[gweed123]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=highway+11+upgrade+ea

specifically, http://www.highway11study.ca/pdf/Highway 11 Study Design Report.pdf (warning, large PDF) Can't seem to find the EA for the portion south of Washago.

Very interesting, thanks! I wonder what the final tabs would be on the upgrading 11 vs building a new corridor between 11 and the 400. The new corridor from the 400 to Gravenhurst would certainly be simpler from a dealing with property owners perspective, but I don't know if it would be less expensive or not.

 

[PinkLucy]

If it is what I think it is...
Currently Highway 11 exits on the left but continues on the right and 400 "exits" on the right but continues on the left. So what I hope they're doing is switching it around, by "untangling it", so that Highway 11 will exit on the right.
I don't know this for sure, I'm just speculating.
It makes more sense that way.

Since I always head north via 11 and never the 400, it makes sense to me to leave it the way it is

 

[innsertnamehere]

It states in one of the reports that not only would it be cheaper, 11 would need to be upgraded anyways even with the bypass. most of the property along 11 is worthless, other than the odd tim hortons and gas station nothing seems to survive.

 

[gweed123]

It states in one of the reports that not only would it be cheaper, 11 would need to be upgraded anyways even with the bypass. most of the property along 11 is worthless, other than the odd tim hortons and gas station nothing seems to survive.

Didn't read the upgrade part, but that if 11 was bypassed sections could be reconfigured to remove the median and turn it into a standard 4 lane undivided highway, much like Highway 6 from south of Morriston to Dundas St.

 

[ShonTron]

Didn't read the upgrade part, but that if 11 was bypassed sections could be reconfigured to remove the median and turn it into a standard 4 lane undivided highway, much like Highway 6 from south of Morriston to Dundas St.

The four-lane Highway 69 through Nobel was quickly narrowed to a two lane road when the new Highway 400 alignment was built around it and opened two years ago. The Tim Horton's/Wendy's/Esso there closed immediately.

 

[innsertnamehere]

yep, where 11 will bypass existing locations the road would be downgraded to a 2 lane service road.

 

[gweed123]

The four-lane Highway 69 through Nobel was quickly narrowed to a two lane road when the new Highway 400 alignment was built around it and opened two years ago. The Tim Horton's/Wendy's/Esso there closed immediately.

But if the E-W new alignment from the 400 to Gravenhurst is chosen, I would suspect that they would need to retain some of the existing Highway 11's capacity in order to continue to serve Orillia and area. I would suspect that they would turn it into a 2 lane highway plus a permanent centre turning lane.

The main traffic would continue to the 400, but there would still be some that would go to/through Orillia.

 

[innsertnamehere]

of course this is all hypothetical, as the logical choice of upgrading 11 is what was chosen.

 

[dunkalunk]

Has anyone heard anything on the Kitchener-Guelph Highway 7 front since McGuinty announced they'd start construction in 3 years 1 year ago to try and win a K-W byelection?

 

[innsertnamehere]

just mentioned it a couple posts ago. Construction is supposed to start in 2015.

 

[gweed123]

of course this is all hypothetical, as the logical choice of upgrading 11 is what was chosen.

Very true. Hopefully the lessons learned from that upgrade can be applied to whenever MTO decides to upgrade 35/115. Especially once the 407 is built out to there, I could see increased demand to upgrade the entire thing to 400 series standards and assign it a 400 series number (perhaps 435?).

Are there any other sections of highway in Ontario that used that same partially controlled access design? Off the top of my head I can only think of that one stretch of 11 and 35/115 before it splits.

 

[innsertnamehere]

No other RIROs that I can think of. There was talk of extending the RIRO to Lindsay on 35, but usage numbers on that stretch of highway have been falling, not rising, so I expect it to not happen. Most projects that would have been RIROed in the 1970's are just 4 laned today anyways. (highway 10, 6,, etc) Lots of 100km/h freeways in the north that have at grade crossings however, and that amount is growing as 11/17 is twinned from Thunder Bay to Nipigon, as well as the 17 twinning south of Sault Ste. Marie. I would call a 35 upgrade highway 415 along with 115.

 

[Dan416]

I thought 35/115 would be renumbered 407 when they finally got connected and the parts of it that don't meet 400-standard are upgraded.

 

[DavidH]

I thought 35/115 would be renumbered 407 when they finally got connected and the parts of it that don't meet 400-standard are upgraded.

I can see that being very problematic given that "407" would imply it would be tolled, and the province has been very clear that tolls will only be applied to new highways, not existing ones.

Speaking of which, has anyone heard of a timeframe for a number being chosen for the 407 Durham West Connector?

 

[dunkalunk]

just mentioned it a couple posts ago. Construction is supposed to start in 2015.

I was actually curious if anyone had found any existing EA documents. I've seen the project listed in other documents listing all of the scheduled projects up to 20XX, but since the MTO has taken down the Highway 7 EA site, I've been unable to locate any digital copies of detailed project information online. If anyone has anything beyond a simple construction start date of 2015, please point me in the right direction.

It should also be clarified that highway 7N is along a new a new alignment running north of the existing highway 7 and is not a simple twinning.