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54-542: Airport Road was built by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, predecessor to the modern Ministry of Transportation (MTO) in the late 1970s to connect Highway 401 with London International Airport . It was widened to four lanes in 2005 and renamed as the Veterans Memorial Parkway in 2006. Extensions south and north were completed in 2017 and 2020, respectively. Long term plans for

108-632: A median barrier , or railway , rapid transit , light rail , or streetcar lines. There is no international English standard for the term. Median , median strip , and median divider island are common in North American and Antipodean English . Variants in North American English include regional terms such as neutral ground in New Orleans usage. In British English the central reservation or central median

162-529: A partial cloverleaf interchange (Exit   194). It widens to four lanes north of the interchange and travels through empty fields, with several new industrial developments dotting the landscape, including a Dr. Oetker pizza factory. It intersects Bradley Avenue and Hamilton Road before crossing the South Thames River . The Veterans Memorial Parkway curves slightly northwest as it intersects River Road and enters suburban London. It passes under

216-507: A long-term transportation corridor protection study in 2001 and noted that the Veterans Memorial Parkway (then Airport Road) would serve as the city's eastern expressway when the city reaches its projected full build-out potential. In 2007, the City of London conducted an environmental assessment on potential interchange locations to be built along Veterans Memorial Parkway. Long-term plans have called for Veterans Memorial Parkway to be included as

270-852: A multi-lane roadway. North American usage calls the leftmost lanes located closest to the roadway centerline the "inner" lanes, while British usage calls these lanes the "outer" lanes. Thus, it is less confusing to call these central lanes the "passing", "fast", or "overtaking" lanes in international contexts, instead of using the ambiguous inner/outer distinction. Regional differences between right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic can cause further confusion. Some medians function secondarily as green areas and green belts to beautify roadways . Jurisdictions can: plant lawn grasses with regular mowing ; hydroseed or scatter wildflower seeds to germinate , bloom, and re-seed themselves annually; or create extensive landscape plantings of trees , shrubs , herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses . Where space

324-506: A proposal to extend the parkway 800 metres (2,600 ft) south to Wilton Grove Road on April   5, 2011. The proposed extension included the reconstruction of the existing trumpet interchange with Highway   401 into a partial cloverleaf . Construction began on the extension in September 2016. The C$ 23.5 million project was completed on November   10, 2017. A northern extension, north and west from Huron Street to Clarke Road,

378-719: A section of the M6 between Shap and Tebay, which allows a local road to run between them, and on the M62 where the highest section through the Pennines famously splits wide enough to contain a farm . The other major exception is the A38(M) Aston Expressway , which is a single carriageway of seven lanes, where the median lane moves to account for traffic flow (a system known as tidal flow or reversible lane ). With effect from January 2005 and based primarily on safety grounds,

432-491: A single set of double yellow lines which may in some cases permit turns across the line. This arrangement has been used to reduce costs, including narrower medians than are feasible with a planted strip, but research indicates that such narrow medians may have minimal safety benefit compared to no median at all. The medians of United States Interstate Highways break only for emergency service lanes, with no such restrictions on lower classification roads. On British motorways ,

486-480: A traffic-calming or landscaping element rather than a safety enhancement to restrict turns and separate opposite directions of high-volume traffic flow. In some areas such as California , highway medians are sometimes no more than a demarcated section of the paved roadway, indicated by a space between two sets of double yellow lines . Such a double-double yellow line or painted median is legally similar to an island median: vehicles are not permitted to cross it, unlike

540-480: Is a major stumbling block since the lands needed within the city limits have been developed. The only available route possible would be outside of the city in Middlesex Centre . Although talks continue between both municipalities, only the province can approve the plan. The following table lists the major intersections along the Veterans Memorial Parkway. The City of London has assessed the entire length of

594-587: Is at a premium, dense hedges of shrubs filter the headlights of oncoming traffic and provide a resilient barrier. In other areas, the median may be occupied by a right-of-way for a public transportation system such as a light rail or rapid transit line; for example, the Red and Blue Lines of the Chicago 'L' partially run in the medians of the Dan Ryan , Eisenhower , and Kennedy Expressways . In contrast to

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648-458: Is located entirely within a wide median of Massachusetts Route 128 . This 502-bed facility was opened in 1993 as infill construction in the previously unused real estate that had been isolated by the divided highway in the early 1950s. An extreme example of a wide median can be found on Interstate 75 near Cincinnati , Ohio ; nearly the entire village of Arlington Heights , as well as the downtown district of Lockland , are both located between

702-621: Is no mention in the Annual Reports of what agency actually performed this function; it is, however, likely that it was a form of, or precursor to, the Motor Vehicles Branch. In 1919, a Registrar of Motor Vehicles, as head of the Motor Vehicles Branch, is clearly identified. In 1917, the Provincial Highway Act was passed, giving the department authority to maintain and construct leading roads throughout

756-583: Is provided by the Ontario Provincial Police , certain law enforcement functions are provided by MTO Transportation Enforcement Officers and Ministry of Environment Emissions Enforcement Officers. Ministry of Transportation Enforcement Officers (TEOs) enforce a variety of provincial highway safety legislation specific to operators of commercial vehicles. Driver hours of service, cargo securement, dangerous goods transportation, weights and dimensions, and vehicle maintenance and roadworthiness are

810-488: Is that decreasing the size of a median to 20 feet (6.1 m) from 30 feet (9.1 m) to add lanes to a highway may result in a less safe highway. Statistics regarding medians with barriers were not calculated in this study. Central reservations may also be used for reserved bus lanes , as in Istanbul's Metrobus , Los Angeles's J Line and Bogotá's TransMilenio . Center-lane running and island platforms installed in

864-496: Is the preferred usage; it also occurs widely in formal documents in some non-British regions such as South Africa, where there are other informal regional words (for example middelmannetjie , which originally referred to the hump between wheel ruts on a dust road). Neutral section and central nature strip are coinages in Australian English . Additionally, different terminology is used to identify traffic lanes in

918-601: Is the provincial ministry of the Government of Ontario that is responsible for transport infrastructure and related law in Ontario , Canada. The ministry traces its roots back over a century to the 1890s, when the province began training Provincial Road Building Instructors. In 1916, the Department of Public Highways of Ontario (DPHO) was formed and tasked with establishing a network of provincial highways. The first

972-436: Is the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways such as divided highways , dual carriageways , freeways, and motorways . The term also applies to divided roadways other than highways, including some major streets in urban or suburban areas. The reserved area may simply be paved , but commonly it is adapted to other functions; for example, it may accommodate decorative landscaping , trees ,

1026-548: The Canadian National Railway (CN) Dundas subdivision before intersecting Gore Road. Now surrounded by commercial developments, it intersects Tartan Drive and Trafalgar Street. It curves north, with subdivisions now bordering its western side, before intersecting Admiral Drive and later Dundas Street . The parkway swerves lightly east and crosses the CP rail Galt Subdivision . Now within a light industrial area,

1080-475: The Ministry of Transportation and Communications in 1972 as part of a government wide reorganization. In September 1987, the responsibilities for communications were transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Communications , and the ministry was renamed the Ministry of Transportation . Maintenance work is performed in two different ways: A list of Area Maintenance contractors currently under contract with

1134-603: The Trans-Canada Highway near Ernfold , Saskatchewan , Canada , where eastbound and westbound lanes go as far as 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) apart from each other), but converge to a lane's width of separation in suburban areas and cities. In urban areas, concrete barriers (such as Jersey barriers ) and guard rails (or guide rails ) are used. In Dedham, Massachusetts , the Norfolk County Correctional Center (a state prison)

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1188-483: The Department of Highways, thus bringing all highway work in the province under one administration. On July 1, 1957, legislation was passed which established a separate Department of Transport , and the Motor Vehicles Branch was transferred to this new department. The new department assumed responsibilities for vehicle licensing, vehicle inspection, driver examination, driver licensing and improvement, traffic engineering, accident claims, and highway safety. In addition, it

1242-705: The Department of Public Works prior to 1931 and seems to have been in a quasi-subordinate relationship with this department. In 1916, the Motor Vehicles Branch was established within the Ontario Department of Public Highways. Prior to this, responsibility for the registering and licensing of motor vehicles rested with the Provincial Secretary (a responsibility it held since 1903). Although there are references to motor vehicle licensing and registration between 1916 and 1918, there

1296-489: The MTO includes: Area term contracts (ATCs) are the latest maintenance and construction alternative being reviewed by the MTO. ATCs, if they are approved for tender, will cover all maintenance operations now performed by AMC contractors, but will also include annual pavement maintenance and replacement work, bridge rehabilitation, minor capital construction programs and corridor management. While policing on most MTO-managed roads

1350-462: The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC), which then became the Ministry of Transportation in 1987. The MTO is in charge of various aspects of transportation in Ontario, including the establishment and maintenance of the provincial highway system , the registration of vehicles and licensing of drivers, and the policing of provincial roads, enforced by the Ontario Provincial Police and

1404-525: The Ministry of Transportation transferred responsibility for Highway   100 to the city several months later on June   24. In 1998, the road was extended further north from Oxford to Huron Street. On April   17, 2003, funding was announced as part of a joint venture between the City of London, the Government of Ontario, and the Government of Canada, to widen Airport Road from Highway   401 to Oxford Street. Construction began in 2004, using

1458-654: The Office of the Commissioner of Highways from 1900 until 1910. He was tasked with training Provincial Road Building Instructors. These instructors worked to establish specifications for the almost 90,000 kilometres (56,000 mi) of county - and township - maintained roads. The name of the office was changed to the Commissioner of Highways and transferred to the Department of Public Works in 1900. By 1910,

1512-787: The UK's Highways Agency 's policy is that all new motorway schemes are to use high containment concrete step barriers in the median (central reservation). All existing motorways will introduce concrete barriers as part of ongoing upgrades and through replacement as and when the current systems have reached the end of their useful life. This change of policy applies only to barriers in the median of high speed roads and not to verge side barriers. Other routes will continue to use steel barriers. In North America , and some other countries with large sparsely populated areas, opposing lanes of traffic may be separated by several hundred meters of fields or forests outside of heavily populated areas (an extreme example being

1566-535: The US Federal Highway Administration quantified the correlation between median width and the reduction of both head-on accidents and severe injuries. The study found that medians without barriers should be constructed more than 30 feet (9.1 m) wide in order to have any effect on safety, and that safety benefits of wider medians continue to increase to a width of 60 to 80 feet (18.3 to 24.4 m). A consequence of this finding

1620-437: The Veterans Memorial Parkway as a tribute to Canadian veterans. This name change ceremoniously took place on September   15, 2006. The state of the parkway quickly drew the ire of locals and veterans, with one remarking that the weeds and litter were an "insult". A C$ 1.5 million proposal for beautification, designed by local architect Ron Koudys, called for the planting of flowers within the median, and shrubs and trees along

1674-484: The Veterans Memorial Parkway, identifying areas where interchanges can be constructed, grade separations can occur, and cul-de-sacs (replacing previously at-grade intersections for minor surface roads) can be placed. These changes would upgrade the Veterans Memorial Parkway from a partial control-access expressway to a fully controlled-access freeway for the majority of its length.  Ministry of Transportation of Ontario The Ministry of Transportation ( MTO )

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1728-614: The arrival of motor vehicles proper road development an maintenance was needed. The earliest Ontario government office responsible for roads and transportation was the position of the Provincial Instructor in Road-Making , first appointed in 1896 and attached to the Ontario Department of Agriculture . A.W. Campbell held the position of Provincial Instructor in Road-Making from 1896 to 1900 and Director of

1782-542: The carriageways may have to be built on different levels of the slope. An example of this is on the M5 motorway as it climbs up the side of the Gordano Valley south of Bristol . In Birmingham and many other cities, suburban dual carriageways may have trees or cycle lanes in the middle as a wide central reservation. Two examples on the UK road network where the carriageways are several hundred yards/metres apart, are on

1836-548: The city and west to Sarnia, through the 1960s. Repeated debates moved the links into and out of the city limits, and considered numerous options that either cut through existing neighbourhoods or were routed further out from the city center. One proposed road would connect to Highway 401 in the south and join up with Highway 402 in the west. This plan, however, never came to fruition due to city council's reluctance to fund an urban freeway. When city council became more united in opposition to Highway 402 being routed through London,

1890-442: The eastern leg of a future London Ring Road. These proposals have been discussed since the 1960s but have yet to gain traction due to the requirement of land outside the cities boundaries. The eastern corridor for a ring road would use Veterans Memorial Parkway in the east, then continue north along Clarke Road. A western link would start at Highway 402 and head north between Westdel Bourne Road and Woodhull Road. The northern corridor

1944-460: The future. As well, the road would be designated as Highway   100 and named Airport Road. The road featured traffic lights at intersections, with available right-of-way to build interchanges if warranted. Construction on Airport Road began in early 1975, with its official opening in 1977. The London–Middlesex Act, passed December   10, 1992, expanded the municipal boundaries of the City of London effective January   1, 1993. Consequently,

1998-583: The goal of creating a provincial highway network. The department assumed all the functions of the Highways Branch. The department assumed its first highway, the Provincial Highway , on August 21, 1917. On February 20, 1920, the department assumed several hundred kilometres of new highways, formally establishing the provincial highway system. Although established as a separate department, the Department of Public Highways shared ministers with

2052-473: The highway now known as Veterans Memorial Parkway was conceived by the Ontario government as a compromise: a spur highway that would run along the eastern parts of London. The City of London and the province decided that the proposed road would be constructed as a two-lane highway from Highway 401 north to Oxford Street. Designed as a super two , the design included a 250-metre-wide (820 ft) right-of-way so that an additional carriageway could be built in

2106-650: The licensing and monitoring of Motor Vehicle Inspection Stations. Blitz-style joint force operations are periodically conducted in concert with provincial and municipal police. Although many Transportation Enforcement Officers are licensed vehicle mechanics, most are not. TEOs hail from various backgrounds including driver licensing examination, automobile repair, commercial truck driving and other law enforcement agencies. MTO's headquarters are located on three campuses: There are five regional offices: Area offices are located in: Median strip A median strip , central reservation , roadway median , or traffic median

2160-495: The median is never broken (except on the tidal flow of Aston Expressway ), but there are no such restrictions on other dual carriageways . The central reservation in the United Kingdom and other densely populated European countries (where it is known by their local names) is usually no wider than a single lane of traffic. In some cases, however, it is extended. For instance, if the road is running through hilly terrain,

2214-434: The median of a major road, those in urban areas often take the form of central traffic islands that rise above the roadway. These are frequently found on urban arterial roads . In their simplest form, these are just raised concrete curbs, but can also be landscaped with grass or trees or decorated with bricks or stones. Such medians are also sometimes found on more minor or residential streets, where they serve primarily as

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2268-470: The medium reduce conflicts with stopped and parked cars as well as pedestrians near the curb, thus speeding service. In some cases, the median strip of the highway may contain a train line, usually around major urban centers. This is often done to share a right-of-way , because of the expense and difficulty of clearing a route through dense urban neighborhoods. A reserved right-of-way is contrasted with street running , in which rail cars and automobiles occupy

2322-626: The ministry's in-house enforcement program (Commercial vehicle enforcement). The MTO is responsible for: Early roads in Ontario were cleared when needed for local use and connections to other settlements. Key roads such as Yonge Street and Kingston Road were cleared by order from officials by various parties such as settlers, British Army units (portion of Yonge c.  1795 Queen's Rangers ) or private contractors (Toronto to Trent section of Kingston Road c. 1799-1800 by Asa Danforth ). Road standards varied (poor in winter or after rainfall) and used by horses or horse drawn stagecoaches. With

2376-553: The office was generally referred to as the Highways Branch . In 1910, W.A. McLean, Provincial Engineer of Highways, succeeded A.W. Campbell as the director of the Highways Branch. Under considerable pressure from the Ontario Good Roads Association and the ever-increasing number of drivers, which the province itself licensed at that time, the Department of Public Highways was formed in 1916 with

2430-517: The outskirts of the road. However, due to lack of funding, it took until 2010 for the project to begin. It included a large gateway monument which was installed on the northbound lanes near the Highway 401 interchange, greeting motorists entering the expressway, planting trees along the entire length of the expressway, and raising flagpoles in tribute to Canadian veterans. As part of an effort to create new industrial parks , London city council approved

2484-1143: The predominant focus of TEO inspection activities. Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, its regulations, the Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act, and the Dangerous Goods Transportation Act are core pieces of legislation from which TEOs derive their enforcement authorities. TEOs conduct commercial vehicle inspections using a standardized procedure established by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). Transportation Enforcement Officers inspect commercial vehicles, their loads, and driver's qualifications and documentation. They collect evidence, issue provincial offence notices or summons to court for violations, and testify in court. Transportation Enforcement Officer deployment ranges from highway patrol and Truck Inspection Station (TIS) duties, audits of commercial vehicle operators, inspection and monitoring of bus and motor-coach operators, and

2538-407: The province as provincial highways (designated King's highways in 1930). The Department of Public Highways was renamed the Department of Highways in 1931 and was assigned its own minister, Leopold Macaulay , though Macaulay later held both portfolios in 1934. In 1937, the Department of Northern Development , previously responsible for highways in the northern parts of the province, was merged into

2592-537: The right-of-way to construct another carriageway separated by a grass median . The completion of the project resulted in a four-lane, divided highway with at-grade intersections but sufficient room for future interchanges and overpasses, similar to that of the Hanlon Expressway . The widening was completed in 2005. On October   25, 2005, the London city council voted in favour of renaming Airport Road as

2646-574: The route call for grade separated interchanges along its entire length to convert it to a freeway . The Veterans Memorial Parkway is a 13.4 km (8.3 mi) expressway located within London , Ontario . The parkway begins at Wilton Grove Road, immediately south of Highway   401, and travels north to Clarke Road, which it continues as northwards. The parkway begins as a two-lane expressway that progresses northward through farm fields for 800 metres (870 yd) before crossing over Highway   401 at

2700-480: The route intersects Page Street and Oxford Street East before curving northwest and crossing Pottersburg Creek . The parkway meets the CN Strathroy Subdivision at an at-grade crossing before intersecting Huron Street. Returning to undeveloped land, the route swerves northwest before intersecting and becoming Clarke Road. London endured a long debate about in-city freeway connections through

2754-712: The two directions of I-75. Some freeways in North America include "inverted" medians, which separate roadways running in the opposite direction from the standard for the country they are located in. Roads are so designed for a number of reasons, including to save space, for the creation of continuous flow intersections , or for diverging diamond interchanges . Inverted medians are also used in rare cases on local streets that historically had unusual traffic patterns, such as Bainbridge Street between 3rd Street and 5th Street in Philadelphia . An August 1993 study by

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2808-406: Was designated in 1918, and by the summer of 1925, sixteen highways were numbered. In the mid-1920s, a new Department of Northern Development (DND) was created to manage infrastructure improvements in northern Ontario ; it merged with the Department of Highways of Ontario (DHO) on April 1, 1937. In 1971, the Department of Highways took on responsibility for Communications and in 1972 was reorganized as

2862-510: Was proposed in 2007. On March   11, 2020, construction began on the C$ 12 million extension, including a realignment of the entrance to the Fanshawe conservation area as well as Clarke Road. It opened to traffic in late 2020. Widening the road between Oxford Street and Huron Street / Robin's Hill Road is in the City of London short term transportation objectives. The City of London conducted

2916-617: Was responsible for the Ontario Highway Transport Board. In May 1971, the Department of Transport and the Department of Highways were amalgamated to form the Department of Transportation and Communications . The new department was presided over by the Charles MacNaughton , who had been both the Minister of Highways and the Minister of Transport prior to the amalgamation. The department was renamed

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