Misplaced Pages

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59-486: The bottom of the canal was at a time proposed to become a roadbed for an extension of Highway 406 . However, that never came to be and the old canal was retained in an almost original state with the purpose of developing several recreational facilities and tourist attractions along its shores. The plans called for fishing platforms, water slides, boat rental points, as well as marine and rail historical exhibits. To date most of these plans have not been realized, but some are in

118-737: A Super two south towards East Main Street in Welland began during the fall of 1987, including an eastward extension of Woodlawn Road. Construction of the bridges that carry the extension over the Welland River and old canal began in mid-1988, and was completed during the fall of 1989. Work then began to grade and pave the Woodlawn Road Extension to Highway 406, which intersected with traffic signals. Grading and paving of Highway 406 also took place from Woodlawn Road to

177-537: A Trillium Railway spur (formerly at-grade, now over the railway), and meets Daimler Parkway and Woodlawn Road at a newly constructed interchange. Soon after, it crosses the Welland River and then the former channel of the canal, which was replaced by the current Welland By-Pass in the 1970s. The highway curves to the northwest as it passes through thick forest, and meets another newly built interchange with Merritt Road (formerly Highway 58 ), which as of 2009

236-672: A trumpet interchange with the QEW. Planning for Highway 406 began in early 1959, when Minister of Highways Fred M. Cass presented the Ontario Roads and Streets report to the Ontario Legislative Assembly on March 16, outlining highways needs for the province over 20 years. One of the planned routes was a freeway to link Highway 3 in Port Colborne with the QEW, travelling alongside

295-467: A 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph) limit on select stretches, and various collision avoidance and traffic management systems. The design of 400-series highways has set the precedent for a number of innovations used throughout North America , including the parclo interchange and a modified Jersey barrier design known as the Ontario Tall Wall. As a result, they currently experience one of

354-557: A 400-series highway may be built where the existing highway's traffic counts fall below 10,000. The MTO plans and finances the construction and maintenance of the King's Highway system, which includes the 400-series network. The system includes 1,971.8 kilometres (1,225.2 mi) of freeways. Highway 401 is the longest freeway at 828.0 kilometres (514.5 mi), in addition to being the widest and busiest road in Canada. Highway 420

413-411: A carefully cared for, elongated strip of land created when the old alignment of the canal was constructed basically parallel to the Welland River. Signs outlining the path and listing local attractions have been erected along the paths. The equally popular 140-km Greater Niagara Circle Route (GNCR) also runs along the canal, and is used by residents and tourists alike. Welland City Councillors placed

472-581: A full freeway; this work included a roundabout at East Main Street to replace the existing signalized intersection. Work on the Merritt Road overpass began in September 2009, and was scheduled for completion in mid-2011. On August 19, 2011, full construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony. The roundabout with East Main Street opened to traffic on September 5, 2013, featuring no central island. The existing signalized junction at Woodlawn Road

531-404: A minimum 4 lane cross-section with grade separation at all junctions. Interchanges tend to be spaced at least 1.5 kilometres apart in urban areas unless there are basket weave ramps or collector lanes to facilitated shorter merge distances. In rural areas, interchanges tend to be spaced at least 3 kilometres apart, although exceptions exist. When the cross-section of highway is larger than 10 lanes,

590-406: A motorboat prohibition on the waterway known as the "Go Quietly" by-law, turning the former shipping canal into a waterway suitable for kayaking, rowing, canoeing and paddle boating. The Welland Recreational Canal Corporation is an organization whose board of directors is made up of three members of city council and six citizens. The corporation is responsible for the protection and development of

649-435: A southward extension to Beaverdams Road in late 1969. The route was later extended south as a super two to Merritt Road where it became Highway 58 . In 1977, construction began to connect the freeway with the QEW; this was completed in late 1984. Construction resumed in 1987 to extend Highway 406 further south to Welland, albeit as a super two, where it ended at a signalized intersection at East Main Street and this

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708-735: A special subset of the provincial highway system . They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or the Autoroute system of neighbouring Quebec , and are regulated by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO). The 400-series designations were introduced in 1952, although Ontario had been constructing divided highways for two decades prior. Initially, only Highways  400 , 401 and 402 were numbered; other designations followed in

767-612: Is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario . The primary north–south route through the central portion of the Niagara Peninsula , Highway 406 connects Welland , Thorold and downtown St. Catharines to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW). Construction of Highway 406 began in 1963. The first section opened between St. Davids Road and Geneva Street on December 7, 1965, followed by

826-552: Is also built to 400-series standards, however a 400-series designation has yet to be applied. Most other freeways and expressways in Ontario that lack a 400-series designation have lower construction standards, lower design speeds and lower speed limits. The MTO began planning for the use of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes with the HOV Opportunities Study, contracted to McCormick Rankin in 2001. This led to

885-608: Is patrolled by the Ontario Provincial Police . The 406 designation begins at East Main Street in Welland at a roundabout immediately west of East Main Street Tunnel beneath the Welland Canal . From here the now-four-lane divided road veers northeast and travels parallel to the canal. Two golf courses separate the canal. As the highway passes to the west of them, it jogs to the west and crosses

944-485: Is the shortest of the routes at 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi). There are four examples of 400 series standard highways in Ontario that are not signed as such. The Gardiner Expressway between Highway 427 and Parklawn Road was originally built as a section of QEW (Hwy 451) and therefore is built to 400-series standards but lost its QEW designation after being downloaded to the City of Toronto. The section of Highway 7 between

1003-490: Is tied at the QEW, whereas the southern terminus has been relocated in various proposals. As a result, exits were unconventionally numbered from north to south. The entirety of Highway 406 is located within the Regional Municipality of Niagara .   400-series highways The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways in the Canadian province of Ontario , forming

1062-475: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices , Ontario utilizes green signs for guidance purposes, including distances to nearby interchanges and destinations. Generally, blue signage is used to list services and attractions at upcoming exits, known as Tourism-Oriented Directional Signing . However, several exceptions exist, notably blue guidance signage for toll highways such as Highway 407 , in addition to

1121-715: The Ontario Tall Wall median barrier and the Parclo A-4 interchange design, the latter which became standard in the design for the widening of Highway 401 through Toronto in 1962. The Institute of Traffic Engineers subsequently recommended this design to replace the cloverleaf interchange throughout North America. Ontario highways rank fourth in North America for fatality rates, with 0.61 fatalities per 10,000 licensed drivers in 2017. However, this also includes two-lane provincial highways. On May 1, 2019,

1180-401: The collector lanes of highways. The baseline standard for the construction of or expansion to a freeway in Ontario is an average daily traffic count of 10,000 vehicles per day. However, other factors are considered as well, particularly future traffic volume forecasts. To promote economic development in a disadvantaged region (e.g., the current extension of Highway 400 to Northern Ontario ),

1239-427: The 1930s. The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) was first, an upgrade to the partially constructed Middle Road in 1934. McQuesten also sought out the economic opportunities that came with linking Toronto to Detroit and New York state by divided roadways with interchanges at major crossroads. Although he no longer served as Minister of Highways by the onset of World War II , his ambitious plans would come to fruition in

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1298-526: The 1960s and 1970s, additional freeways were planned or built, including Highway 427 in Toronto, Highway 403 through Mississauga, Highway 410 north to Brampton and Highway 416 to connect Highways 401 and 417. Highway 420 was designated in Niagara Falls, though it had been built as part of the QEW in 1941. Other major works included the skyway bridges along the QEW and

1357-424: The 400-series network, several extensions of existing freeways have been built or are underway, including Highway 410 north of Brampton in 2009, Highway 400 to north of Parry Sound in 2010, Highway 417 to Arnprior in 2012, Highway 404 to Keswick in 2014, Highway 401 through Windsor in 2015, and four-laning Highway 406 to Welland in late 2015. The 400-series highways always have

1416-963: The Chedoke Expressway (Highway 403) through Hamilton ; the Don Valley Parkway Extension (Highway 404) northward from the soon-to-be constructed Toronto expressway; Highway 405 to connect with the American border near St. Catharines ; Highway 406 south from St. Catharines to Welland ; Highway 407 encircling the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), though not built for another 40 years; Highway 409 to connect Highway 401 with Toronto International Airport ; and The Queensway (Highway 417) through Ottawa. The first sections of these freeways were opened in 1963, 1977, 1963, 1965, 1997, 1974, and 1960, respectively. Throughout

1475-506: The MTO introduced a multibillion-dollar Horseshoe Network Project, which included plans to incorporate HOV lanes into numerous 400-series highways. By then, work was already advanced on several projects, including the northbound HOV lane on Highway 404 (that opened on July 23, 2007) and an HOV lane along both directions of Highway 403 between Highway 407 and Highway 401. A third pair of HOV lanes has since been introduced to

1534-895: The QEW/403 through Oakville, and a fourth individual HOV lane travels eastbound on Highway 417 from just west of Eagleson Road in Ottawa to just east of Moodie Drive. More than 450 kilometres (280 mi) of HOV lanes are currently proposed for construction by 2031. Future plans include extending existing HOV lanes and introducing them to other 400-series freeways. as of October 2014 , two projects have been confirmed: Highway 410 between Highway 401 and Queen Street in Brampton, and Highway 427 between Highway 409 and Highway 7. The MTO has stated that HOV lanes will only be introduced through new construction and that no general-purpose lanes will be converted. The general goals of

1593-473: The Welland Canal. By 1961, route studies and planning were well underway. The future route was designated as Highway 406 despite construction not beginning until 1963; the first section, between Geneva Street and St. Davids Road, opened December 7, 1965. This was followed several years later by an extension south to Beaverdams Road, which opened November 21, 1969. During the early 1970s,

1652-669: The area to build a solar farm, although no public consultation has occurred and no information is available from their website or financial statements. In 2023, it was announced that LIV Communities will build over 3,800 homes on nearly 62 hectares of land along the Waterway. It will be known as "Lock and Quay", and accessed via Towpath Ave. Construction will begin in 2026. 43°03′24″N 79°13′50″W  /  43.0568°N 79.23065°W  / 43.0568; -79.23065 Ontario Highway 406 King's Highway 406 (pronounced "four-oh-six"), commonly referred to as Highway 406 ,

1711-411: The canal and adjacent lands, and has inaugurated various programs, including a canoe/paddle boat rental facility and numerous fishing platforms. The Waterway is seen as a crucial part of plans for revival of downtown Welland . The Civic Square, housing the city hall and the library, was newly built by the canal. The Welland Recreational Waterway Master Plan is available online and details proposals for

1770-468: The canal in Welland that is undeveloped. The Northern Reach Park would conserve the area for recreation and wildlife habitat, and continue to provide opportunities for hikers, runners, mountain bikers and cross-country skiers, as well as naturalists, to engage with a "natural" landscape. The proposal also outlines the potential of the park for sport tourism. However, it was learned that the WRCC has plans to raze

1829-518: The city. Realignments to several streets in St. Catharines were completed in advance of construction on overpasses, ramps and the bridges over Twelve Mile Creek; this work was finished in late 1983. Grading contracts were awarded in mid-1983 for the entire extension. Paving took place during the summer of 1984, and the route was opened to traffic in October 1984. Further work to extend Highway 406 as

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1888-434: The end of the decade, construction of Highway 407 and Highway 416 had begun, and Highway 410 was expanded from two to four lanes. Highways 407 and 416 opened in the late 1990s. Until early 2015, Highways 407 and 416 were the most-recently designated (and constructed) freeways in Ontario. This has changed with the construction of Highways 412 and 418 . In addition to these new additions to

1947-558: The expansion of Highway 401 through most of Toronto into twelve-lane collector–express systems. By the mid-1980s, the network had more-or-less taken its current shape, with only Highways 407, 412, 416 and 418 yet to be built. Instead, emphasis was placed on expanding existing routes to accommodate increasing traffic volumes. However, extensions of Highway 400 towards Parry Sound , Highway 403 between Woodstock and Hamilton, Highway 404 towards Newmarket , and Highway 427 towards Vaughan were underway. By

2006-599: The following decades as Highways 400, 401, 402, 403 (between Woodstock and Hamilton), and 405. The construction boom following the war resulted in many new freeway construction projects in the province. The Toronto–Barrie Highway (Highway 400), Trans-Provincial Highway (Highway 401), a short expansion of Highway 7 approaching the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia (Highway 402), and an expansion of Highway 27 (eventually designated as Highway 427 by

2065-513: The future of the canal. In 2012, Bike Welland and ShortHills Cycling Club (SHCC) jointly presented a proposal to the Welland Recreational Canal Corporation (WRCC) for a 160-acre naturalized, urban park along the "northern reach" section of the Welland Canal. The land, which is embedded in the urban fabric, is already used by residents for hiking, trail running and mountain biking, and is the only section of

2124-525: The government of Ontario was looking towards raising the speed limits of the 400-series highways up to 120 km/h (75 mph) Jeff Yurek , Transportation Minister at that time had stated that "The 400-series highways were built for, I believe, a speed limit of 120 km/h safely." A 110 km/h (68 mph) trial was set up on three stretches of highways on September 26, 2019, to test the viability of increasing speed limits. The three trialed sections along with three more sections were permanently changed to

2183-426: The higher speed limit on April 22, 2022, and two more sections were trialed. The two trialed sections were made permanent along with 10 more sections on July 12, 2024. On October 2, 2024, Premier Doug Ford mentioned in a press conference that he had directed Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria to raise the speed limit on all remaining 400-series highway sections “where it is safe to do so”. Conforming with

2242-508: The highway was extended south as a Super 2 to north of the Welland River, where it curved west along Merritt Road and became Highway 58. This extension, which included the Beaverdams Road interchange and a signalized intersection , was opened on June 30, 1971. In 1977, construction began on the section of Highway 406 between Geneva Street and the QEW. This work included the construction of several large bridges over

2301-476: The lowest accident and fatality rates comparative to traffic volume in North America. When the 400-series designations were first applied to Ontario freeways in 1952, several divided highways had already been opened in Southern Ontario. Originally inspired by German Autobahns , Minister of Highways Thomas McQuesten planned a network of "Dual Highways" across the southern half of the province during

2360-547: The mid-1970s) into part of the Toronto Bypass were all underway or completed by the early 1950s. Seeking a way to distinguish the controlled-access freeways from the existing two-lane King's Highways, the Department of Highways created the 400-series designations in 1952. By the end of the year, Highway 400, 401, and 402 were numbered, although they were only short stubs of their current lengths. Highway 401

2419-409: The new canal segment. As multiple leaking problems were surfacing with the aqueduct that carries the Welland River underneath the old alignment, it was decided to control the problem by drilling intentional holes in the aqueduct. As a result, the Welland River downstream of the aqueduct is partially fed from the canal, and the flow in the northern section of the Waterway has reversed to compensate for

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2478-555: The northeast. It passes beneath Niagara Regional Road 71 (St. Davids Road) and Highway 58 at a complicated interchange as it descends the Niagara Escarpment , a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and enters St. Catharines. Within St. Catharines, Highway 406 twists frequently, entering the Twelve Mile Creek valley south of a complicated interchange with Westchester Avenue and Geneva Street and curving west. Within

2537-442: The only 400-series highway with two lane sections and with an at-grade rail crossing. The highway is heavily travelled within St. Catharines, but volumes drop considerably south of the city. Since late 2024, the speed limit on Highway 406 varies from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 110 km/h (68 mph), with 110 km/h (68 mph) being on the 13 km (8.1 mi) stretch between Thorold and Welland . The highway

2596-561: The process of being accomplished. Some changes have been made to the Waterway's original shape since the construction of the By-Pass. The most significant modification is an earth plug that bisects the Waterway along Ontario Highway 58A (between Humberstone Road and Townline Tunnel Road). This was necessary due to very long (4 km, or 2.5 miles) low-grade approaches to the Townline Tunnel required for trains to travel underneath

2655-806: The project are to help increase highway efficiency (an HOV lane is claimed by the Ontario government to have the ability to move as many people as four general-purpose lanes), reduce congestion, conserve energy and help protect the environment. During the 2015 Pan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games held in Toronto , several HOV lanes had their minimum requirements increased from two passengers to three, and some highways had their general-purpose lanes temporarily converted to HOV lanes to accommodate increased traffic. These temporary restrictions lasted from June 29 to August 18. 2021 saw several new HOV lanes opened. The southbound HOV lane on Highway   400 between King Road and Major Mackenzie Drive

2714-422: The project resumed in the early 2000s. The first phase of this twinning opened to traffic in 2007, extending the four-lane highway 5.6 km (3.5 mi) from its previous convergence south of Beaverdams Road to a point north of Port Robinson Road. On May 15 2009, Minister of Transportation Jim Bradley announced that the section from Port Robinson road to East Main Street in Welland would be converted to

2773-782: The road is usually arranged into a local–express lane system, which exist on sections of Highways 400, 401, 403, 404 and 427. On all but a few interchanges in the whole system, ramps merge freely on the highway except if there are ramp meters in use, and stop or yield controlled ramps are rare. An interchange with stop-controlled ramps onto Highway 400 at Canal Road is currently scheduled for replacement. While older freeways have some lapses in safety features, contemporary 400-series highways have design speeds of 130 km/h (81 mph), speed limits ranging from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 110 km/h (68 mph), various collision avoidance and traffic management systems, and several design standards adopted throughout North America. Of note are

2832-404: The route's southern terminus at East Main Street, which was also a signalized intersection. The extension was completed by the mid-1990s. Highway 406 was the last 400-series highway that featured at-grade intersections and two lane sections. The original intention was to twin this two-lane section shortly after it was constructed in the 1970s. Plans were deferred multiple times, until

2891-466: The subsequent decades. To this day, not all controlled-access highways in Ontario are a part of the 400-series highway network. The network is situated almost entirely in Southern Ontario , although Highway 400 extends into the more remote northern portion of the province. Modern 400-series highways have high design standards, speed limits of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph), with

2950-689: The test trial of three HOV lanes in the GTA in December 2005: southbound Highway 404 between Highway 7 and Highway 401, with a dedicated HOV ramp built to connect with westbound Highway 401, and Highway 403 in both directions between Highway 407 and Highway 401 in Mississauga. Since then, HOV lanes have been opened on several 400-series freeways around the Golden Horseshoe and National Capital Region . In May 2007,

3009-429: The town of Carleton Place and its junction with Highway 417 is also built to 400-series standards, but a 400-series designation has yet to be applied. Highway 69 between Sudbury and Key River is built to 400-series standards in anticipation of it becoming part of Highway 400 once the 70-kilometre (43 mi) gap between the two freeways is filled. Highway 115 north of Highway 35/Highway115 concurrency and Peterborough

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3068-399: The valley, the freeway features a lower design speed and reduced speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph). It passes beneath the high-level St. Paul Street bridge, crosses the creek and intersects Fourth Avenue. Exiting the creek valley, the freeway parallels Fourth Avenue for a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), gradually curves to the north and ends 3 km (1.9 mi) to the north, ending at

3127-401: The water flowing into the river. The old alignment was originally spanned by five vertical lift bridges and a railroad swing bridge ( bridge 15 ). After the relocation, two of the bridges were replaced by modern fixed-span bridges and another had its towers removed due to excessive cost of potential renovation. Two more bridges were built in the northern section of the Waterway, and a bridge

3186-414: The widened ravine, a curving structure over Twelve Mile Creek, and the first single-point urban interchange (SPUI) in Ontario (the only other SPUI is located on Airport Parkway in Ottawa ). The original design plans for Highway 406 called for this section to follow the creek valley the full distance to the QEW, interchanging with it east of Martindale Road. Instead, the alignment was moved west of

3245-468: Was assembled across the province in a patchwork fashion, becoming fully navigable between Windsor and the Quebec border on November 10, 1964; Highway 400 was extended north to Coldwater on Christmas Eve 1959; Highway 402 was extended to London between 1972 and 1982. In addition to this network backbone, plans for additional 400-series highways were initiated by the late 1950s, comprising

3304-529: Was being rebuilt as a grade-separated interchange. After this, it returns to its northward orientation and passes the final former at-grade intersection, Niagara Regional Road 63 (Port Robinson Road). North of Port Robinson Road, the forests break and the freeway continues straight north for 7 km (4.3 mi) through a mostly agricultural area. Along the straightaway are interchanges with former Highway 20 and Niagara Regional Road 67 (Beaverdams Road). The freeway crosses over Lake Gibson , and curves to

3363-411: Was completed in 1995. In 2009 construction resumed on the highway to expand the remaining two-lane sections to a four-lane divided freeway , with the existing route becoming the southbound lanes of the new freeway. The southern terminus in Welland was converted to a roundabout while the remaining at-grade intersections were rebuilt as interchanges . From 1987 until 2015, Highway 406 was unique as

3422-480: Was constructed in downtown Welland to twin the East Main Street bridge. Today, pedestrian and bicycle pathways line both banks of the Waterway. The pathways are important components of Welland's pedestrian and bicycle transportation network, providing a safe and pleasant environment in which to move about the central part of the city. A section that is particularly popular is the path on Merritt Island ,

3481-444: Was repurposed for the southbound off-ramp and on-ramp, as continuous Highway 406 traffic was rerouted upon new overpasses. By September 2015, all the at-grade intersections had been removed and Highway 406 was a minimum four-lane, controlled-access freeway for its entire length. Despite requests from local politicians, there are no plans to extend Highway 406 to Port Colborne at this time. Highway 406's northern terminus

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