After spending a couple of weeks driving through the United States, I was reminded of why the US Interstate Highway system is so pleasant to use. It’s completely limited access. There are no level crossings, driveways, or uncontrolled entrances and exits.
When Eisenhower created the Interstate system in the 1950s, he was copying the Autobahnen in Germany that he had seen during the invasion of Europe in the 1944-45.
In Canada, our major highways are pseudo-limited access, because we leave level crossings for lesser roads and have driveways to farms and neighbourhoods where none should exist. The Interstate system is safer because every vehicle on the road had to come on or off via an interchange, which reduces the risk someone goes the wrong way, and prevents people from crossing traffic or turning left across oncoming lanes that are moving at 110 km/h (or faster).
The federal and provincial governments should get together and fix this over the next 10 years. The major highways (TransCanada, Yellowhead, 401, etc) should be converted to full limited access through they’re whole length to improve safety. Additionally, none of these roads should pass through the middle of towns and cities with traffic lights. I have always thought that one of the worst concepts ever was that the TransCanada highway, a major freight route, passes through the middle of Calgary and has dozens of traffic lights. There should be a freeway bypass or tunnel to allow through traffic free flow.
Finally, in Western Canada we need to improve connections to the US system. Alberta is only just now twinning Highway 4 from Lethbridge to the US border. This is a major freight route. And when Highways 3 and 4 pass through Lethbridge there are traffic lights. This should be fixed too.
And we might be able to get the US to help pay for some of it… The only state that doesn’t have an interstate highway is Alaska. We should offer to the US and Alaska that we would co-number the route from I-15 in Montana via the Alaska highway to extend I-15 to Fairbanks. Maybe they would help pay to fix up the road…
3 comments
dillon says:
19 August 2008 at 9:34 (UTC -7 )
Ontario has 400 series of highways which is totally limited access. Far superior to US highways. Paid for by ourselves. No Federal subsidy like equalization payments.
Mark says:
19 August 2008 at 9:59 (UTC -7 )
I don’t know what part of the 400 series highways you travel but the 401, 402, 403, 404 are all limited access highways nor do they have any stop lights on them.
Taliesyn says:
20 August 2008 at 10:28 (UTC -7 )
Gentlemen, You have identified me as a western canadian who is not that familiar with the 400 series of highways, particularly around Toronto. However, in the 1990s I recall there being level accesses to the 401 nearer Kingston, and the quality of the road in Quebec leaves a lot to be desired. Finally, the 400 series of highways are were partly paid for by the federal government, as all infrastructure projects are. Admittedly, Ontario doesn’t receive equalization money (yet), so one could say that other provinces didn’t subsidize you. The only one of those roads that had little or no federal support is the 407.