(06-06-2017, 08:15 PM)p2ee Wrote: I have a feeling MTO wants to avoid reducing lanes on the 401 as much as possible, but you're right it'd make more sense to reduce a lane westbound than eastbound (and currently they have it backwards).
One thing that is somewhat shocking about this project is that they're taking 5 years to widen 4 kms of highway. Down in Chicago, they're in the process of widening (maybe they're already done?) about 40 kms of I-90 from 6 lanes to 10. That highway is just as busy (maybe even slightly more) and they have similar climate as us. And their timeline is about 2.5 years. Some people have mentioned the replacement of speed river bridges as the reason, but in the I-90 project they're also replacing the bridge over Fox river, which seems to be about as wide as grand river (google street view here).
And there's an obvious pattern here.. 4 years to add 2.5 km of express-collector in Mississauga back in 2010-2013 and another 4 years to add another 2.5 km of express collector currently under construction.
I am thinking, perhaps, that it has something to do with environmental assessments. And by that, I mean every step of the way.
Climate *might* be a thing too. The average temperature in Chicago is 10.8 C vs 7.0 C in Kitchener. 37" of snow in Chicago and 63" in Kitchener.
Could be other reasons too. Ontario seems to have a lot of projects going on all at once, so you can only have so many workers. One thing I noticed in Ontario, there is constant highway construction. It never stops. Ever. Since I started driving construction has been continual in the Kitchener area. What I remember: Flyover to the 401. Barrier on Expressway (between Bridgeport and Ottawa), 401 going for 2 lanes to 3 from Kitchener (Highway 8) to Milton, 401 2 lanes to 3 from Highway 8 to Homer Watson/Fountain, extension of expressway towards New Hamburg, extension of expressway towards Elmira, flyover from Expressway to Highway 8, 401 2 lanes to 3 from Kitchener to Woodstock, widening of Highway 8 to 401, widening and barriers of Expressway from collectors to Highway 8, widening and barriers of Expressway from Highway 8 to Fischer-Hallman. Highway 7 construction from Kitchener to Guelph + interchanges, widening of 401 from highway 8 to Hespeler Rd. Not to mention new or improved interchanges. (like Sportsworld, Northfield, King at Highway 8 (Freeport) and Trussler)
And that's just Kitchener. I remember going to Huntsville and every year the 400 (or 11) would be extended. It was a continual thing. 407 ETR built in the late 1980's to early 1990's. I remember the free rides back then on the 407.
Hamilton has seen a lot of highway construction too, like The Link, and Red Valley Expressway and the 403 being completed from Hamilton to Brantford.
I really think it's all planned out years in advance, so that you have have so many highway workers, (let's 50,000) always working. You could hire 300,000 guys and get things done in a couple years, but then you have massive unemployment. Just go at it with a priority and always have work.