Thunder Bay Expressway

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Thunder Bay Expressway
Part of Terry Fox Courage Highway
Ontario Highway 7250
Maintained by MTO
Length: 15.3 km (9.5 mi)
south end: Hwy 61
Major
junctions:
Hwy 11 / Hwy 17 (west)
Harbour Expressway (east)
Hwy 102 (west)
Red River Road (east)
east end: Hwy 11 / Hwy 17

The Thunder Bay Expressway is a four lane highway with signalized intersections running on the western edge of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

[edit] Route description

During construction in the 1970s, the road had the temporary designation of Highway 131 (which was later recycled for a highway near Barrie, Ontario.

The Thunder Bay Expressway has the secret designation of Highway 7250 and forms the southernmost portion of the Terry Fox Courage Highway. Between Arthur Street and the Harbour Expressway, it shares a designation with Ontario highway 61. Between the Harbour Expressway and its eastern terminus at Hodder Avenue, it shares a designation with highways 11 and 17, a portion of the Trans-Canada Highway.

The entire route is four lanes and undivided, with an exception between Balsam Street and Hodder Avenue where the route is twinned. Its intersections are all at-grade. Plans to entirely twin the highway and build interchanges were abandoned in the 1990s. The city of Thunder Bay maintains a right of way for these expansion plans in its official plan, and in some places there is evidence of these plans.

The highway runs along the western edge of Thunder Bay south and bisects the northwest portion of Thunder Bay north. The bulk of its traffic is local but it is also an important route in the Trans-Canada highway network. All traffic travelling cross-country will utilize at least a portion of the expressway during its trip.

The designation of Terry Fox Courage Highway continues to Nipigon, Ontario, a distance of 83 kilometres (52 miles).

[edit] List of intersections

The following is a list of intersections on the Thunder Bay Expressway. The intersections on the expressway are unnumbered.

km Intersecting road(s) Notes
0.0 Arthur Street North as Highway 61
3.0 East: Highway 11/17 (Shabaqua Highway) (Trans-Canada)
West: Harbour Expressway
Highway 61 designation ends
Highway 11/17 (Trans-Canada) designation begins
4.6 Oliver Road
7.7 John Street
8.9 East: Red River Road
West: Dawson Road
Dawson Road becomes Highway 102 at Strand Avenue, 300m west.
10.9 Huron Avenue One-way off-ramp, eastbound.
11.2 Balsam Street Highway is divided between km 11.6 and 15.2
15.3 North: Copenhagen Road
South: Hodder Avenue
Thunder Bay Expressway designation ends. Highway 11/17 and Terry Fox Courage Highway designations continue.

[edit] AADT 2004

Location AADT
Chippewa Rd.to Broadway Ave. 10,000
Broadway Ave. to Neebing Ave./ Princess St. 13,200
Neebing Ave./ Princess St. to Arthur St. 16,900
Arthur St. to Harbour Expressway/ Highway 11/17 22,100
Harbour Expressway/ Highway 11/17 to Oliver Rd. 17,400
Oliver Rd. to John St. 18.000
John St. to Red River Rd./ Highway 102 (Dawson Rd.) 15,500
Red River Rd./ Highway 102 (Dawson Rd.) to Balsam St. 12,800
Balsam St. to Hodder Ave./Copenhagen Rd. 7,850