economy as the movement of "said" freight to Montreal helps to boost the overall Canadian economy.

The goal should be to get as many cars off the 401 so we can allow for the easier movement of freight on the 401.

If the 407 were to be entirely toll free, than the 407 would be used more widely by trucks making "last mile" deliveries while trucks long hauling to & from Quebec and the states would still continue to use the 401.

 

[rbt]

You see, this is the wrong type of thinking towards the 401. Yes a lot of car drivers who are simply passing by Toronto will contribute nothing to the local economy. Yet the 401 was built to accommodate the movement of freight/ trucks.

A truck delivering a good from the U.S. Rust belt to Montreal makes an indirect contribution towards the Toronto economy as the movement of "said" freight to Montreal helps to boost the overall Canadian economy.

The goal should be to get as many cars off the 401 so we can allow for the easier movement of freight on the 401.

If the 407 were to be entirely toll free, than the 407 would be used more widely by trucks making "last mile" deliveries while trucks long hauling to & from Quebec and the states would still continue to use the 401.

I don't disagree that this would be an idea with value to the federal government but I'm failing to see how the Ontario Government, which is footing the bill, benefits [either fiscally or politically]. The vast majority of tax revenue which would pay for this policy would be from the GTA or surrounding municipalities providing goods/services to the GTA.

You might get somewhere an annual automatic credit for Ontario registered plates, so infrequent users get a free trip.

 

[JasonParis]

Despite the name, The Trans Canada is owned, maintained, and managed by the provinces it passes through. Each jurisdiction is responsible for day-to-day operations, including construction, repairs, signage, and enforcement. In practice, the Trans-Canada is a collection of provincial highways stitched together under a common name.

 

[rbt]

Despite the name, The Trans Canada is owned, maintained, and managed by the provinces it passes through. Each jurisdiction is responsible for day-to-day operations, including construction, repairs, signage, and enforcement. In practice, the Trans-Canada is a collection of provincial highways stitched together under a common name.

Does the federal government no longer pay 50% of the costs of Transcanada highway projects? Yes, the province implements it [like healthcare and numerous other programs] but they used to get federal funding for capital on those specific roadways..

 

[JasonParis]

I think indirectly through the Build Canada fund, etc. But I'm happy to be proven wrong.

 

[rbt]

I think indirectly through the Build Canada fund, etc. But I'm happy to be proven wrong.

Looks like your right. The recent Newfoundland project is funded by the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program and BC's is part of the New Building Canada Fund.

Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador invest in the expansion of the Trans-Canada Highway - Canada.ca

Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister of Labour, Joanne Thompson, Member of Parliament for St. John’s East , the Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador...

www.canada.ca

Backgrounder: Residents and businesses of British Columbia to enjoy safer and more efficient travel - Canada.ca

The Government of Canada is investing a total of $185,122,390 in six road projects in British Columbia to improve the efficiency and safety of key transportation networks and build a strong economy

www.canada.ca

In the 80's/90's the selected upgrades were top-down with a separate funding source as authorized by the Trans-Canada Highway Act, and a National Highway Policy Study identified improvements. It was top-down with the feds requesting specific upgrades for the provinces to implement.

The Transcanada trail at the moment is independently funded from generic infrastructure programs. There's a sizable federal funding in the form of grants available within a specific corridor for provinces [and municipal or non-profit partners] who make or maintain upgrades. I wonder if that'll convert to a generic pot in the future too.

 

[Transportfan]

Despite the name, The Trans Canada is owned, maintained, and managed by the provinces it passes through. Each jurisdiction is responsible for day-to-day operations, including construction, repairs, signage, and enforcement. In practice, the Trans-Canada is a collection of provincial highways stitched together under a common name.

Ditto for the US Interstates.

 

[ARG1]

Ditto for the US Interstates.

US Interstates still have to comply with Federal Interstate design standards, and also, you know, have a consistent number between each state. Not even the TCH has that.

 

[Transportfan]

US Interstates still have to comply with Federal Interstate design standards, and also, you know, have a consistent number between each state. Not even the TCH has that.

I know that, but a by-the-book editor "corrected" someone by deleting that fact on a Wikipedia article, so just playing it safe...

Talk:National Highway System (Canada) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Haljackey]

I doubt it, but are there any mid term plans to widen 407 east now that it's free? It widens to 6 lanes at the 412, which is where most people will exit now since continuing will get you to the tolled section. Getting 6 lanes to at least the 418 interchange seems like something that might be needed- but I guess we will need to see what the long term traffic use is like. Obviously it's going to be higher in the summer months, for instance.

 

[innsertnamehere]

It is protected for in the design which means it should be relatively inexpensive to complete, but it also has to compete with every other major highway in the province now for what is really a very limited funding pool for road expansions, especially with Ford directing most of that limited cash to the 413 and Bradford Bypass.

 

[anb]

The 407E should've been built with 6 lanes all the way through from the start. I get that the section between 418 and 35/115 is mostly farmland but seeing as its free now, we might see more development happening in later years. There's also the factor that people that are coming from Peterborough and even as far Ottawa would now prefer using the 407/412 route instead of going straight down the 115 to the 401 which could create more demand on the road.

 

[2323]

There's also the factor that people that are coming from Peterborough and even as far Ottawa would now prefer using the 407/412 route instead of going straight down the 115 to the 401 which could create more demand on the road.

The 418 has more or less replaced the southern section of the 35/115. Waze usually doesn’t even give me the route option anymore to continue south on the 35/115 when heading to Toronto because it just doesn’t make sense, it’s by definition a slower highway with tighter ramps. Now, I wonder if they will ever upgrade the little section from the 407 to the 115 to a proper freeway, I would even consider making the through route the 407-115. This also can let the MTO easily rename the 115 to the 407.

 

[Leo_Chan]

The 418 has more or less replaced the southern section of the 35/115. Waze usually doesn’t even give me the route option anymore to continue south on the 35/115 when heading to Toronto because it just doesn’t make sense, it’s by definition a slower highway with tighter ramps. Now, I wonder if they will ever upgrade the little section from the 407 to the 115 to a proper freeway, I would even consider making the through route the 407-115. This also can let the MTO easily rename the 115 to the 407.

View attachment 667001

Let's use the Move It mod to select the interchange and rotate it by 130 degrees.

 

[Haljackey]

The 407-35/115 interchange seems to be designed to be as basic as possible- probably because it was meeting a non-freeway and/or it might be modified in the future. Routing 407 and having it take over the 115 to it's terminus at Highway 7 east of Peterborough seems to be the logical choice for sure.

I think there's a study going on about modifying the 35/115 junction- so that could be incorporated into a larger project as well.

Expect a ton of pushback from the business owners on the stretch of 35/115 that would be bypassed, however.