Canada built an 18-lane highway in hopes of easing traffic. gets stuck every day

The United States is a nation of cars, not pedestrians. Cities are designed for cars and we see sidewalks cut by highways, many places where fast food chains are prominent to park the car, buy anything and return to the vehicle. take away This is most common in cars. This cohabitation has been taken to extremes where North Americans train before moving to Europe. And, of course, so many cars on the road means huge traffic jams.

Los Angeles freeways are famously packed with people every Thanksgiving and Christmas, but there are similar cases throughout North America. And an example of this is another huge highway in Ontario with 18 lanes and kilometer-long queues. Your solution? More roads, but now… underground.

highway 401Although there are plenty of examples, one that stands out is Highway 401. This highway is truly a disgrace in every sense. Its length is 828 kilometers and it runs from Windsor (the Canadian city opposite the American city of Detroit) almost to Montreal. It passes through important cities such as Toronto and is very close to the capital Ottawa – and is the busiest highway in North America.

collapseIt has stretches that are essential to the working and business lives of both Canadians and Americans and the average number of vehicles per day in some of its stretches of almost half a million makes it busier than the famous Santa Monica Highway that we mentioned earlier. In fact, it’s not going too far if we say it’s the Canadian vertical pillar.

At one point in Toronto, the highway expanded to 18 lanes. It goes without saying, but as you can see in the image that’s at the top of the article, 18 lanes is many, many lanes. Nevertheless, there are sections that are blocked daily and, although extensions have been made – precisely in the metropolitan area of ​​Toronto – or the speed limit has been increased to resolve the situation, they have not found the key.

Solution? There are sections in which there are planned works, but the government has proposed something better than extending the road even further: more road, but underground. This possibility was recently put on the table by Ontario Premier Doug Ford. According to Ford, the idea is to create a tunnel for drivers and public transportation under the same highway, which would reduce traffic jams:

“This tunnel and this highway will reduce traffic jams, support economic growth and help people move faster,” says the Prime Minister, adding that a feasibility study is being conducted to determine the length. Will be important, it will all be based on money. “If they tell me 30 kilometers cost x, 40 kilometers cost y, and 70 or 60 kilometers another amount, let’s analyze it, but we’re going to work. Mark my words. Keep it,” he insists.

tunnel boring machine for your tunnelsThe truth is that Ford’s words are curious. “Once we have the feasibility study, we will complete it. I have always believed that tunnel boring machines should never be removed from the ground, rather we should keep building tunnels,” the politician commented. , who took advantage of it. microphone to attack the opposition, who, according to him, wants to destroy his transportation plans.

If the tunnel is built, it will likely be 55 kilometers long, one of the longest in the world and will be connected to other main roads in the section between Mississauga and Scarborough and have public access – without tolls. In addition, Ford has commented that it will be transparent in terms of costs, but there are those who have already taken the opportunity to remember that it has not been transparent with its other projects.

sharp criticism“I know it’s an ambitious idea and some people will say it can’t be done or that we shouldn’t even try, but these are the same people who oppose all projects… All proposals are deadlocked people. Are the provinces to remove and step our forward, they say no,” says Ford. However, the opposition comments that they have little confidence in the tunnel, calling it “a fairy tale tunnel” and something that will cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

He gave the example of the ‘Great Tunnel’ in Boston, which took 25 years to complete, had numerous delays, cost overruns and became the most expensive highway project in the United States. When the press discussed this with Ford, the Prime Minister simply said “That’s not going to happen here. We’re experts at tunneling.”

Does it work? We’ll see if this mega tunnel project comes to fruition, but the fact that officials are pushing to build more roads or expand existing roads with more and more lanes is already causing a backlash among the North American population. Has been. The Los Angeles Times has already questioned the argument that “if there are traffic jams along the current lanes, they will be solved by adding more.”

It’s a fact that building more lanes only leads to more traffic jams, but the Times article goes into more detail about the fact that this is a complex issue. On the one hand, there is pressure from politicians to do something about traffic and on the other, there is pressure from unions and construction companies, which maintain an abundance of jobs because of these highway megaprojects.

In the end, it’s really a complicated matter, but hey, as they say, these are their customs and we should respect them. As if they want increasingly bigger and bigger cars, even though it’s being shown that yes, they are good for the safety of those who ride in them, but very bad for everyone else.

Image | Clashmaker, Alberta Scrambler

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