Highway 400 (Ontario)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Image:Ontario 400.pngImage:Trans-Canada Highway shield.svg | |||||||||||||
| Highway 400 | |||||||||||||
| Image:Highway-400.png | |||||||||||||
| Formed: | 1951 (numbered in 1952)[citation needed] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South end: | Black Creek Dr in Toronto | ||||||||||||
| Major junctions: | Image:Ontario 401.svg Hwy 401 in Toronto Image:Ontario 11.svg Hwy 11 near Barrie | ||||||||||||
| North end: | Image:Ontario 69.svg Hwy 69 near Parry Sound | ||||||||||||
| Major cities: | Toronto, Barrie, Parry Sound | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
The King's Highway 400, more commonly known as Highway 400 or the 400, is a key north-south 400-Series Highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that links the city of Toronto to the central and northern sections of the province. As such, it serves as the primary route from Toronto to "cottage country" in the Muskoka region of Ontario.
Contents |
[edit] Description
Originally known as the Toronto-Barrie Highway, over the years the route has been widened and extended beyond Barrie to its current terminus in Parry Sound (and eventually its ultimate terminus in Sudbury). The current length of the highway is 209 km or 129 miles.
South of Highway 401, provincial control ends at the Maple Leaf Drive overpass and Highway 400 turns into Black Creek Drive. Highway 400 had been completed up to Jane Street in 1966 (alongside the expansion of Highway 401) but plans to extend Highway 400 further south to the Gardiner Expressway had been shelved in the 1970s. Land for the Highway 400 extension was used to build the Black Creek Drive which was completed and transferred to Metro Toronto in 1982.
The junction with Highway 401 is one of the earliest multi-level interchanges built when Highway 401 was widened to a collector-express system in 1967. Because the speed limit on Ontario freeways was raised in 1968 from 90 km/h to 100 km/h (55 to 62 mph) it rendered this interchange obsolete shortly after its completion. There are several flyover ramps that are not designed to handle speeds that motorists are accustomed to; notably the 400 southbound to 401 westbound ramp which has seen several truck rollovers because of excessive speed, and in the opposite direction the 401 eastbound to 400 northbound ramp which has added rumble strips and a revised 50 km/h speed in order to allow drivers to safely navigate the sharp curve.
Between Highway 401 and Highway 407, Highway 400 is one of the widest highways in the Greater Toronto Area without a collector-express system; the only full interchange is with Finch Avenue. In the 1950s, that stretch was 4-6 lanes wide but a major reconstruction that ended in 1971 saw it widened to 10 lanes. In the 1990s, concurrent with the construction of Highway 407, the section between Highway 401 and Finch Avenue was widened to 12 lanes and that project necessitated the demolition and reconstruction of the Sheppard Avenue overpass. The 1990s also saw the replacing of the 1960s conventional truss lights and metal guardrail with high-mast lighting and an "Ontario tall-wall" concrete median barrier.
The 400-407 junction is the only 4-way 4-level stack interchange in Ontario (during the Highway 407 design, similar 4-level interchanges were planned at Highway 410 and Highway 404 as well but they were scaled to cut costs, and are now clover-stack interchanges. North of Highway 407, Highway 400 has been extensively reconstructed in the early 1990s to accommodate incoming Highway 407 traffic and there is a small collector-express system serving Highway 7 and Langstaff Road. In the early 2000s, the junctions with Rutherford Road and Major Mackenzie Drive were extensively reconstructed to modern Parclo A4 configurations, and a new partial interchange was added for Bass Pro Mills Drive in 2004 to accommodate the opening of the Vaughan Mills shopping centre.
Highway 400 was one of the original 400-series freeways, along with the QEW, Highway 401, and Highway 402. The rural section between Vaughan and Barrie has many overpass bridges still in use that date back to the 1950s (most of which are substandard compared to most modern freeways, with clearances generally between 4.0m and 4.3m (between 13'3" and 14'3") in the outermost lane and several extremely narrow acceleration lanes), as well as some notable low standard interchange ramps such as at Canal Road (Exit 58), which is a 20 km/h (15 mph) RIRO entrance.
A spur route designated Highway 400A existed until 1997, linking Highway 400 and Highway 11 north of Barrie. When Highway 400 was first constructed to its original northern terminus, it continued onwards to meet Highway 11 at an interchange with Penetanguishene Road, which carried the Highway 11 alignment through downtown Barrie at the time. The first extensions to Parry Sound were performed 1 km south of that interchange, creating a 1 km gap between Highway 11 and Highway 400 designated as Highway 400A and exclusively signed with trailblazers. When Highway 11 along Penetanguishene Road and Yonge Street was downloaded to municipal authorities in the late 1990s, the designation of Highway 11 was extended to the interchange with Highway 400, and Highway 400A ceased to exist. Northbound traffic on Highway 400 towards Parry Sound and Sudbury must therefore keep right at the interchange, while the two leftmost lanes exit onto Highway 11 to Orillia and eventually North Bay (designated as a control city). Southbound traffic on 400 and 11 simply merges together.
Highway 400's interchange with Highway 518 is the first and only interchange between a 400-series highway and a secondary highway in the province, but more will be built as the 400 is extended northwards.
Uniquely, Highway 400 is pronounced as "Four-Hundred", while for other 400-series highways, Highway 401 is pronounced "Four-O-One" and Highway 427 is pronounced "Four-Twenty-Seven".
[edit] Expansion
Continued construction will eventually extend Highway 400 to the city of Sudbury in Northern Ontario, along the existing Highway 69 corridor.
This commitment was originally made in 1991 by the New Democrat government of Bob Rae. Although construction did commence at the highway's southern end, the project was curtailed by the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris shortly after the 1995 provincial election, with construction ending at the highway's current terminus in Parry Sound.
The continued construction to Sudbury was subsequently reinstated by Harris' successor (and former MPP for Parry Sound—Muskoka), Ernie Eves in 2002.
In 2004, construction began on the segment from Sudbury southwards to Estaire, and route planning studies were completed for the Estaire to Parry Sound branch. Although the timetable may be subject to change, the four-laned route is scheduled to be completed in its entirety by 2017. Portions of the route will be opened to traffic as construction is completed — the next segment from Parry Sound to Nobel is currently scheduled to open in 2008, and the segment immediately south of Sudbury is scheduled to open in 2009. [1]
As of fall 2006, the newly-constructed lanes at the Wahta Gap are now in operation. However, this segment will remain a two-lane roadway until sometime in 2008, as the original two lanes are now closed for regrading and bridge reconstruction.
A few private roads, including an access road to Global Ontario's Midland-area transmitter ("Global Tower Road"), remain at-grade RIRO-style intersections (with no left turns), although these are extremely low-traffic routes which neither warrant a full interchange nor interfere in any significant way with Highway 400 traffic.
[edit] Construction Phases - Toronto section
- Highway 401 to Jane Street 1966
- Jane Street to Weston Road 1975 - later as Black Creek Drive in 1985 (an at-grade municipal expressway that is not part of Highway 400, although the land was initially intended for a controlled-access Highway 400 south extension)
[edit] Volume Information (2005)
- Highest Volume: 176,800 vehicles Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) from Highway 401 (Exit 21) to Finch Avenue (Exit 25)
- Lowest Volume: 9,100 vehicles AADT from South Bay Road (Muskoka Road 48) / Muskoka Road 34 (Exit 162) to Crooked Bay Road / Georgian Bay Road (Exit 168)
[edit] Lane Configurations from South to North
| Section | Travel Lanes |
|---|---|
| Jane Street/Black Creek Drive to Highway 401 | 3 Lanes per Direction |
| Highway 401 to Finch Avenue | 6 Lanes per Direction |
| Finch Avenue to Steeles Avenue | 5 Lanes per Direction |
| Steeles Avenue to Highway 407 | 4 Lanes per Direction |
| Highway 407 to Langstaff Road | 7 Lanes per Direction (4 express, 3 local) |
| Langstaff Road to Major Mackenzie Drive | 4 Lanes per Direction |
| Major Mackenzie Drive to King Rd | 3 Lanes per Direction 1 Additional Lane & HOV lane per direction currently under planning |
| King Rd to Highway 11 | 3 Lanes Per Direction |
| Highway 11 to Musquash River bridge | 2 Lanes per Direction |
| "Wahta Gap" (Musquash River bridge to Highway 69/Tower Road) | 1 Lane per Direction, Undivided, Divided under construction (expected completion 2006-07) |
| Highway 69/Tower Road to Bowes Street/McDougall Road | 2 Lanes per Direction |
[edit] Exit list
| Location | # | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | Black Creek Drive | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |
| 20 | Jane Street | ||
| 21 | Image:Ontario 401.svg Hwy 401 | Signed as exits 21A (east) and 21B (west) | |
| 25 | Finch Avenue | ||
| Vaughan | 26 | Image:Highway407crest.png Hwy 407 | |
| 27 | Steeles Avenue | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |
| 29 | Image:York Regional Road 7.svg RR 7 – Brampton, Markham | ||
| 30 | Langstaff Road (RR 72) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |
| 32 | Bass Pro Mills Drive | Northbound exit and southbound entrance, Access to Vaughan Mills Mega Mall | |
| 33 | Rutherford Road (RR 73) | ||
| 35 | Image:York Regional Road 25.svg RR 25 (Major Mackenzie Drive) | ||
| 37 | Image:York Regional Road 49.svg RR 49 (Teston Road) | Under construction | |
| King | 43 | Image:York Regional Road 11.svg RR 11 (King Road) – Nobleton, King City | |
| 52 | Image:York Regional Road 16.svg RR 16 (Lloydtown-Aurora Road) – Schomberg, Aurora | ||
| 55 | Image:Ontario 9.svg Hwy 9 – Newmarket, Orangeville | ||
| Bradford-West Gwillimbury | 58 | Canal Road (CR 8) | Right-in/right-out interchange |
| 64 | CR 88 – Bradford, Bond Head | Signed as exits 64A (east) and 64B (west) | |
| Innisfil | 75 | Image:Ontario 89.svg Hwy 89 / CR 89 – Cookstown, Alliston | |
| 85 | Innisfil Beach Road (CR 21) - Thornton, Barclay | ||
| Barrie | 90 | Mapleview Drive | |
| 94 | Essa Road | Former Hwy 27 | |
| 96 | Dunlop Street - Angus | Signed as exits 96A (east) and 96B (west) northbound; former Hwy 90 | |
| 98 | Image:Ontario 26.svg Hwy 26 / Bayfield St – Stayner, Wasaga Beach | Former Hwy 27 | |
| 102 | Duckworth Street | ||
| Springwater | Image:Ontario 11.svg Hwy 11 north – Orillia, North Bay | Northbound left exit and southbound left entrance | |
| 111 | CR 11 (Forbes Road) – Dalston, Midhurst | ||
| 117 | CR 22 (Horseshoe Valley Road) – Craighurst | ||
| Oro-Medonte | 121 | Image:Ontario 93.svg Hwy 93 / CR 93 (Penetanguishene Road) – Midland, Penetanguishene, Hillsdale | |
| 131 | Mount St. Louis Road | ||
| 136 | CR 19 – Moonstone | ||
| 137 | Lower Big Chute Road - Coldwater | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |
| Severn | 141 | Image:Ontario 12.svgImage:TCH blank.svg Hwy 12 east / TCH east / CR 23 (Vasey Road) – Coldwater, Fesserton, Waverley | South end of Hwy 12/TCH overlap |
| 147 | Image:Ontario 12.svg Hwy 12 west / CR 16 – Waubaushene, Victoria Harbor, Midland, Orillia | North end of Hwy 12 overlap | |
| 149 | CR 59 (Quarry Road) / Tay Road 2 | ||
| 153 | Port Severn Road South - Port Severn | ||
| Georgian Bay | 156 | DR 5 (Muskoka Road) / Port Severn Road North – Port Severn, Honey Harbour | |
| 162 | DR 34 (White's Falls Road) / DR 48 (South Bay Road) – Severn Falls | ||
| 168 | Georgian Bay Road, Crooked Bay Road | ||
| 174 | DR 33 (South Gibson Lake Road) | ||
| 177 | DR 32 (Go Home Lake Road) / DR 38 – Bala | South end of Hwy 69 overlap | |
| Iroquois Cranberry Growers Drive - Wahta Mohawk Territory | Currently an at-grade intersection; interchange under construction | ||
| DR 12 (12 Mile Lake Road) | Currently an at-grade intersection; interchange under construction | ||
| 189 | Image:Ontario 69.svg Hwy 69 north – Mactier, Gravenhurst | North end of Hwy 69 overlap | |
| Seguin | 207 | Image:Ontario 141.svg Hwy 141 – Rosseau, Huntsville | |
| 213 | Image:Ontario 69.svg Hwy 69 south (Rankin Lake Road) | South end of Hwy 69 overlap | |
| 214 | Seguin Trail Road, Horseshoe Lake Road | ||
| 217 | Oastler Park Road, Badger Road | ||
| 220 | Image:Ontario Highway 518.png Hwy 518 (Hunter Drive) – Orrville | ||
| Parry Sound | 224 | Bowes Street, McDougall Road - Parry Sound |
[edit] Service Centres
The service centres are located at the following points on Highway 400 and contain the following services:
| Location | km | Direction | Fuel | Food | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | 20 | Southbound | Esso | Wendy's, Tim Horton's, Mr. Sub | Nicholby's Express, Picnic Area |
| 25 | Northbound | Petro-Canada | Wendy's, Tim Horton's, Mr. Sub | Nicholby's Express | |
| Innisfil | 55 | Southbound | Petro-Canada | McDonald's | "unknown" |
| Barrie | 65 | Northbound | Petro-Canada | McDonald's | "unknown" |
| Muskoka | 90 | Southbound | Shell | Tim Hortons, KFC | "unknown" |
| 99 | Northbound | Esso | Tim Hortons, KFC | "unknown" |
[edit] Status of construction activity
- Currently under construction:
- Wahta (8 km), scheduled to open in 2007
- Sudbury, Gladu Road to Highway 537 (9 km), scheduled to open in 2009
- Parry Sound, existing terminus to Nobel (7 km), scheduled to open in 2008
- Engineering and property acquisition phase:
- Highway 537 to Pickerel River (58 km)
- Nobel bypass (10 km)
- Route planning and environmental assessment:
- Pickerel River to Nobel bypass (68 km)
- Future expansion, no current activity:
- Sudbury, Regent Street/Gladu Road to Highway 17
[edit] Proposed Interchanges from South to North
| Municipality | # | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parry Sound | 226 | Parry Sound Road | Currently under construction |
| McDougall | 229 | Highway 124 | Full interchange under construction; currently a two-lane interchange on Highway 69 |
| 234 | Nobel access road | Interchange construction to begin soon; to open 2010 | |
| 238 | Highway 559 | Interchange construction to begin soon; to open 2010 | |
| Carling | 247 | Woods Road | |
| The Archipelago | 256 | Shebeshekong Road | |
| 263 | North Shore Road/Highway 644 | ||
| 267 | Highway 529/Pointe au Baril | Specific alignment still under review | |
| 277 | Harris Lake Road | ||
| 288 | Highway 529/Highway 645 | ||
| 304 | Highway 522 | ||
| 311 | Indian Reserve of French River (access road) | ||
| Killarney | 319 | Highway 607/Hartley Bay Road | |
| 328 | Image:Ontario 64.png Highway 64 | ||
| 336 | Delamere access road | ||
| 344 | Highway 637 | ||
| 350 | Estaire access road | Existing Image:Ontario 69.png Highway 69 | |
| 356 | Nepewassi Road | ||
| Sudbury | 363 | Highway 537 | Interchange under construction |
| 371 | Regent Street (Sudbury Road 46/existing Image:Ontario 69.png Highway 69) | Interchange under construction | |
| 376 | Image:Ontario 17.png Highway 17 | Final phase to link to twinned Southeast Bypass |
- Sources: Highway 69 Study, MTO construction map. Distances are land estimates.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Highway 400 Live Traffic Cams
- History of Ontario's King's Highway — Highway 400
- Highway 400 extension Route Planning Studies
- Highway 400 at OntHighways.com
- Google Maps: Highway 400 route
| Preceded by Image:Ontario 69.png Highway 69 | Trans-Canada Highway Image:Ontario 400.pngHighway 400 | Succeeded by Image:Ontario 12.png Highway 12 |
Portions of the Trans-Canada Highway | |
|---|---|
| Image:TransCanadaHWY.png | British Columbia: Highway 1 • Highway 16 | Alberta: Highway 1 • Highway 16 | Saskatchewan: Highway 1 • Highway 16 | Manitoba: Highway 1 • Highway 16 • Highway 100 Ontario: Highway 17 • Highway 69 • Highway 400 • Highway 12 • Highway 7 • Highway 71 • Highway 11 • Highway 66 • Highway 417 Québec: Autoroute 40 • Autoroute 25 • Autoroute 20 • Autoroute 85 • Route 185 • Route 117 • Autoroute 15 New Brunswick: Route 2 • Route 16 | Prince Edward Island: Route 1 | Nova Scotia: Highway 104 • Highway 105 • Highway 106 | Newfoundland: Route 1 |
Controlled-access highways of Ontario | |
|---|---|
| 400-series highways | 400 · 400A · 401 · 402 · 403 · 404 · 405 · 406 · 407 ETR · 409 · 410 · 416 · 417 · 420 · 427 · QEW — Former: 401A — Proposed: 424 |
| Other highways | 2A · 11 · 58 · 115 · 137 · Burlington · Conestoga · Cootes Drive · Don Valley · Dougall · E.C. Row · Gardiner · Linc · Queensway · Red Hill Valley · Thunder Bay — Proposed: Bradford Bypass · Mid-Peninsula Highway |
| County roads in Ontario · Ontario Numbered Highways · Expressways and 400-series Highways · Kings Highways · Secondary Highways · Tertiary and 7000-series Highways · List of Ontario provincial highways · List of former provincial highways in Ontario · Provincial highways in Ontario · List of Ontario expressways | |
pt:Highway 400
