[gweed123]

What’s the least important 400-series/municipal closed access highway that’s still open in Ontario? I’d say Highway 2A.

I'd have to say Burlington St/Nikola Tesla Blvd in Hamilton. It may have been useful in the 1960s when the steel mills were booming, but I don't really see the utility of it now. It's the weirdest quasi-freeway that I've ever seen, with the dips and rises that it has.

 

[Fritter]

What’s the least important 400-series/municipal closed access highway that’s still open in Ontario? I’d say Highway 2A.

Highway 420 in Niagara? I do realize it's access to an international bridge, however was there a need for such a short controlled access freeway? Should it not have been controlled access right to the rainbow bridge, or a city street right from the QEW, not this mini freeway stub and city street mix?

 

[ShonTron]

Highway 420 in Niagara? I do realize it's access to an international bridge, however was there a need for such a short controlled access freeway? Should it not have been controlled access right to the rainbow bridge, or a city street right from the QEW, not this mini freeway stub and city street mix?

It was built as part of the QEW back in the 1930s/1940s, and was signed as part of the QEW for a long time; it was officially known as the Rainbow Bridge Approach. It originally did not have any grade separations, except for the Victoria Avenue interchange and the underpasses at Palmer Avenue, Ontario Avenue, and the Michigan Central Railroad (later CP, now removed). This was common for the QEW, which only had interchanges at busy intersections, and at-grade crossings at minor roads when first built. By the 1970s (and by time the QEW was fully upgraded to a freeway), it was renumbered as Highway 420; part of it was later downloaded.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

If it weren't for servicing the Airport the 409 would have no purpose. In fact I'd argue that the stretch between the 427 and the 401 is least important despite what traffic volumes might be.

 

[innsertnamehere]

I love the 409. Doing 401-409-427-401 again can avoid a good chunk of traffic on the 401 when it bottlenecks and loses its collector-express setup.

 

[TOareaFan]

If it weren't for servicing the Airport the 409 would have no purpose.

If it weren't for its purpose....it would have no purpose?

 

[gweed123]

I love the 409. Doing 401-409-427-401 again can avoid a good chunk of traffic on the 401 when it bottlenecks and loses its collector-express setup.

I do that quite frequently too. Despite being a longer distance it usually saves me a fair amount of time. And if you're doing it going EB, when rejoining the 401 you have the choice of entering the express lanes or the collector lanes, so you can pick whichever is less screwed.

 

[TOareaFan]

I do that quite frequently too. Despite being a longer distance it usually saves me a fair amount of time. And if you're doing it going EB, when rejoining the 401 you have the choice of entering the express lanes or the collector lanes, so you can pick whichever is less screwed.

just too bad the original concept of taking the 409 through the airport and west to meet the 410 never came to fruition.

 

[innsertnamehere]

just too bad the original concept of taking the 409 through the airport and west to meet the 410 never came to fruition.

That stretch of the 401 isn't horrible typically to be honest. It has issues from bottlenecks on either end, but the stretch itself operates fine. The western bottleneck is going to be fixed soon with the 401 widening through Mississauga and Milton.. they just have to fix the mess at the 427/401.

 

[gweed123]

That stretch of the 401 isn't horrible typically to be honest. It has issues from bottlenecks on either end, but the stretch itself operates fine. The western bottleneck is going to be fixed soon with the 401 widening through Mississauga and Milton.. they just have to fix the mess at the 427/401.

Exactly what I was going to say, insertnamehere. That's one of the few stretches of the 401 that isn't an issue. It's the pinch points in pretty much any direction of that stretch that are the issues.

Also, the 407 pretty much accomplished that through function to the 410 anyway, albeit tolled. Punching the 409 through too would mean you'd have 3 mega interchanges within a few KMs of each other.

 

[TOareaFan]

That stretch of the 401 isn't horrible typically to be honest. It has issues from bottlenecks on either end, but the stretch itself operates fine. The western bottleneck is going to be fixed soon with the 401 widening through Mississauga and Milton.. they just have to fix the mess at the 427/401.

Well, as a Brampton resident I can tell you what the 409 getting to the 410 would have accomplished.

1. It would have shortened the length of time spent on the horrendous 410
2. Travelling EB it would have eliminated the need to merge onto the collector lanes to then, almost immediately, re-merge into the express lanes
3. When getting to the 401 you would have passed the section where there are no collector/expressed and given a choice of which lanes to go to.
4. Would give a much quicker route to the Weston GO station.

Yes, the 407 accomplishes much of this.....but the plans for the original 409 configuration to 410 pre-dated the 407.....and that is what I was referring too.

 

[drum118]

Well, as a Brampton resident I can tell you what the 409 getting to the 410 would have accomplished.

1. It would have shortened the length of time spent on the horrendous 410
2. Travelling EB it would have eliminated the need to merge onto the collector lanes to then, almost immediately, re-merge into the express lanes
3. When getting to the 401 you would have passed the section where there are no collector/expressed and given a choice of which lanes to go to.
4. Would give a much quicker route to the Weston GO station.

Yes, the 407 accomplishes much of this.....but the plans for the original 409 configuration to 410 pre-dated the 407.....and that is what I was referring too.

How do you plan to do this with an airport in way and not destroying existing industries??

 

[TOareaFan]

How do you plan to do this with an airport in way and not destroying existing industries??

I don't "plan" to do it...if you read my posts I was lamenting the choice way back when 409 first opened to terminate it at the airport....back then it was supposed to come out of the airport on the northwest side and take, essentially, the route of Derry Road over to the 410 (which in itself was just a planned highway at the time....ie. it was, then Heart Lake Road).....so I do not plan to do it....I don't (and didn't) suggest that anyone plan to do it now..

 

[Translude15]

I don't "plan" to do it...if you read my posts I was lamenting the choice way back when 409 first opened to terminate it at the airport....back then it was supposed to come out of the airport on the northwest side and take, essentially, the route of Derry Road over to the 410 (which in itself was just a planned highway at the time....ie. it was, then Heart Lake Road).....so I do not plan to do it....I don't (and didn't) suggest that anyone plan to do it now..

The irony of previous opposition to the 409 through Pearson and Malton, is Derry Road has been pretty imperative in Malton's "segregation" so to speak from the rest of Mississauga and detrimental in its lack of proper development.

 

[Translude15]

@Translude15 are there equivalent maps for the other cancelled expressways, ie 400 and gardiner ?

I've never come across a detailed map of the unbuilt Gardiner East. Would like to see one.

Check this site:

http://www.gettorontomoving.ca/plans.html

His ideas are pretty overzealous, especially on the freeway front, but they include detailed maps of every cancelled highway project within the 416 as well as other transportation plans related to the TTC. Interesting to peruse what might have been in terms of highways but definitely not ideas that should be pursued.