MisterF
Senior Member
Reducing income to increase expenses. More sound fiscal management from the Conservative government!
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Leo_Chan
Senior Member
If Hwy 407 gets extended east towards Ottawa, would it reuse the section of Hwy 115 to Peterborough or in a new ROW?
Fritter
Active Member
MTO is planning a rework of the 35/115 interchange and start the process of expanding 35 Northbound. Brief Googling came up with this article, but I'm sure a more extensive search with provide much more info.
Notice of PIC#1: Hwy 35/115 Interchange
www.kawarthalakes.ca
Steve X
Senior Member
I don't think we'll see these "far future planning" projects in the next 20-30 years. The 35 RIRO expressway expansion study has been done over a decade ago. They done a study on placing the 11 on a new alignment and a new alignment for 17 east of North Bay. These all can just become plans like that highway 3 realignment in the 70s, never built.MTO is planning a rework of the 35/115 interchange and start the process of expanding 35 Northbound. Brief Googling came up with this article, but I'm sure a more extensive search with provide much more info.
Notice of PIC#1: Hwy 35/115 Interchange
2323
New Member
It would be a waste to make a new ROW, especially since 7 is the most natural way east and the 115 takes you right there. I doubt we’ll ever see a 407 to Ottawa, but if the 2+1 pilot goes well on Highway 11, then 7 could be a good candidate for it as well.
Haljackey
Active Member
Hey now, they're progressive conservative- just like how there's no reduction in income, there is no income anymore at all.
IMO- the 407 toll should remain, from the 418 interchange westward. The easternmost 407 section would then become another 'free' connector similar to how the 412 and 418 became free. This has the added bonus of still giving you the free 35/115 alternative from the 401 to 407 via 407 and 418.
Douggie could have spun that to make people happy / win the seats, yet still retain most of the 407 revenue. Instead we got a blanket elimination, and thus congestion anticipated to happen decades from now as a result.
Steve X
Senior Member
He really doesn't like toll roads. Didn't he pass a legislation to ban future toll roads?
txlseries4
Active Member
Yes, in spring 2024.
Doug Ford government to ban tolls on Ontario highways
Ontario will ban tolls on all provincial highways, including the recently uploaded Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway in Toronto.
www.ctvnews.ca
Get It Done Act, 2024
Bill 162 from Parliament 43 Session 1 of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario: Get It Done Act, 2024.
So no tolls unless he says it's okay (or a future gov't changes the legislation lol)
chrisw
Active Member
Ford considers widening ‘jammed up’ Hwy. 407 East weeks after tolls were removed | Globalnews.ca
At an unrelated event, Premier Doug Ford said he was considering widening the public portion of Highway 407 only a few weeks after removing tolls on the route.
globalnews.ca
Excerpts:
At an unrelated event in Pickering, Ont., on Thursday, Ford said he was receiving a growing number of calls from frustrated drivers who had hopped onto the toll-free 407 east, only to find themselves stuck in gridlock.
“People are coming home from the cottage; it’s getting pretty jammed up on there,” Ford said. “But if it’s jammed up there, I always say it must be taking congestion off another part, I guess the 401.”
A news release promoting toll removal — which officially happened on June 1 — said getting rid of 407 tolls would “help lower costs and fight gridlock.”
Weeks after that promise was made, however, Ford said he was considering expanding the route.
“So I think in the long term, we might have to look at — we’ll work with the Ministry of Transportation and obviously the person that controls the money, Minister (Peter) Bethlenfalvy, to see if we can maybe add lanes on either side,” he said.
“So we’re looking at a plan to lighten up the traffic.”
kev1n1m
Active Member
It's clear from the 407 E extension that it wasn't planned to be expanded for a long time, which makes sense because it was built to be tolled. None of the bridges are built for 3 lanes. Nor are the underlying piers or bents. It's going to be a costly expansion. And guess what will happen the first Friday it's complete? Gridlock.
2323
New Member
Definitely not true. Take a drive through the 412 or 418 interchange- it is clear that they were designed for expansion in mind. Most bridges also, at least before the 418, have plenty of room for a third lane.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
It very much is designed for easy widening. MTO didn't build the bridges for it beforehand, but the piers and bents are designed for up to 10 lanes across the entire 407. you can see that here:
The 407E would likely not experience any traffic for several years with the 6-lane cross section extended to Simcoe St or even Thickson. It would likely still see cottage traffic on long weekends, etc.. it was close to capacity even with tolls on those weekends, but regular weekday operations would be fine for years until growth in eastern Durham continued.
At the end of the day 115/35 have been there for decades and never regularly congest, so the east end of the 407 will never be particularly busy.
The problem with the 407E is MTO designed it as a toll road with the corresponding lower vehicle volumes. now that it's not a toll road, traffic patterns are far different than they initially anticipated and it's causing problems. Originally it was viewed as the highest volumes being west of the 412 with descending volumes moving eastward, now it's the opposite - higher volumes east of the 412 with cars diverting down to the 401 to avoid the 407ETR tolls.
This creates two key problem spots - east of the 412 and the interchange with 115/35. Fix those two spots and it will be fine.
stevensontransit
Active Member
Even when the 407 east is congested is still fared better than most freeways in central-west Toronto. At least the toll removal helps reduce traffic on small streets and 401 through the Oshawa area?
Woodbridge_Heights
Senior Member
I wonder if there would be a benefit to have a short extension of 407 to link with Ganaraska Rd.? Anyone continuing East toward Rice lake would benefit from not having to use the 35/115
Mihairokov
Active Member
Probably the funniest thing i'll read today. Good to know Ford doesn't understand induced demand whatsoever.