Ontario Border Improvements

Every day, $900 million in goods crosses the Ontario-U.S. border. It is estimated border delays cost both countries more than $13 billion a year. That's why we're working with all levels of governments, on both sides of the border, to improve the efficiency of our border crossings. Five of the top seven border crossings between Canada and the U.S. are in Ontario - Windsor-Detroit, Sarnia-Point Edward, Fort Erie, Queenston-Lewiston, and Thousand Islands. Keeping our border crossings moving is essential to the economies of both countries. Improvements are planned or underway at all of these crossings.

Project Details Click on a location to view fact sheets, project descriptions, project status updates, and next steps.

Highway Corridor Management

Anyone planning to construct on or adjacent to a provincial highway may require a permit from the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). MTO issues permits under the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act and administration of the permits is the responsibility of the Corridor Management Office. The Corridor Management Office reviews applications from developers, municipalities, utility companies, and the general public for adherence to policies and impacts on the highway system, resolving conflicts, issuing permits, and enforcement of violation of policies.

To clarify the respective responsibilities of MTO and proponents where land development necessitates highway improvements, a guideline is provided. The guideline outlines the procedures for proponents who must deal directly or indirectly with MTO and the responsibilities with regard to the design and construction, as well as the financial responsibilities:

• A Guideline for Highway Improvements Associated with Developments

Effective June 1, 2008, all TIS’s shall be undertaken by a firm approved under the Ministry of Transportation’s consultant Registry, Appraisal and Qualification System (RAQS) under the Traffic Impact Analysis specialty category. Also effective June 1, 2008, TIS’s shall be signed and stamped by a Professional Engineer registered in the Province of Ontario taking responsibility for the TIS contents.
The Ministry of Transportation has prepared these guidelines to provide guidance to developers and consultants in the preparation of Traffic Impact Studies (TIS); the details required in a TIS would be considered acceptable to the ministry. Compliance with these guidelines and discussions with appropriate Ministry staff in the preliminary stages of the development planning process will provide for a more consistent and efficient review process.

• A General Guideline for the Preparation of Traffic Impact Studies

The Corridor Management Office administers control over the following activities on and adjacent to provincial highways:

• Commercial Signage
• Building Construction and Land Use
• Entrances to Provincial Highways
• Encroachments on the MTO Right-of-Way

In addition, the MTO is a mandatory reviewing agency for the following Municipal applications, which are administered under the Planning Act.

Regional Corridor Management Offices Consents (Severances) Site specific official plan amendments Site specific zoning by-law amendments Variances Plans of Subdivision/Condominum (files received after April 1, 1999)

Corridor Policy Unit (St. Catharines) Official Plans and Non-site Specific Amendments Official Plan Updates Secondary and District plans Comprehensive Zoning By-laws Plans of Subdivision / Condominium (files existing before April 1, 1999 and all subsequent revisions) Niagara Escarpment Plan Amendments Parkway Belt Amendments

Road Construction

Road Construction

Road Salt Management

Maintaining safe, clean and liveable communities is a priority for the McGuinty government. We will continue to work to ensure Ontario's roads are safe for drivers in the winter and throughout the year.

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) follows best practices consistent with those used across North America and employs the latest winter maintenance technologies:

• All salt spreading trucks are equipped with Electronic Spreader Controls (ESC). These instruments allow the operator to control the amount and location of salt placed, resulting in efficient salt usage.

• The ministry continues to expand the use of 'pre-wetted' salt. This practice involves adding a small amount of liquid de-icier to road salt as it is placed on the road. Pre-wetted salt stays on the road better and works faster than dry salt. Pre-wet equipment was installed on 140 salt and sand spreaders this past winter.

• Infrared thermometers are installed in over 200 winter maintenance vehicles to provide fast, accurate road and air temperature readings. This information assists in planning where and when salt application will be most effective.

• MTO recently completed trials using high-speed spreaders. These spreaders place salt on the road in a controlled manner resulting in less scatter, bounce and waste.

• Trials are underway using rubber snow plow blades. These blades are more flexible and clean the snow from the road surface better than traditional metal blades, resulting in less need for salt.

• The ministry is expanding the use of snow hedge innovations that prevent snow from drifting onto highways, resulting in less need for salt.

• Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) systems, using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, allow maintenance managers to monitor salt usage to ensure application rates conform to ministry standards. These systems are installed on approximately 240 vehicles.

• MTO uses Advanced Road Weather Information Systems (ARWIS) to monitor and forecast road and weather conditions to schedule winter maintenance operations and eliminate unnecessary salt applications. MTO owns 82 ARWIS stations and has access to information from an additional 18 sites, for a total of 100 ARWIS stations, more than any other Canadian province. MTO is currently installing 30 new stations across Ontario.

• Two automatic bridge de-icing systems have been installed: one at Highway 401 and 416, one on Highway 17 in Ottawa, with three under construction. These systems automatically spray liquid de-icing chemicals on the bridge surface when ice or snow is anticipated. Also, the ministry has initiated trials to evaluate mobile liquid anti-icing techniques to prevent black ice from forming and snow from packing to the road surface.

• MTO's Maintenance Technology Project is piloting a variety of new winter maintenance technologies designed to ensure efficiency and enhanced environmental protection.

MTO is an active member of AURORA, an international partnership of public agencies that work together to perform joint research activities in ARWIS. Also, MTO attends and presents research papers at international conferences on a broad range of highway maintenance topics, including winter maintenance technologies that can reduce salt usage.

The ministry's actual salt usage is highly dependent upon weather conditions, varying from 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes of salt annually. Combining safe road salt use with new and existing MTO technologies is estimated to reduce road salt use by up to 20 per cent.

MTO is also a member of a national Road Salt Management working group assigned by the Council of Deputy Ministers responsible for transportation and highway safety. Consisting of both Canadian road maintenance agencies and Environment Canada, this group ensures state-of-the-art salt management practices are identified. MTO will continue to explore new and emerging technologies to further enhance road salt management practices.

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Histary of Construction Line .

Construction

Histary of Construction Line .

US Patent 5924643 - Construction line holder

US Patent Issued on July 20, 1999

What is claimed is:

1. ) A construction line holder comprising:

an elongated shaft having a first end and a second end;

a first coil extending from said first end of said shaft;

a second coil extending from said second end of said shaft, wherein each of
said first and second coils terminates in a free end;

a first line blocking structure provided between opposing portions of said
shaft and said first coil in order to prevent a line from passing between
said opposing portions of said shaft and said first coil; and

a second line blocking structure provided between opposing portions of said
shaft and said second coil in order to prevent a line from passing between
said opposing portions of said shaft and said first coil;

wherein each of said first and second line blocking structures comprises a
spot weld.

2. The construction line holder as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
through hole formed in said shaft, wherein said through hole is for
securing one end of a construction line.

3. The construction line holder as claimed in claim 2, wherein said shaft,
said first coil and said second coil are formed of a single cylindrical
metal rod.

4. The construction line holder as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said
first and second coil is comprised of approximately 1.5 rotations of said
cylindrical metal rod.

5. The construction line holder as claimed in claim 3, wherein said
cylindrical metal rod is provided with a rust proof coating.

6. A combination of a construction line holder and a construction line
comprising:

an elongated shaft having a first end, a second end and a through hole
disposed between said first and second ends;

a first coil extending from said first end of said shaft;

a second coil extending from said second end of said shaft, wherein each of
said first and second coils terminates in a free end;

a first spot weld provided between opposing outer peripheral surfaces of
said shaft and said first coil in order to prevent a line from passing
between said opposing surfaces of said shaft and said first coil; and

a second spot weld provided between opposing outer peripheral surfaces of
said shaft and said second coil in order to prevent a line from passing
between said opposing portions of said shaft and said first coil,

wherein said construction line is a braided construction line having a
first end secured in said through hole, said construction line being
wrapped on said elongated shaft in a figure eight pattern.