199-851: The Gordie Howe International Bridge ( French : Pont International Gordie-Howe ), known during development as the Detroit River International Crossing and the New International Trade Crossing , is a cable-stayed international bridge across the Detroit River , currently under construction. The crossing will connect Detroit , Michigan , United States of America, and Windsor , Ontario , Canada, by linking Interstate 75 in Michigan with Highway 401 in Ontario (through
398-572: A de jure or de facto official, administrative, or cultural language. Most of these countries are members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the community of 54 member states which share the official use or teaching of French. It is spoken as a first language (in descending order of the number of speakers) in France; Canada (especially in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick); Belgium ( Wallonia and
597-538: A 91.4-metre-wide (300 ft) right-of-way along the entire length. Generally, the highway occupies only a portion of this allotment. It is one of the world's busiest highways; a 2019 analysis stated the annual average daily traffic (AADT) count between Renforth Drive and Highway 427 in Toronto was at 450,300, while a second study estimates that over 500,000 vehicles travel that section on some days. This makes it North America's busiest roadway, surpassing
796-744: A French official to teachers in the department of Finistère , in western Brittany, included the following: "And remember, Gents: you were given your position in order to kill the Breton language". The prefect of Basses-Pyrénées in the French Basque Country wrote in 1846: "Our schools in the Basque Country are particularly meant to replace the Basque language with French..." Students were taught that their ancestral languages were inferior and they should be ashamed of them; this process
995-431: A comprehensive academic study entitled "The World's 10 most influential languages". In the article, Weber ranked French as, after English, the second-most influential language of the world, ahead of Spanish. His criteria were the numbers of native speakers, the number of secondary speakers (especially high for French among fellow world languages), the number of countries using the language and their respective populations,
1194-565: A concrete road known as the Toronto–Hamilton Highway was proposed in January 1914. Construction began on November 8 of that year, following the onset of World War I . The highway was designed to run along the lake shore, instead of Dundas Street to the north, because the numerous hills encountered along Dundas would have increased costs without improving accessibility. Middle Road, a dirt lane named because of its position between
1393-419: A final transfer allows eastbound traffic in the collector lanes to transfer to the 401 express lanes which continue past Highway 427 as the single 401 carriageway. The 401 collector lanes then become ramps to Highway 427 after a final exit at Renforth Drive. For westbound traffic, the 401's single westbound carriageway becomes the highway's express lanes. The exit ramps from Highway 427 merge to form
1592-555: A foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050. French is the fastest growing language on the continent (in terms of either official or foreign languages). French is increasingly being spoken as a native language in Francophone Africa, especially in regions like Ivory Coast , Cameroon , Gabon, Madagascar , and
1791-546: A loop ramp. In the fall of 1991, alongside the widening of Highway 410 into a full freeway, construction began on the connecting ramps between Highway 403 and Highway 410, which pass under the existing bridge structures carrying Highway 401 (which would soon be designated as the collector lanes), while new overpasses were constructed for the Highway ;401 express lanes which were extended from east of Tomken Road to just east of Kennedy Road. Plans were made to extend
1990-604: A meeting between newly elected U.S. president Donald Trump and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on February 13, 2017, the two governments reiterated the support of the "expeditious completion" of the project. It was listed as a priority infrastructure project by the Donald Trump administration. In June 2017, the City of Detroit sold 36 city-owned parcels of land, underground assets and five miles of city-owned streets in
2189-400: A mix of agricultural land and forests, maintaining a straight course. Highway 401 passes through the north end of the towns of Port Hope and Cobourg with two interchanges each. Just east of Cobourg, the highway narrows to four lanes and the terrain becomes undulating, with the highway routed around hills and through valleys along the shores of Lake Ontario. At Trenton , the highway crosses
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#17327811031312388-506: A new alignment to the border. The parkway also features 300 acres (1.2 km) of green space and over 20 kilometres (12 mi) of recreational trails, with seven bridges and two tunnels separating the trails from roads. Full construction of the parkway began in 2011, and was completed in November 2015 at a cost of CA$ 1.4 billion . Construction of the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway that links to
2587-439: A new set of flyover ramps from the express lanes to Highway 403 which opened in 1984, while a basketweave transfer between the eastbound collector and express lanes near Pearson Airport was completed in mid-1985. At this time, the Highway 401 express lanes merged into the collector lanes east of Tomken Road which resulted in a temporary left-handed exit/entry for the ramps to/from the Highway 403 express lanes. After
2786-652: A period of prosperity and prominence among European nations. Richelieu established the Académie française to protect the French language. By the early 1800s, Parisian French had become the primary language of the aristocracy in France. Near the beginning of the 19th century, the French government began to pursue policies with the end goal of eradicating the many minorities and regional languages ( patois ) spoken in France. This began in 1794 with Henri Grégoire 's "Report on
2985-436: A plan designed to limit damage to the sensitive agricultural lands through which the highway runs. Here the highway's flat and straight route is notorious for leading to driver inattention. The section from Windsor to London (especially west of Tilbury ) has become known for deadly car accidents and pile-ups , earning it the nickname Carnage Alley . As the highway approaches London, Highway 402 merges in, resulting in
3184-494: A relic of the old nominal case system of Latin longer than most other Romance languages (with the notable exception of Romanian which still currently maintains a case distinction), differentiating between an oblique case and a nominative case. The phonology was characterized by heavy syllabic stress, which led to the emergence of various complicated diphthongs such as -eau which would later be leveled to monophthongs. The earliest evidence of what became Old French can be seen in
3383-683: A result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 16th century onward, French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. French has a long history as an international language of literature and scientific standards and is a primary or second language of many international organisations including the United Nations , the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ,
3582-466: A road tunnel ( Detroit–Windsor tunnel ) opened in 1930. The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest crossing on the Canada–United States border , with nearly 25% of U.S.–Canada border crossings by trucks using the bridge. The bridge has been criticized for its monopoly status (as no trucks are permitted to use the tunnel), private ownership by billionaire Manuel Moroun and poor maintenance record. Both
3781-424: A select few interchanges. Access between the two is provided by transfers , which are strategically placed to prevent disruptions caused by closely spaced interchanges. To avoid confusion between carriageways, blue signs are used for the collector lanes and green signs for the express lanes. The overall purpose of the collector-express system is to maximize traffic flow for both local and long-distance traffic. From
3980-682: A six-lane cross-section. Within London, it intersects the city's two municipal expressways , Highbury Avenue and the Veterans Memorial Parkway . The section between London and Woodstock generally parallels the former Highway 2 but lies on the south side of the Thames River. This area is not as flat but the highway is generally straight. This part of Highway 401 often experiences heavy snowsqualls in early winter, sometimes extending as far east as Toronto. To
4179-427: A story on November 2, four days before the vote, which indicated the amendment's "seemingly neutral language masks a very specific—and bitter—political battle". The ballot proposal was defeated by a 60 percent to 40 percent margin, paving the way for the project to proceed. In the 2010s, Moroun undertook several lawsuits alleging that the 2013 crossing agreement was illegal (and should not have been approved by
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#17327811031314378-490: A survey of 375,000 drivers, asking them about their preferred route to travel to their destination. Using this information, a course was plotted from Windsor to Quebec, bypassing all towns along the way. Highway 2S (S for Scenic ) was the first completed section of new roadway. Built to connect with the Thousand Islands Bridge at Ivy Lea and opened as a gravel road in late 1941 or early 1942,
4577-547: A variant of Canadian French , is spoken in parts of New England . Missouri French was historically spoken in Missouri and Illinois (formerly known as Upper Louisiana ), but is nearly extinct today. French also survived in isolated pockets along the Gulf Coast of what was previously French Lower Louisiana , such as Mon Louis Island , Alabama and DeLisle, Mississippi (the latter only being discovered by linguists in
4776-458: A westward extension called the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway (formerly Windsor-Essex Parkway ). This extension runs parallel to Highway 3 (Talbot Road and Huron Church Road) between the former end of the freeway and the E. C. Row Expressway , at which point the extension turns and runs alongside the E.C. Row towards the future Gordie Howe International Bridge . An 8-kilometre (5.0 mi) section of
4975-457: A working language along with English and German ; in some institutions, French is the sole working language (e.g. at the Court of Justice of the European Union ). French is also the 16th most natively spoken language in the world, the sixth most spoken language by total number of speakers , and is among the top five most studied languages worldwide, with about 120 million learners as of 2017. As
5174-437: Is 95%, and in the French collectivity of Wallis and Futuna , it is 84%. In French Polynesia and to a lesser extent Wallis and Futuna, where oral and written knowledge of the French language has become almost universal (95% and 84% respectively), French increasingly tends to displace the native Polynesian languages as the language most spoken at home. In French Polynesia, the percentage of the population who reported that French
5373-444: Is a traffic bottleneck, since the space constraints of the existing flyovers of the at the 401-427 interchange also limit the width of the 401 in this section to eight lanes (widened from the original six). Highway 401 is often congested in this section, with an average of 442,900 vehicles passing between Weston Road and Highway 400 per day as of 2008 (just east of the 401-409 merger). In spite of this congestion, it
5572-472: Is a widespread second language among the Lebanese people , and is taught in many schools along with Arabic and English. French is used on Lebanese pound banknotes, on road signs, on Lebanese license plates , and on official buildings (alongside Arabic). Today, French and English are secondary languages of Lebanon , with about 40% of the population being Francophone and 40% Anglophone. The use of English
5771-678: Is also a Core Route in the National Highway System of Canada. The route is maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) and patrolled by the Ontario Provincial Police . The speed limit is 100 km/h (62 mph) throughout the majority of its length, with the remaining exceptions being the posted 80 km/h (50 mph) limit westbound in Windsor, in most construction zones, and
5970-489: Is also a working language in nonprofit organisations such as the Red Cross (alongside English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian), Amnesty International (alongside 32 other languages of which English is the most used, followed by Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian), Médecins sans Frontières (used alongside English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic), and Médecins du Monde (used alongside English). Given
6169-534: Is by chief bridge architect of AECOM, Erik Behrens . Each of its two A-shaped bridge towers, standing 220 m (722 ft) tall, is built on opposite banks of the Detroit River. The road deck itself is held up using 216 cable stays. It will have the longest main span of any cable-stayed bridge in North America at 853 m (2,800 ft), with a total bridge length of 2.5 km (1.6 mi). At
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6368-652: Is enacted only in New Brunswick, where about one third of the population is Francophone. French is also an official language of all of the territories ( Northwest Territories , Nunavut , and Yukon ). Out of the three, Yukon has the most French speakers, making up just under 4% of the population. Furthermore, while French is not an official language in Ontario , the French Language Services Act ensures that provincial services are available in
6567-563: Is growing in the business and media environment. Out of about 900,000 students, about 500,000 are enrolled in Francophone schools, public or private, in which the teaching of mathematics and scientific subjects is provided in French. Actual usage of French varies depending on the region and social status. One-third of high school students educated in French go on to pursue higher education in English-speaking institutions. English
6766-404: Is known as Old French. The period of Old French spanned between the 8th and 14th centuries. Old French shared many characteristics with Latin. For example, Old French made use of different possible word orders just as Latin did because it had a case system that retained the difference between nominative subjects and oblique non-subjects . The period is marked by a heavy superstrate influence from
6965-469: Is often considered to be a useful skill by business owners in the United Kingdom; a 2014 study found that 50% of British managers considered French to be a valuable asset for their business, thus ranking French as the most sought-after foreign language there, ahead of German (49%) and Spanish (44%). MIT economist Albert Saiz calculated a 2.3% premium for those who have French as a foreign language in
7164-828: Is one of the official languages of such major international and regional courts, tribunals, and dispute-settlement bodies as the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights , the Caribbean Court of Justice , the Court of Justice for the Economic Community of West African States , the Inter-American Court of Human Rights , the International Court of Justice , the International Criminal Tribunal for
7363-639: Is taught in universities around the world, and is one of the world's most influential languages because of its wide use in the worlds of journalism, jurisprudence , education, and diplomacy. In diplomacy, French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations (and one of the UN Secretariat 's only two working languages ), one of twenty official and three procedural languages of the European Union , an official language of NATO ,
7562-553: Is the language of business and communication, with French being an element of social distinction, chosen for its emotional value. French is an official language of the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu , where 31% of the population was estimated to speak it in 2023. In the French special collectivity of New Caledonia , 97% of the population can speak, read and write French while in French Polynesia this figure
7761-483: Is the native language of about 23% of the Swiss population, and is spoken by 50% of the population. Along with Luxembourgish and German, French is one of the three official languages of Luxembourg , where it is generally the preferred language of business as well as of the different public administrations. It is also the official language of Monaco . At a regional level, French is acknowledged as an official language in
7960-441: Is the primary commuting route in Toronto, and over 50 percent of vehicles bound for downtown Toronto use the highway. East of Highway 400 is a set of transfer ramps between the express and collectors lanes nicknamed "The Basketweave", as each direction has a pair of ramps that cross over and under each other. Near Yorkdale Shopping Centre, twelve lanes pass beneath a complicated interchange with Allen Road . Further east,
8159-492: Is the second-most spoken language (after English) in the states of Maine and New Hampshire . In Louisiana , it is tied with Spanish for second-most spoken if Louisiana French and all creoles such as Haitian are included. French is the third most spoken language (after English and Spanish) in the states of Connecticut , Rhode Island , and New Hampshire . Louisiana is home to many distinct French dialects, collectively known as Louisiana French . New England French , essentially
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8358-424: Is the sole official language in the province of Quebec , where some 80% of the population speak it as a native language and 95% are capable of conducting a conversation in it. Quebec is also home to the city of Montreal , which is the world's fourth-largest French-speaking city, by number of first language speakers. New Brunswick and Manitoba are the only officially bilingual provinces, though full bilingualism
8557-517: Is the western side of Toronto's Greenbelt , a zone around Toronto protected from development. After this 10 km (6.2 mi) gap, the highway interchanges with the Highway ;407 Express Toll Route . Within the GTA, the highway passes several major shopping malls including Toronto Premium Outlets , Yorkdale Shopping Centre , Scarborough Town Centre and Pickering Town Centre . Within
8756-628: The Windsor Star if enabling legislation for the bridge would currently pass, replied "absolutely not". In October 2011, the Michigan Senate "rejected a bill [that] would have allowed the state to accept $ 550 million from the Canadian government to fund the country's share" of the bridge. One commentator, Bill Mann, noted the rejection, saying "Canada calls the new bridge its biggest infrastructure priority and has even offered to pay for
8955-764: The Aosta Valley region of Italy where it is the first language of approximately 50% of the population, while French dialects remain spoken by minorities on the Channel Islands . It is also spoken in Andorra and is the main language after Catalan in El Pas de la Casa . The language is taught as the primary second language in the German state of Saarland , with French being taught from pre-school and over 43% of citizens being able to speak French. The majority of
9154-609: The Brussels-Capital Region ); western Switzerland (specifically the cantons forming the Romandy region); parts of Luxembourg; parts of the United States (the states of Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont); Monaco; the Aosta Valley region of Italy; and various communities elsewhere. French is estimated to have about 310 million speakers, of which about 80 million are native speakers. According to
9353-630: The Canadian province of Ontario . It stretches 828 kilometres (514 mi) from Windsor in the west to the Ontario– Quebec border in the east. The part of Highway 401 that passes through Toronto is North America's busiest highway, and one of the widest. Together with Quebec Autoroute 20 , it forms the road transportation backbone of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor , along which over half of Canada's population resides. It
9552-609: The Democratic Republic of Congo . There is not a single African French , but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous African languages . Sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth. It is also where the language has evolved the most in recent years. Some vernacular forms of French in Africa can be difficult to understand for French speakers from other countries, but written forms of
9751-517: The Democratic Republic of the Congo . In some North African countries, though not having official status, it is also a first language among some upper classes of the population alongside indigenous languages, but only a second one among the general population. In 2015, approximately 40% of the Francophone population (including L2 and partial speakers) lived in Europe, 36% in sub-Saharan Africa and
9950-661: The Detroit River into Detroit. By September 2025, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will extend Highway 401 across the Canada–United States border to a connection through Delray to Interstate 75 in Michigan . At present, Highway 401 begins as a six-lane freeway in Brighton Beach (at the Canada–US border in Windsor) at the west end of the E. C. Row Expressway, sandwiched between
10149-533: The European Union , French was the dominant language within all institutions until the 1990s. After several enlargements of the EU (1995, 2004), French significantly lost ground in favour of English, which is more widely spoken and taught in most EU countries. French currently remains one of the three working languages, or "procedural languages", of the EU, along with English and German. It is the second-most widely used language within EU institutions after English, but remains
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#173278110313110348-559: The Francien dialect is one that not only continued but also thrived during the Middle French period (14th–17th centuries). Modern French grew out of this Francien dialect. Grammatically, during the period of Middle French, noun declensions were lost and there began to be standardized rules. Robert Estienne published the first Latin-French dictionary, which included information about phonetics, etymology, and grammar. Politically,
10547-399: The French colonial empire , there are numerous French-based creole languages , most notably Haitian Creole . A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French is an official language in 27 countries , as well as one of the most geographically widespread languages in the world, with about 50 countries and territories having it as
10746-877: The International Olympic Committee , the Council of Europe , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , Organization of American States (alongside Spanish, Portuguese and English), the Eurovision Song Contest , one of eighteen official languages of the European Space Agency , World Trade Organization and the least used of the three official languages in the North American Free Trade Agreement countries. It
10945-665: The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). During development, the project was known as the Detroit River International Crossing and the New International Trade Crossing. In 2004, a joint announcement by the federal government of the United States and Government of Canada confirmed a new border crossing would be constructed between Detroit and Windsor. A bi-national committee was formed to manage
11144-494: The Michigan Republican Party to prevent MDOT spending money on the bridge (even if MDOT would later be reimbursed by Canada) was reversed, allowing the project to continue. CA$ 20 million of community benefits for local residents on both sides of the Detroit River was also announced. In 2020, the design of new pedestrian bridges over Interstate 75 were unveiled, and work began on the foundations for
11343-415: The Michigan Senate had not approved any authorizing legislation related to the bridge. The Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop had stated that the Senate would not vote until revenue forecasts were released, reports that were being withheld by the director of the Michigan Department of Transportation. The Michigan House of Representatives had already passed the measure while the bill was called "doomed" in
11542-415: The Minister of Tourism and Information , joined local residents to persuade the DHO to construct an inland bypass. The DHO agreed, stating that it would cost less to build a new freeway than to upgrade the parkway. Construction of the Thousand Islands Bypass began in 1965, with work proceeding east from Gananoque. The Thousand Islands Parkway was the final two-lane segment of Highway 401. A portion
11741-420: The Oaths of Strasbourg and the Sequence of Saint Eulalia , while Old French literature began to be produced in the eleventh century, with major early works often focusing on the lives of saints (such as the Vie de Saint Alexis ), or wars and royal courts, notably including the Chanson de Roland , epic cycles focused on King Arthur and his court , as well as a cycle focused on William of Orange . It
11940-460: The Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway extension of Highway 401). The bridge will provide uninterrupted freeway traffic flow, as opposed to the current configuration with the nearby Ambassador Bridge that connects to city streets on the Ontario side. The bridge is named after Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe , whose celebrated career included 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings , and who died two years before construction began. First proposed in
12139-494: The Santa Monica Freeway in Los Angeles and I-75 in Atlanta. The just-in-time auto parts delivery systems of the highly integrated automotive industry of Michigan and Ontario have contributed to the highway's status as the world's busiest truck route, carrying 60 percent of vehicular trade between Canada and the US. Highway 401 also features North America's busiest multi-structure bridge at Hogg's Hollow in Toronto. The four bridges, two for each direction with
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#173278110313112338-496: The St. Lawrence River to Gananoque , where it splits with the Thousand Islands Parkway , one of the original sections of the highway designated in 1952. The highway runs parallel to the parkway several kilometres inland from the river. The Canadian Shield , an ancient geological formation, appears through this heavily forested section of the highway. Highway 401 rejoins the Thousand Islands Parkway immediately southwest of Brockville , now heading northeast. The remainder of
12537-409: The Thousand Islands Parkway . These three sections of highway were 11.8, 54.7, and 41.2 km (7.3, 34.0, and 25.6 mi), respectively. In 1964, the route became fully navigable from Windsor to the Ontario–Quebec border. In 1965 it was given a second designation, the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway, in honour of two Fathers of Confederation . At the end of 1968, the Gananoque–Brockville section
12736-439: The Trent Canal and returns to an agricultural setting. It then crosses the Moira River as it goes through Belleville before heading eastward to Kingston . The Kingston portion of the highway, originally named the Kingston-Bypass , was one of the first sections of the highway to be completed; it is now mostly three lanes each way. East of Kingston , the highway continues through a predominantly agricultural area alongside
12935-468: The U.S. State Department ), as well as alleging that they had exclusive rights to a span connecting Detroit to Windsor. In 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear a challenge by Moroun regarding the choice of location for the bridge. In June 2016, the last of these lawsuits by Moroun was dismissed, allowing the project to continue. In 2018, the company aired television ads on Fox & Friends asking President Donald Trump to cancel
13134-414: The US Department of State and the Obama administration granted Michigan the permit required to build the bridge, allowing construction to go forward once details were finalized. In May 2014, the United States Coast Guard issued a bridge permit, the final federal approval required. A Canadian federal Crown corporation , the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) began work in July 2014 to coordinate
13333-436: The World Trade Organization , the International Olympic Committee , the General Conference on Weights and Measures , and the International Committee of the Red Cross . French is a Romance language (meaning that it is descended primarily from Vulgar Latin ) that evolved out of the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken in northern France. The language's early forms include Old French and Middle French . Due to Roman rule, Latin
13532-435: The 107 km (66 mi) stretch between Highway 16 and the east end of the highway that were raised on July 12, 2024. By the end of 1952, three individual highways were numbered "Highway 401": the partially completed Toronto Bypass between Weston Road and Highway 11 (Yonge Street); Highway 2A between West Hill and Newcastle ; and the Scenic Highway between Gananoque and Brockville , now known as
13731-440: The 110 km/h (68 mph) speed limit on the 40 km (25 mi) stretch between Windsor and Tilbury that was raised on April 22, 2022, the 7 km (4.3 mi) extension east of the aforementioned, the 35 km (22 mi) stretch between Highway 35 / 115 and Cobourg , the 44 km (27 mi) stretch between Colborne and Belleville , the 66 km (41 mi) stretch between Belleville and Kingston , and
13930-419: The 14-lane cross-section to 10, divided only at the centre. It remains this width as it passes into Ajax , before narrowing to six lanes at Salem Road. Planned expansions east of Salem to improve flow leading into the Highway 412 and Lakeridge Road interchanges will see the highway widened to ten lanes as far as Brock Street in Whitby, where the existing interchange will be reconfigured. East of Ajax,
14129-455: The 1990s) but these varieties are severely endangered or presumed extinct. French is one of two official languages in Haiti alongside Haitian Creole . It is the principal language of education, administration, business, and public signage and is spoken by all educated Haitians. It is also used for ceremonial events such as weddings, graduations, and church masses. The vast majority of the population speaks Haitian Creole as their first language;
14328-773: The 20th century, when it was replaced by English as the United States became the dominant global power following the Second World War . Stanley Meisler of the Los Angeles Times said that the fact that the Treaty of Versailles was written in English as well as French was the "first diplomatic blow" against the language. During the Grand Siècle (17th century), France, under the rule of powerful leaders such as Cardinal Richelieu and Louis XIV , enjoyed
14527-537: The Ambassador Bridge. In 2022, the Detroit Free Press reported that Moroun's family were preparing a case for damages, following the acquisition of properties by eminent domain for bridge construction. Snyder stated that he had "not [been] crazy" about naming the bridge the Detroit River International Crossing, noting that "DRIC" was intended only to be the name of the commission sponsoring
14726-578: The American side of the river were owned by Manuel Moroun, owner of the Ambassador Bridge. An estimated 30 of the 900 properties needed were considered to be problems if the owners resist selling. In July 2016, the CBC reported Dwight Duncan , the former finance minister for Ontario had advised the Government of Canada to consider buying the Ambassador Bridge from Moroun. In a joint statement released after
14925-585: The Canadian Port of Entry. Other artworks are being developed, with Canadian artist Jordan Sook commissioned to create an artwork to commemorate the Underground Railroad . Sook was chosen from a selection of Canadian artists from the Black, African and Caribbean diaspora . Canadian artist Douglas Coupland has been commissioned to provide architectural lighting for the bridge. In Canada,
15124-647: The Canadian capital, is also effectively bilingual, as it has a large population of federal government workers, who are required to offer services in both French and English, and is just across the river from the Quebecois city of Gatineau . According to the United States Census Bureau (2011), French is the fourth most spoken language in the United States after English, Spanish, and Chinese, when all forms of French are considered together and all dialects of Chinese are similarly combined. French
15323-600: The Canadian federal government, paid for by bridge tolls. Construction is expected to be completed in 2025. The passage across the Detroit River between the United States and Canada has been an important traffic route since the American Civil War , with ferries transporting goods and people across the river. A railway tunnel ( Michigan Central Railway Tunnel ) was opened in July 1910, a suspension bridge for road traffic ( Ambassador Bridge ) opened in November 1929, and
15522-646: The Canadian side of Moroun ownership of the Ambassador Bridge, began running advertisements against the DRIC proposal, calling it a "$ 2.2 billion road to nowhere". The phone number listed for Canadian Transit Company forwarded to a phone number in Michigan, and the Canadian Transit Company previously held its 2011 annual meeting at the offices of the Detroit International Bridge Company. MPP Dwight Duncan advised that he
15721-471: The Canadian side of the crossing. The project will include several pieces of public art . During construction, artworks by local artists were placed on the jump forms within which the bridge towers were built. The art on the Canadian bridge tower was undertaken by artists from Walpole Island First Nation and Caldwell First Nation , with the art on the American bridge tower undertaken by Roberto Villalobos, an artist from Southwest Detroit. Following removal,
15920-854: The Caribbean that are collectively referred to as the French West Indies , namely Guadeloupe , Saint Barthélemy , Saint Martin , and Martinique . French is the official language of both French Guiana on the South American continent, and of Saint Pierre and Miquelon , an archipelago off the coast of Newfoundland in North America. French was the official language of the colony of French Indochina , comprising modern-day Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia . It continues to be an administrative language in Laos and Cambodia, although its influence has waned in recent decades. In colonial Vietnam,
16119-518: The Delray neighborhood, which is the site of the U.S. Customs facility. A US$ 33 million neighborhood improvement fund for the neighborhood was set up. Residents of the area can stay and have their home renovated or move to a renovated home in a different neighborhood. In May 2018, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against Moroun's attempt to stop expropriations on the Michigan side of
16318-597: The Department of Highways began construction on a new bridge over the large valley, bypassing the former alignment around West Hill . From here the highway was constructed on a new alignment to Oshawa, avoiding construction on the congested Highway 2. As grading and bridge construction neared completion on the new highway between West Hill and Oshawa in September 1939, World War II broke out and gradually tax revenues were re-allocated from highway construction to
16517-563: The Detroit River. With traffic crossing the border expected to grow from 18,500 vehicles a day in 2016 to 26,500 by 2025, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will provide an orderly flow of people and goods between the two countries. Transport Canada retained the engineering firms, Morrison Hershfield , Davis Langdon , and Delcan to develop cost estimates for right of way and utility relocation; design and construction; and operation and maintenance on
16716-474: The E. C. Row Expressway. In the United States, the bridge will connect to Interstate 75 with dedicated ramps. 3 km (1.9 mi) of the highway is being rebuilt and widened, local roads will be improved and new pedestrian bridges will be built across the highway. Noise walls will also be built to mitigate impacts to the Southwest Detroit neighbourhood. The multi-use path on the bridge will be
16915-424: The E. C. Row's opposing carriageways for a short distance. Highway 401 then changes to a southeast direction as it descends into a trench and runs alongside Highway 3 (Huron Church Road and Talbot Road). This below-grade section of the highway has 11 tunnels to cross underneath surface streets (including those carrying the Highway 3 routing). After passing under Howard Avenue and the ramps to Talbot Road,
17114-538: The Empire, this local elite had been slowly abandoning Gaulish entirely, but the rural and lower class populations remained Gaulish speakers who could sometimes also speak Latin or Greek. The final language shift from Gaulish to Vulgar Latin among rural and lower class populations occurred later, when both they and the incoming Frankish ruler/military class adopted the Gallo-Roman Vulgar Latin speech of
17313-541: The GTA, three separate segments of Highway 401 employ a collector-express system , a concept inspired by the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago. The system divides each direction of travel into segregated collector and express lanes, giving the highway a wide span and four carriageways . Unlike the collector lanes, which provide access to every interchange, the express lanes only provide direct access to
17512-484: The Germanic Frankish language , which non-exhaustively included the use in upper-class speech and higher registers of V2 word order , a large percentage of the vocabulary (now at around 15% of modern French vocabulary ) including the impersonal singular pronoun on (a calque of Germanic man ), and the name of the language itself. Up until its later stages, Old French , alongside Old Occitan , maintained
17711-404: The Gordie Howe International Bridge escalated by CA$ 3.5 billion as the value of the Canadian dollar declined in 2015–2016. In January 2016, it was reported, due to exchange rates and increased inflation, costs could rise to CA$ 4.8 billion . In July 2016, it was announced many properties that would be required to build the bridge were still in the hands of private landowners. Some properties on
17910-463: The Highway 410 interchange was a better connection point than the original suggested terminus at the Highway 401-427 interchange, but would also require the widening of Highway 401 from six lanes to twelve. Plans were submitted and approved in December 1977 by Mississauga city council, and construction began. The first section of Highway 403 between Cawthra Road and Highway 401
18109-643: The Indian Ocean, 15% in North Africa and the Middle East, 8% in the Americas, and 1% in Asia and Oceania. French is the second most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union . Of Europeans who speak other languages natively, approximately one-fifth are able to speak French as a second language. French is the second most taught foreign language in the EU. All institutions of the EU use French as
18308-537: The Kennedy Road overpass was replaced, cast-in-place concrete flyover ramps were constructed from 1988 to late 1990 to link up Highway 401 and Highway 410, notably the 11-span flyover ramp from Highway 401 eastbound to Highway 410 northbound which remains the longest in the Greater Toronto Area, while the Highway 410 southbound to Highway 401 eastbound flyover replaced
18507-606: The Latin spoken in Gaul , and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl —languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French ( Francien ) largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the ( Germanic ) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to
18706-563: The Michigan Department of Transportation to make way for the proposed new bridge. The group's state director said the fake notices were intended to get residents to contact state lawmakers, to ask them to vote against the bridge project. Americans for Prosperity charged that the project would be a waste of taxpayer money if toll revenues did not cover debt service. In July 2011, the Canadian Transit Company ,
18905-415: The Michigan government to pass it, due to Canada being Ohio's largest foreign trade partner, with US$ 35.8 billion per year in goods traded between Ohio and Canada. In 2011, the bridge was tentatively scheduled for completion in 2016, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. It was estimated the bridge would generate $ 70.4 million in toll revenues in its first year of operation. In 2010,
19104-451: The OIF, approximately 321 million people worldwide are "able to speak the language" as of 2022, without specifying the criteria for this estimation or whom it encompasses. In Francophone Africa, it is spoken mainly as a second language. However it has also become a native language in a number of urban areas, especially in regions like Ivory Coast , Cameroon , Gabon, Madagascar , and
19303-606: The Senate. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder supported construction of the new crossing in his first State of the State address on January 19, 2011. His plan would leverage Canadian money to receive a 160 percent match—totaling $ 2.2 billion—on funding from the Federal Highway Administration in a deal reached the week previous to the speech. In August 2011, Michigan State Senator Mike Kowall , when asked by
19502-503: The United States and Canada in the early 2010s. Lawsuits by Moroun alleged that the crossing agreement was illegal and the Ambassador Bridge had "exclusivity rights". These lawsuits were denied, along with various attempts to stop property expropriations, allowing the project to continue. The "Bridging North America" consortium was selected in July 2018 to design, build, operate and maintain the bridge, and construction began that month. The CA$ 3.8 billion cost of construction will be funded by
19701-401: The bridge and the road tunnel lack direct highway connections on the Canadian side, with city streets and traffic lights between them and Ontario Highway 401 . In the early 2000s, work was begun to investigate the need for a future crossing of the Detroit River by a bi-national partnership of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration , Transport Canada , Ontario Ministry of Transportation and
19900-504: The bridge in Detroit's Delray neighborhood. The plaza will have a budget of around US$ 250 million, and be recouped through tolls. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will provide a first-year investment of US$ 150 million, and an "ongoing annual requirement" of US$ 50 million, to cover the plaza's operational and staffing costs. On May 14, 2015, during an event attended by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it
20099-469: The bridge on both sides of the Detroit River had been completed, with road deck construction underway. By November 2022, over 150 m (490 ft) of the bridge towers had been completed. The WDBA noted that the bridge could open in 2025 owing to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, however the builder of the bridge noted they were pushing for a 2024 opening date. By May 2023, cables used to hold up
20298-429: The bridge on the Canadian side was hampered by concerns it could affect Ontario's last known habitat of Butler's garter snakes . During the construction process, biologists relocated the snakes (including eastern fox snakes , and the garters—of which there were a larger number than originally thought), with their new habitats protected by a specially-designed above and below-ground fencing system along affected portions of
20497-545: The bridge over a 30 year period. Construction began on July 17, 2018, with groundbreaking by Minister of Infrastructure Amarjeet Sohi and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. On September 28, 2018, the WDBA announced the project would cost CA$ 3.8 billion to construct, part of a CA$ 5.7 billion contract with Bridging North America. The bridge was to be completed by the end of 2024. In 2019, preparatory work for major construction continued, with cleaning of contaminated land . An effort by
20696-467: The bridge towers. Construction was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic , with changes to working practices, travel restrictions and material shortages. In January 2021, foundation work for the bridge towers had been completed, and construction of the 220 m (722 ft) bridge towers was underway. In March 2021, work began to construct the buildings in the Canadian port of entry. By March 2022, legs of
20895-447: The bridge will connect to an extension of Ontario Highway 401 locally named the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway, on its east side. The parkway is below-grade and has six through-lanes. It follows (but does not replace) Talbot Road and Huron Church Road from a new interchange at the former end of Highway 401 to the E. C. Row Expressway , where it runs concurrently westward for 2 km (1.2 mi). From there, it turns northwest and follows
21094-404: The bridge's construction and management. The Canadian government allocated US$ 25 million to begin land acquisition on the Detroit side on May 22, 2013. In January 2015, Parsons Corporation was named the general engineering consultant for the bridge. On February 18, 2015, Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt announced Canada would fund the construction of a customs plaza on the U.S. side of
21293-406: The bridge, and not the bridge itself. Concerns were also acknowledged that the abbreviated name was too close to that of the Detroit International Bridge Company (DIBC)—that would be too sensitive given its objections to the project. Sometime afterward, the working name for the project became the New International Trade Crossing (NITC), garnering the endorsement of 139 organizations and individuals. It
21492-555: The centennial celebrations. The remainder of the bypass was opened to traffic on October 11, 1968 Finally, on October 11, 1968, the Thousand Islands Bypass opened. This final piece was commemorated with a plaque to signify the completion of Highway 401. In Toronto, engineers and surveyors were examining the four-lane bypass, while planners set about designing a way to handle the commuter highway. In 1963, transportation minister Charles MacNaughton announced
21691-579: The collector and express lanes, carried an average of 360,300 vehicles daily in 2019. The highway is one of the major backbones of a network in the Great Lakes region , connecting the populous Quebec City –Windsor corridor with Michigan, New York and central Ontario's cottage country . It is the principal connection between Toronto and Montreal , becoming Autoroute 20 at the Ontario–Quebec border. Highway 401 does not yet extend across
21890-449: The construction of the bridge, US$ 20 million was allocated to various community benefit projects in both the United States and Canada. Projects included support for local community groups, improvements to local parks and trails, and improvements to local streets. Grants were also awarded for home improvements in Delray, and to Walpole Island First Nation. Contractors were also encouraged to employ residents of Detroit and Windsor, and
22089-525: The country near French-speaking Quebec, however, it is the foreign language more commonly taught. Vowel phonemes in French Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway King's Highway 401 , commonly referred to as Highway 401 and also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway or colloquially referred to as the four-oh-one , is a controlled-access 400-series highway in
22288-486: The course of a new dual highway mostly parallel to Highway 2, with precedence given to areas most hampered by congestion. Unlike the QEW, this highway would not be built along an existing road, but rather on a new right-of-way, avoiding the need to provide access to properties. Along with immense improvements to machinery and construction techniques over its six-year course, the war provided planners an opportunity to conduct
22487-519: The demographic prospects of the French-speaking nations of Africa, researcher Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry wrote in 2014 that French "could be the language of the future". However, some African countries such as Algeria intermittently attempted to eradicate the use of French, and as of 2024 it was removed as an official language in Mali and Burkina Faso . Significant as a judicial language, French
22686-471: The early 1990s. It was extended westward in stages during the 2010s to include the interchanges with Hurontario Street, Mavis Road, and Mississauga Road; with the final extension to Winston Churchill being completed in 2022. The east end of this section, running south of Toronto Pearson International Airport , reaches the Highway's widest point, at 18 lanes. Approaching the City of Toronto's western border,
22885-489: The early 2000s, the project was met with prominent opposition by Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel "Matty" Moroun , who believed competition from a publicly owned bridge would reduce his revenue. A Canadian federal Crown corporation , the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority , was established in 2012 to coordinate the bridge's construction and management. Environmental approvals and other permits were approved in
23084-459: The eastern section through Scarborough, that it "winds smoothly through pastures across streams and rivers, and beside green thickets. It seems a long way from the big city." By 1959 however, the bypass was a lineup of cars, as 85,000 drivers crowded the roadway, designed to handle a maximum of 48,000 vehicles, on a daily basis. Motorists found the new road to be a convenient way of travelling across Toronto; this convenience helped influence
23283-459: The eastern system from Neilson Road to Brock Road in Pickering in the late 1980s, but took over a decade to reach fruition by 1997. This was followed shortly thereafter by the widening of the highway through Ajax and a new interchange at Pickering Beach Road (renamed Salem Road) and Stevenson Road. The 1990s also saw the first step in widening the highway from Toronto to London, by replacing
23482-448: The economic power of the countries using the language, the number of major areas in which the language is used, and the linguistic prestige associated with the mastery of the language (Weber highlighted that French in particular enjoys considerable linguistic prestige). In a 2008 reassessment of his article, Weber concluded that his findings were still correct since "the situation among the top ten remains unchanged." Knowledge of French
23681-594: The elites primarily spoke French, while many servants who worked in French households spoke a French pidgin known as " Tây Bồi " (now extinct). After French rule ended, South Vietnam continued to use French in administration, education, and trade. However, since the Fall of Saigon and the opening of a unified Vietnam's economy, French has gradually been effectively displaced as the first foreign language of choice by English in Vietnam. Nevertheless, it continues to be taught as
23880-576: The end of 1960, the Toronto section of the highway was extended both eastwards and westwards: first east from Newcastle to Port Hope on June 30; then later west from Highway 25 in Milton to Highway 8 south of Kitchener on November 17. By mid-1961, the section between Brighton and Marysville had opened. The gap to the east, from Highway 28 in Port Hope to Highway 30 in Brighton
24079-502: The entire length of Highway 401. Signs designating the freeway and shields with the letters 'M-C' were installed, but these had been removed by 1997. In 2003, 38 years after Robarts' naming of the highway, a Member of Provincial Parliament attempted to get the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway highway name enshrined into law; the bill only passed first reading and was not enacted. In the 1970s, Highway 401
24278-515: The fertile clay soil deposited throughout the region. The main river through the region is the Thames River , which drains the second largest watershed in southern Ontario and largely influences the land use surrounding the highway. It parallels the route to the north between Tilbury and Woodstock. Near Tilbury, Highway 401 loses its tall wall median barrier and narrows to four lanes, following lot lines laid between concession roads in
24477-516: The first government authority to adopt Modern French as official was the Aosta Valley in 1536, while the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts (1539) named French the language of law in the Kingdom of France . During the 17th century, French replaced Latin as the most important language of diplomacy and international relations ( lingua franca ). It retained this role until approximately the middle of
24676-714: The first legal pedestrian crossing of the Detroit River, connecting to local streets and trails on both of its sides. The bridge will be part of the Trans Canada Trail , linking trail networks on both sides of the river including the Canadian Great Lakes Waterfront Trail , as well as the American Iron Belle Trail and the Great Lakes Way. Crossing the bridge on foot or cycle will be free. Alongside
24875-915: The former Yugoslavia , International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda , the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea the International Criminal Court and the World Trade Organization Appellate Body . It is the sole internal working language of the Court of Justice of the European Union , and makes with English the European Court of Human Rights 's two working languages. In 1997, George Weber published, in Language Today ,
25074-492: The future bridge deck were starting to be installed. In August 2023, the US bridge tower reached its final height of 220 m (722 ft), with the Canadian bridge tower completed in December 2023. In October 2023, the WDBA explained that major construction would likely be completed by the end of 2024, with elements such as signs and lighting taking another six months to install. WDBA also noted that around 2,300 people were working on
25273-829: The gender of the corresponding word in Gaulish. The estimated number of French words that can be attributed to Gaulish is placed at 154 by the Petit Robert , which is often viewed as representing standardized French, while if non-standard dialects are included, the number increases to 240. Known Gaulish loans are skewed toward certain semantic fields, such as plant life ( chêne , bille , etc.), animals ( mouton , cheval , etc.), nature ( boue , etc.), domestic activities (ex. berceau ), farming and rural units of measure ( arpent , lieue , borne , boisseau ), weapons, and products traded regionally rather than further afield. This semantic distribution has been attributed to peasants being
25472-657: The grass median with the addition of a third traffic lane per direction separated by a tall-wall concrete median barrier. The segment from London to Woodstock received this upgrade first, with the expansion shortly east of the split for Highway 403's newly constructed western segment. A project in the mid-1990s brought the highway up to a minimum of six lanes between Highway 8 in Kitchener and Highway 35 / 115 in Newcastle. Other projects prepared sections for eventual widening. In its 2007 plan for southern Ontario,
25671-691: The highest point above the Detroit River, the bridge will be 46 m (151 ft) above the water. The bridge will have six lanes for automotive traffic, and a bicycle and walking path. On the U.S side, the port of entry will encompass 68 hectares (170 acres) with border inspection facilities, directly connecting to Interstate 75 with dedicated highway ramps. On the Canadian side, the port of entry will encompass 53 hectares (130 acres) with border inspection facilities, toll collection and bridge maintenance facilities. It will directly connect to Ontario Highway 401. The bicycle and walking path will connect to new and existing trails as well as bike lanes on both sides of
25870-519: The highway ascends as it crosses the Grand River followed by interchanges with King Street (Waterloo Regional Road 8) and Highway 8 before returning to its eastward orientation. Between Highway/Regional Road 8 and Highway/Regional Road 24 in Cambridge, the highway was widened in 2020 to twelve lanes to accommodate the growing traffic using that segment. Beyond Highway/Regional Road 24,
26069-507: The highway could be completed, Thomas McQuesten was appointed the new minister of the Department of Highways, with Robert Melville Smith as deputy minister, following the 1934 provincial elections . Smith, inspired by the German autobahns —new "dual-lane divided highways "—modified the design for Ontario roads, and McQuesten ordered the Middle Road be converted into this new form of highway. A 40 m (130 ft) right-of-way
26268-675: The highway crosses Hogg's Hollow over the West Don River on what is the busiest multi-span bridge crossing in North America, followed immediately by an interchange with Yonge Street which is also the centre of Toronto. Eastward the highway descends as it crosses Oriole GO Station , Leslie Street, and the East Don River in succession. It then climbs toward an interchange with the Don Valley Parkway and Highway 404 , which provides access to downtown Toronto and
26467-565: The highway except at infrequent controlled-access points. It was announced in the days thereafter this concept would be applied to a new "trans-provincial expressway", running from Windsor to the Ontario–Quebec border. Highway engineers evaluated factors such as grading, curve radius, and the narrow median used along the Middle Road—which was inaugurated on August 23, 1940, as the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) —and began to plan
26666-460: The highway passes through the second 3.5 km (2.2 mi) rural gap, and enters Whitby . The stretch of Highway 401 through Whitby and Oshawa features several structures completed during the initial construction of the highway in the 1940s. Several of these structures are to be demolished, either due to their age, or to prepare for the planned widening of Highway 401 through this area. A former Canadian National Railway overpass, which
26865-552: The highway returns to a six-lane cross section and meanders towards Milton , passing through hills and rock cuts along the way. As Highway 401 approaches the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) from the west, it rounds Rattlesnake Point (part of the ecologically protected Niagara Escarpment ) to the west of Milton. Upon entering the town, it enters the first urbanized section of the GTA, passing through two rural areas between there and Oshawa. Part of this rural gap
27064-452: The highway runs parallel to the former Highway 2 along the shore of the St. Lawrence River within the St. Lawrence Valley . Northeast of Brockville is the interchange with Highway 416, which heads north to Ottawa . At the Ontario–Quebec border, Highway 401 becomes Autoroute 20 and continues to Montreal. The MTO publishes yearly traffic volume data for provincial highways, expressed as an average daily vehicle count over
27263-409: The highway then curves northeast and ascends back to the surface. At the split with Dougall Parkway (former Highway 3B) which links to the Detroit–Windsor tunnel , the highway turns east and exits Windsor. From here, Highway 401 mostly parallels the former route of Highway 98 from Windsor to Tilbury. Southwestern Ontario is flat, primarily agricultural land, that takes advantage of
27462-414: The highway was opened between Weston and Highway 27 in September 1955. The entire bypass, including the widening of Highway 27 into an expressway south of Highway 401, was completed in August 1956. Upon its opening, the bypass was described by one reporter as "a motorist's dream" providing "some of the most soothing scenery in the Metropolitan area". The reporter continued, with regard to
27661-401: The language are very closely related to those of the rest of the French-speaking world. French is the second most commonly spoken language in Canada and one of two federal official languages alongside English. As of the 2021 Canadian census , it was the native language of 7.7 million people (21% of the population) and the second language of 2.9 million (8% of the population). French
27860-424: The language, although it has now given way to Tamil and English. A former French mandate , Lebanon designates Arabic as the sole official language, while a special law regulates cases when French can be publicly used. Article 11 of Lebanon's Constitution states that "Arabic is the official national language. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used". The French language in Lebanon
28059-501: The language. The Act applies to areas of the province where there are significant Francophone communities, namely Eastern Ontario and Northern Ontario . Elsewhere, sizable French-speaking minorities are found in southern Manitoba, Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island and the Port au Port Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the unique Newfoundland French dialect was historically spoken. Smaller pockets of French speakers exist in all other provinces. The Ontarian city of Ottawa ,
28258-419: The large reconstruction project, which included complex new interchanges at Highway 27, Highway 400, the planned Spadina Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway. The system was completed in 1972, along with the Highway 27 (renamed Highway 427) bypass between the QEW and Pearson Airport. Most of the interchanges in Toronto were reconstructed as partial cloverleafs and a continuous lighting system
28457-428: The last to hold onto Gaulish. The beginning of French in Gaul was greatly influenced by Germanic invasions into the country. These invasions had the greatest impact on the northern part of the country and on the language there. A language divide began to grow across the country. The population in the north spoke langue d'oïl while the population in the south spoke langue d'oc . Langue d'oïl grew into what
28656-402: The most direct path from Detroit to Buffalo. By 1956, construction had begun on a segment between Highway 4 in London and Highway 2 in Woodstock, as well as on the section between Windsor and Tilbury. In 1958, a section bypassing Morrisburg was opened to accommodate traffic displaced from a portion of Highway 2 through The Lost Villages of the Saint Lawrence Seaway . By
28855-405: The murals were subsequently donated to organisations and municipalities on both sides of the river. A piece by Canadian artist Sara Graham involves cast concrete patterns on the outside of a maintenance building. An 3 m (9.8 ft) high sculpture of tree bark by Anishinaabe artist Michael Belmore recognizes and celebrates First Nations , which will be visible as traffic enters and leaves
29054-434: The name would have been symbolic of him having come from Canada to spend his NHL career in Detroit. French language French ( français [fʁɑ̃sɛ] or langue française [lɑ̃ɡ fʁɑ̃sɛːz] ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family . Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire . French evolved from Gallo-Romance ,
29253-420: The necessity and means to annihilate the patois and to universalize the use of the French language". When public education was made compulsory , only French was taught and the use of any other ( patois ) language was punished. The goals of the public school system were made especially clear to the French-speaking teachers sent to teach students in regions such as Occitania and Brittany . Instructions given by
29452-475: The other main foreign language in the Vietnamese educational system and is regarded as a cultural language. All three countries are full members of La Francophonie (OIF). French was the official language of French India , consisting of the geographically separate enclaves referred to as Puducherry . It continued to be an official language of the territory even after its cession to India in 1956 until 1965. A small number of older locals still retain knowledge of
29651-440: The other two were not completed until July 31, 1964. The last segment, to the Ontario–Quebec border, was opened on November 10, 1964. As originally envisioned by McQuesten, Highway 401 had been routed along the Thousand Islands Parkway since 1952. However, by then numerous properties and a tourist industry were established, which had not been present when the parkway originally opened in 1938. James Auld , MPP for Leeds and
29850-419: The parkway, east of the E. C. Row interchange, opened on June 28, 2015, with the remaining section completed and opened on November 21. The widening of the highway between Highway/Regional Road 8 in Kitchener to Townline Road in Cambridge to at least ten lanes was completed by December 22, 2023. There are plans underway to widen the remaining four-lane sections between Windsor and London to six lanes and to widen
30049-401: The preferred language of certain institutions or administrations such as the Court of Justice of the European Union , where it is the sole internal working language, or the Directorate-General for Agriculture . Since 2016, Brexit has rekindled discussions on whether or not French should again hold greater role within the institutions of the European Union. A leading world language , French
30248-509: The project to proceed. The Canadian federal government would fund bridge construction, land acquisition in Michigan and the construction of Interstate 75 on-ramps. The Canadian contribution will be repaid from bridge tolls collected on the Canadian side, and no tolls will be charged on the U.S. side. The crossing agreement also included community benefits for residents on both sides of the Detroit River, including improvements to local neighbourhoods affected by bridge construction. On April 12, 2013,
30447-420: The project. An extension of Ontario Highway 401 to the future bridge was also proposed – construction on this extension began in 2011, with the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway opening in 2015. The various environmental approvals for the project were approved in both the United States and Canada in 2009. In 2009, the Ohio State Senate passed a non-binding resolution expressing support for the crossing, and urged
30646-465: The project. In late 2019, Trump signed the first U.S. funding for customs and border protection for the bridge into law. In May 2018, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against Moroun's attempt to stop expropriations on the Michigan side of the river, allowing construction of the bridge to begin. Further efforts by Moroun to prevent construction were denied in June 2020. In July 2020, Matty Moroun died aged 93, with his family maintaining their ownership of
30845-443: The province to the municipality in 1998) merges into it, followed immediately by an interchange with Kingston Road and Port Union Road/ Sheppard Avenue , then crossing the Rouge Valley into Pickering. West of Pickering, Highway 401 again meets former Highway 2, which thereafter parallels it to the Ontario–Quebec border. As the highway approaches Brock Road in Pickering, the collector and express lanes converge, narrowing
31044-407: The rest largely speak French as a first language. As a French Creole language , Haitian Creole draws the large majority of its vocabulary from French, with influences from West African languages, as well as several European languages. It is closely related to Louisiana Creole and the creole from the Lesser Antilles . French is the sole official language of all the overseas territories of France in
31243-542: The river, allowing construction of the U.S. plaza to begin. On July 5, 2018, WDBA was announced the consortium "Bridging North America" had been awarded the bridge contract, using a design, build, finance, operate and maintain structure. The consortium consisted of AECOM for design; Dragados Canada, Fluor Corporation , and Aecon for construction; and ACS Infrastructure , Fluor, and Aecon for operations and maintenance. Following construction, Bridging North America will receive monthly payments for operating and maintaining
31442-498: The road followed the shore of the Saint Lawrence River and connected with the western end of the twinned Highway 2 near Brockville. In addition, the highway between Highland Creek and Oshawa was opened as a gravel-surfaced road in May 1942. Following the war, construction resumed on roadways throughout Ontario. The expressway between Highland Creek and Oshawa was completed in December 1947 and designated as Highway 2A, while other sections languished. The Toronto–Barrie Highway
31641-421: The route between Cambridge and Milton as well as through Oshawa . The expansive twelve-plus-lane collector–express system through Toronto and Pickering , and partially across Mississauga , was extended west to Milton in December 2022. Highway 401 extends across Southwestern , Central and Eastern Ontario . In anticipation of the future expansion of the highway, the transportation ministry purchased
31840-567: The same day Highway 400 was numbered), the Highland Creek to Oshawa expressway (Highway 2A) and Highway 2S were designated Controlled-Access Highway No 401 , a move scorned by one critic because of the lack of thought given to the numbered name. Construction was completed for several sections of the Toronto Bypass: between Highway 400 and Dufferin Street in August, west to Weston Road in September, east to Bathurst Street in October and finally to Yonge Street in December. A 3.4 km (2.1 mi) stub of Highway 2A which
32039-509: The single carriageway of Highway 401 curves northeast and follows a power transmission corridor to the east end of Highway 409 where the highways merge and the 401 returns to its east–west route through Toronto. This is also the west end of the third and longest express-collector segment (43.7 km (27.2 mi)) which crosses the rest of the city to Brock Road in Pickering in the east. The 5 km (3.1 mi) gap with no express/collector split between Highways 427 and 409
32238-413: The site at the peak of construction. In January 2024, the WDBA announced that the bridge would open by fall 2025, a delay of 10 months from the planned opening date owing to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also confirmed that the bridge deck would be completed in 2024. The two sides were permanently connected during the early morning hours of June 14, 2024. The cable-stayed bridge design
32437-477: The south of Woodstock, Highway 401 curves northeast as Highway 403 splits off. The freeway then meets the former Highway 2 at an interchange, reconfigured from a cloverleaf to a five-ramp parclo in the late 2000s, near the Toyota West Plant . From here the highway heads towards Kitchener and Cambridge , substantially north of the route of the former Highway 2 which has been bypassed by Highway 403's western leg. Heading towards Kitchener,
32636-413: The span of a year (AADT). The table below compares the AADT at several locations along Highway 401 using data from 1969, 1988, 2008 and 2016. Highway 401's history predates its designation by over two decades. As automobile use in southern Ontario grew in the early 20th century, road design and construction advanced significantly. Following frequent erosion of Lake Shore Road, then macadamized ,
32835-491: The span. But pesky U.S. special-interest politics intrude once again," as he reviewed a number of "U.S. government actions (and inactions) that show little concern about Canadian concerns". Mann drew from a Maclean's article sub-titled "We used to be friends" about U.S.–Canada relations after the Keystone Pipeline , the bridge, and other "insulting" decisions. In June 2012, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced an agreement allowing
33034-420: The start of Highway 401's westbound collectors lanes in this section. This system was originally designed to accommodate and organize various traffic movements from the Highway 403 / 410 and Highway 427 interchanges along Highway 401, replacing an earlier plan that would have run Highway 403 directly to Eglinton Avenue and the never-built Richview Expressway . East of Highway 427,
33233-534: The suburban shift in the city and continues to be a driving force of urban sprawl today. Meanwhile, beyond Toronto, the highway was being built in a patchwork fashion, focusing on congested areas first. Construction west from Highway 27 began in late 1954, as did the Kingston Bypass in Eastern Ontario. Work began to connect the latter with the Scenic Highway in 1955. After the 1954 New York State Thruway opened from Buffalo to New York City , Michigan officials encouraged Ontario to bypass Highway 3 as
33432-510: The suburbs to the north, respectively. Between Birchmount Road and Midland Avenue, the freeway is elevated on a berm as it crosses three surface streets and two railway lines. Progressing eastward in Scarborough, the Highway 401 continues through mostly residential areas and Scarborough City Centre including the shopping mall . The highway eventually reaching the city's eastern edge where at Meadowvale Road it turns southeast briefly before it swings northeast as Highway 2A (downloaded from
33631-414: The total number of French speakers will reach approximately 500 million in 2025 and 650 million by 2050, largely due to rapid population growth in sub-Saharan Africa . OIF estimates 700 million French speakers by 2050, 80% of whom will be in Africa. In a study published in March 2014 by Forbes , the investment bank Natixis said that French could become the world's most spoken language by 2050. In
33830-619: The two official languages—along with Dutch —of the Brussels-Capital Region , where it is spoken by the majority of the population (approx. 80%), often as their primary language. French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, along with German, Italian, and Romansh , and is spoken in the western part of Switzerland, called Romandy , of which Geneva is the largest city. The language divisions in Switzerland do not coincide with political subdivisions, and some cantons have bilingual status: for example, cities such as Biel/Bienne and cantons such as Valais , Fribourg and Bern . French
34029-458: The two, was not considered since Lake Shore and Dundas were both overcrowded and in need of serious repairs. The road was formally opened on November 24, 1917, 5.5 m (18 ft) wide and nearly 64 km (40 mi) long. It was the first concrete road in Ontario, as well as one of the longest stretches of concrete road between two cities in the world. Over the next decade, vehicle usage increased substantially, and by 1920, Lakeshore Road
34228-508: The urban intellectual elite. The Gaulish language likely survived into the sixth century in France despite considerable Romanization . Coexisting with Latin, Gaulish helped shape the Vulgar Latin dialects that developed into French contributing loanwords and calques (including oui , the word for "yes"), sound changes shaped by Gaulish influence, and influences in conjugation and word order. Recent computational studies suggest that early gender shifts may have been motivated by
34427-425: The use of French in official government publications, public education except in specific cases, and legal contracts; advertisements must bear a translation of foreign words. In Belgium, French is an official language at the federal level along with Dutch and German. At the regional level, French is the sole official language of Wallonia (excluding a part of the East Cantons , which are German-speaking ) and one of
34626-464: The war effort. At the same time, between September 6 and 8, 1939, the Ontario Good Roads Association Conference was held at Bigwin Inn, near Huntsville , drawing highway engineers from across North America to discuss the new concept of "Dual Highways". On the first day of the convention, McQuesten announced his vision of the freeway: an uninterrupted drive through the scenic regions of Ontario, discouraging local business and local traffic from accessing
34825-427: The west, the first collector-express section through the GTA is 4.6 km (2.9 mi) long and runs from James Snow Parkway to Highway 407 . Beyond Highway 407, the freeway briefly narrows to 10 lanes east to Winston Churchill Boulevard , where the second section begins and runs 16.7 km (10.4 mi) to Highway 427 . The west end of this section initially terminated just west of Highway 410 in
35024-437: The widening of Highway 401 in Toronto from four to a minimum of 12 lanes between Islington Avenue and Markham Road . The design was taken from the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago, which was widened into a similar configuration around the same time. Construction began immediately. While the plan initially called for construction to end in 1967, it continued for nearly a decade. At least four lanes were always open during
35223-496: The wider Metro Detroit and Essex County areas, alongside work to provide apprenticeships and training to workers. The most vocal opposition to the new crossing came from American billionaire Manuel "Matty" Moroun (1927–2020), owner of the nearby Ambassador Bridge. He sued the governments of Canada and Michigan to stop its construction, and released a proposal to build a second span of the Ambassador Bridge (which he would have owned) instead. Critics suggest that Moroun's opposition
35422-481: The workplace. In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese . In English-speaking Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, French is the first foreign language taught and in number of pupils is far ahead of other languages. In the United States, French is the second-most commonly taught foreign language in schools and universities, although well behind Spanish. In some areas of
35621-402: The world's French-speaking population lives in Africa. According to a 2023 estimate from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie , an estimated 167 million African people spread across 35 countries and territories can speak French as either a first or a second language . This number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as
35820-418: Was again congested, particularly during weekends. In response, the Department of Highways examined improving another road between Toronto and Hamilton. The road was to be more than twice the width of Lakeshore Road at 12 m (39 ft) and would carry two lanes of traffic in either direction. Construction on what was then known as the Queen Street Extension west of Toronto began in early 1931. Before
36019-523: Was bypassed and the final intersection grade-separated near Kingston, making Highway 401 a freeway for its entire 817.9 km (508.2 mi) length. Since 2007, a portion of the highway between Trenton and Toronto has been designated the Highway of Heroes , as the route is travelled by funeral convoys for fallen Canadian Forces personnel from CFB Trenton to the coroner's office. Highway 401 previously ended at Highway 3 (Talbot Road) upon entering Windsor. In 2011, construction began on
36218-531: Was during the period of the Crusades in which French became so dominant in the Mediterranean Sea that became a lingua franca ("Frankish language"), and because of increased contact with the Arabs during the Crusades who referred to them as Franj , numerous Arabic loanwords entered French, such as amiral (admiral), alcool (alcohol), coton (cotton) and sirop (syrop), as well as scientific terms such as algébre (algebra), alchimie (alchemy) and zéro (zero). Within Old French many dialects emerged but
36417-534: Was fenced off but commonly used by pedestrians during Highway of Heroes repatriations, was demolished on the night of June 11, 2011. A second structure in Bowmanville was demolished during two overnight closures on July 9 and 16. At Harmony Road, the suburban surroundings quickly transition to agricultural land. The highway curves around the south side of Bowmanville and travels towards Highway 35 and Highway 115 . From east of Highway 35 and Highway 115 to Cobourg , Highway 401 passes through
36616-458: Was fueled by the prospect of lost profits from duty-free gasoline sales, which are exempt from about 60 cents per gallon in taxes even though the pump price to consumers is only a few cents lower. In early June 2011, the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity posted bogus eviction notices on homes in Detroit's Delray district. With the words "Eviction Notice" in large type, the notices told homeowners their properties could be taken by
36815-400: Was gradually adopted by the inhabitants of Gaul. As the language was learned by the common people, it developed a distinct local character, with grammatical differences from Latin as spoken elsewhere, some of which is attested in graffiti. This local variety evolved into the Gallo-Romance tongues, which include French and its closest relatives, such as Arpitan . The evolution of Latin in Gaul
37014-401: Was installed. On January 11, 1965, at the dinner celebration of Sir John A. Macdonald 's 150th birthday, the Premier of Ontario John Robarts designated Highway 401 the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway to honour Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier , two of Canada's Fathers of Confederation . Unlike other names later applied to the highway, the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway designation covers
37213-441: Was investigating whether or not the ads violated Ontario's election laws, which disallow public spending by foreign lobbyists. In 2012, Moroun spent more than US$ 30 million promoting a proposed amendment to the Michigan Constitution that, had it passed, would have required approval of both the voters of Detroit and the voters of Michigan in statewide elections to build the bridge. NPR affiliate network Michigan Public aired
37412-469: Was known in the Occitan-speaking region as Vergonha . Spoken by 19.71% of the European Union's population, French is the third most widely spoken language in the EU, after English and German and the second-most-widely taught language after English. Under the Constitution of France , French has been the official language of the Republic since 1992, although the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts made it mandatory for legal documents in 1539. France mandates
37611-429: Was not incorporated into Highway 401 remained a provincial route as a connector to Kingston Road . Extensions east and west began in 1953; the eastern extension to Bayview Avenue opened in April 1955, but the western extension was delayed by the damage caused by Hurricane Hazel on October 15, 1954, which nearly destroyed the new bridge over the Humber River . The reconstruction would take until July 8, 1955, and
37810-423: Was officially announced that the bridge would be known as the Gordie Howe International Bridge after Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe , whose celebrated career included 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings . In July 2015, WDBA began work procuring a consortium who would design, build and finance the construction of the bridge, as well as operate and maintain it over a 30 year period. The cost of building
38009-475: Was opened August 18, 1980; the original connecting ramps were built on the outer perimeter of the interchange to serve what would later be designated as the collector lanes of both routes, leaving sufficient right-of-way between for future ramps linking the express lanes of both routes. The 1980s saw more sections of Highway 401 widened. Most significant was the new collector-express system between Highway 403 / 410 and Highway 427, including
38208-474: Was opened on July 20 of that year. The gap between Woodstock and Kitchener was completed on November 9, 1961, while the gap between Tilbury and London was completed two lanes at a time; the westbound lanes on October 22, 1963, the eastbound on July 20, 1965. The gap between Marysville and Kingston was opened by 1962. The final sections, from west of Cornwall to Lancaster, were opened between 1962 and 1964; two lanes opened to Lancaster on September 11, 1962, but
38407-429: Was opened on September 1, 1967, from Gananoque to Highway 137, which was itself built south to the parkway at the same time. The Highway 401 designation was applied along this new route, while the bypassed portion of the parkway was redesignated as Highway 2S. Despite the expected influx of traffic from the United States for Expo 67 in Montreal, the DHO opted to build the portion east of Ivy Lea after
38606-424: Was purchased along the Middle Road and construction began to convert the existing sections to a divided highway. Work also began on Canada's first interchange at Highway 10. Beginning in 1935, McQuesten applied the concept of a dual-highway to several projects along Highway 2, including along Kingston Road in Scarborough Township. When widening in Scarborough reached the Highland Creek ravine in 1936,
38805-411: Was shaped by its coexistence for over half a millennium beside the native Celtic Gaulish language , which did not go extinct until the late sixth century, long after the fall of the Western Roman Empire . The population remained 90% indigenous in origin; the Romanizing class were the local native elite (not Roman settlers), whose children learned Latin in Roman schools. At the time of the collapse of
39004-437: Was the language they use the most at home rose from 67% at the 2007 census to 74% at the 2017 census. In Wallis and Futuna, the percentage of the population who reported that French was the language they use the most at home rose from 10% at the 2008 census to 13% at the 2018 census. According to a demographic projection led by the Université Laval and the Réseau Démographie de l'Agence universitaire de la Francophonie ,
39203-502: Was the primary focus of the Department of Highways at the time, and the onset of the Korean War in 1950 stalled construction again. Despite the delays, highway minister George Doucett officially announced the plans for construction of the new trans-provincial expressway that year, with the Toronto to Oshawa expressway serving as a model for the design. Work on the most important link, the Toronto Bypass , began in 1951, but it would not open with that name. In July 1952 (possibly July 1,
39402-433: Was under the NITC name that the project was approved by the U.S. State Department on April 12, 2013. In late 2010, David Bradley, president of the Ontario Trucking Association, proposed naming the bridge in honor of Canadian professional ice hockey player Gordie Howe, who played the bulk of his career for the Detroit Red Wings. The naming was supported by a number of Canadian politicians, along with Howe's son Marty —who felt
39601-451: Was widened to six lanes in Durham. Between 1977 and 1982, Highway 401 was widened from four to six lanes between Hurontario Street (Highway 10) to Highway 25, with the Jersey median barrier making its debut in Ontario in that segment. Plans had been completely modified to connect the under-construction Mississauga leg of Highway 403 from QEW to Highway 401 at the new Highway 410 interchange. For Highway 403,
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