Highway 7 - Kitchener to Guelph

[JCnb]

Question: Anyone know the reasoning for the Wellington-Edna connection road passing under Victoria to connect to Edna? Why not a connection directly to Victoria which is surely where the traffic demand is? The existing ramp to Edna from the highway was placed here likely because of the difficulty of providing ramps directly to Victoria.

[boatracer]

It does connect directly to Victoria. It passes under the CN rail tracks between Victoria and Wellington.

[bpoland]

I think you're thinking of Bruce, (east of the highway) not Edna (west of the highway). Based on this diagram from earlier in the thread, looks like it continues to connect to Edna: http://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/a...hp?aid=242

To answer JCnb - they probably didn't want to add another intersection to Victoria. And traffic eastbound on Victoria will probably want to take Wellington via Lancaster to go SB on the highway.

[JCnb]

I think you're thinking of Bruce, (east of the highway) not Edna (west of the highway).  Based on this diagram from earlier in the thread, looks like it continues to connect to Edna: http://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/a...hp?aid=242

To answer JCnb - they probably didn't want to add another intersection to Victoria.  And traffic eastbound on Victoria will probably want to take Wellington via Lancaster to go SB on the highway.

You are probably correct with the unwanted extra intersection with Victoria, especially the spacing between it and existing ones. It just always bothered me from a simplicity point of view that the road had to connect to Edna, an otherwise much quieter street (Highway ramps removed).

[boatracer]

I think you're thinking of Bruce, (east of the highway) not Edna (west of the highway).  Based on this diagram from earlier in the thread, looks like it continues to connect to Edna: http://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/a...hp?aid=242

To answer JCnb - they probably didn't want to add another intersection to Victoria.  And traffic eastbound on Victoria will probably want to take Wellington via Lancaster to go SB on the highway.

You are right....had Edna and Bruce backwards in my head for some reason.  I thought I had made a pretty obvious statement.

[SammyOES2]

Exciting that we're getting pictures! I drove by last week and was surprised to see that they actually had pavement laid.

I found a reference somewhere in township documents (can't find it again now unfortunately) that the construction timetable for the highway had now been set. I was wondering if anyone had actually seen that.

[embe]

Which goes first, Frederick or Victoria? Because I know there is no way both will be closed at the same time.

Properly planned, the Wellington & Shirley work will be complete beforehand and allow an alternate route.  Without that, what's the alternative, Ottawa street?   Diverting 4 lanes of Victoria St traffic onto 2 lanes of Frederick is cringe-worthy.

Can someone please enlighten me what the K-W to Guelph connection is other than the fact it's been talked about for decades?  I understand there's hype about change, super-structure-spaghetti-junctions, 10X millions of dollars in contracts (ie: job creation, etc), but can't quite get my head around what's being planned here, which in simple terms is basically a third way to get to Guelph, but why?

[mpd618]

Can someone please enlighten me what the K-W to Guelph connection is other than the fact it's been talked about for decades?  I understand there's hype about change, super-structure-spaghetti-junctions, 10X millions of dollars in contracts (ie: job creation, etc), but can't quite get my head around what's being planned here, which in simple terms is basically a third way to get to Guelph, but why?

It's a limited-access expressway connection to Guelph rather than the current arterial road + rural highway + arterial road connection with its attendant traffic lights. It will have more capacity and higher speed, and it provides redundancy as well.

[Section ThirtyOne]

Yes, the current highway 7 link between Kitchener and Guelph is really clogged up around peak periods. And that is when there ISN'T a collision or some other sort of traffic incident. This highway is long overdue.

[Markster]

I like that it will provide a straightforward and competitive alternative route for getting to the 401 when there are accidents or excessive congestion.

[SammyOES2]

The current highway 7 link is also an area marked for high growth over the next few decades.  So we'll need a lot more capacity than we already need.

Right now there's relatively little 'local' traffic along the route.  It's mostly people starting in KW and ending in Guelph (or vice versa).  That's beginning to change and will continue to change.  Meaning supporting things like pedestrians/bikers/public transportation will become more and more important.  And these things don't play nicely with a large group of people that just want to get from one end to the other as fast as possible.

[embe]

Maybe things have changed in the last couple years when I commuted from KW to Guelph, didn't seem too bad.  Since then, can't say I know (or know of) anyone who makes that trip between the two areas?  However if it does provide redundancy to get to the 401 (and bypass Hwy 8), that starts to make a bit more sense. 

So, back to the other point about Victoria st bridge , anyone know if the Wellington/Shirley parallel route will be drive-able before the Victoria street bridge is closed next year?

[Canard]

I commuted back-and-forth from King/Victoria to the Southgate industrial park (between Guelph and the 401, on the Hanlon) every day for 5 years between 2003 and 2008. It was a toss-up if I'd take 7 across and then the Hanlon down, or take 8 down to 401 and over. Toward the end traffic was getting so bad I'd just take back roads every day. Far more relaxing, even though it took me longer.

Now on my commute from about the same area of Kitchener to the far side of Cambridge, I also used to always take 401 but then switched to backroads... until everyone started doing that and the backroads just got even more unbearable. Now, I just give up and sit in traffic on 401 like everyone else.

[MidTowner]

Well, it'll be a dream to travel between Kitchener and Guelph on the new Highway 7...until induced demand means it's about as congested as everywhere else.

[Canard]

Such an optimistic bunch about the future are we

So long as transport lags behind population growth, congestion will be the result, I think.