Just reading about the history of the 401 hwy, and discovered a few things i wasn't aware of:
The hiway is 510 miles long , without a stoplight.
First started in 1939, progress was suspended with the outbreak of WW 2. Construction began again in late46 and early 47.
The right of way for the highway was a strip 300ft wide, 510 miles long, and took in 18,000 acres, bought up at $100.00 per acre.
The Toronto bypass from markham Rd., to Islington ave is the busiest with 300,000 cars per day.
The road has 410 bridges and with their spans placed end to end would reach 30 miles.
Originaly No service stations where to be allowed, but by 1961 this changed to allowing 17 operating service centers, open 24/7 and each with a tow truck.
Some of this info is not current, so things may have changed since, just thought some here may find these facts interesting.
Since they already have the right of way, I think all of the windmills that they want to put on our farmland should go right down the center median strip,and they could hang a LRT or Monorail system off the towers and solve a couple of problems at the same time. Ed
and here i thought mr flatblack was going to bless us with some in depth 401 history, back in the day when it took 3 days to get to toronto from kingston
Good idea Ed, and possibly some of the dipsticks at Queens park could be located there also!! Lol
Great idea . they could open an OLG booth and run a lotto, Guess how long they can hold on , instant 1000 to one if the LRT gets em on the way past. Hole deal would pay for the project in no time and we wouldn't need a toll.
I can remember when there were no cloverleafs or 'ramps' & you crossed the on-coming traffic lanes to get off the highway!! It was only 2 lanes ea. way back then, & we used to leave Toronto & go east to Brock rd. make a left across the lanes & go north to Uxbridge to see my grandfather!! Try that NOW????
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I can only please one person a day, Today is not your day!!Tomorrow doesn't look good either !!!!
I watched them build the 401, used to ride my bike out there, it was interesting for a young kid to sit and watch those big scrapers loading and then bouncing along to unload somewere. (this was i think about 1953-54).
Last time i was there some SOB in a 52-53 Ford backed over my bicycle front wheel, had to carry it back home.
I can see the 401 from my yard. A few years ago at the Dorchester Fair, the historical society had some artifacts on display. There were some maps showing land plots and I thought it would be cool to look up our property as it was then in the 1800s (my house was built in 1887). When I figured out where we were on the map I saw that the plots were very long narrow strips. When they put in the 401 it was right down the center of those. It seemed that every other plot belonged to someone on my road and the remainder to those on the opposite road. Apparently what they did was to trade the guys on the opposite side acre for acre, so they could each access all their land without having to cross the busy highway with equipment. They ended up with wider shorter lots, but could work it all from the same side.
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"If I could get back all the money I've ever spent on cars...I'd spend it ALL on cars !!!
