Topic: Longest straight road in Canada?

[ktm525]

Traingirl:

edmonchuk. Recently travelled 16 from chuck to yorkton - they call it the perogy trail.  

BTW - Edmontont to Sasktoon in 4 hours - challenge to all and a testiment to straight roads.


That is moving pretty good. Last Friday I made Saskatoon to my doorstep 650kms in 5 hours flat including a gas stop, pee stop and traveling all the way through Calgary (albeit at 3:00am). My road choice was mostly secondary highways. There is a section running from East of Drumheller to south of Oyen that had NO turns for about 100km.

[traingirl]

not bad yourself, you didn't have the divided highway that I did.  Yes 3:00 a.m. is a fine time to travel, no one but you and truckers on the road.

[ovr50]

Big belt, big hat, big cattle !!!!!!!!!!

[blue_oval_fan]

The 401 stretch between Windsor and London,Ontario, is relatively straight,allowing for some interesting driving when the O.P.P. isn't around.Same for a few stretches of the 402 between Sarnia and London.
As a rule, highways are designed to have a few curves and turns in them so that the motorist won't get "hynotized" or so bored that he falls asleep.

[ktm525]

I don't think they got that memo in Saskatchewan. Of wait you said highways, most of their roads are turning back to gravel. I better go find my running boards.

[Drivesideways]

The only straight stretch (NO turns, not even a hint of one) I've measured in Alberta is the stretch between Bowden and Carstairs on Highway 2 north of Calgary...just under 60km.  I'm sure there are longer ones on the prairies, but that's the longest I come across regularly.  Time to tie off the steering wheel and have a nap.  Wake me when we get to the prison in Bowden. Don't want to miss Ma's visiting hours. 

[traingirl]

Any transportation engineers out there - do you curve roads to keep people awake!??!  

Personally there's nothing I like better than a long straight road ahead of me, a straight away and speed kinda keeps me awake.

Gravel?? Lucky to have gravel - sometimes it's dirt paths cut into pasture that we share with bovine, buffalo and the occasional elk.  

[Drivesideways]

Any transportation engineers out there - do you curve roads to keep people awake!??!  

I was somewhat mystified by B.O.F.'s comment as well.  I figured the course of a road had more to do with terrain and which land owners were trying to hold out for ridiculous sums of money for right-of-ways.

[barrie1]

I have to agree with Blue Oval that the 401 is a very long straight road for sure. It is a Boring drive in places but generally a good highway. You can run at some very high speeds if you want to but watch out for the Holstein cars which like to hide behind some of the overpass's. 

[wing]

Personally there's nothing I like better than a long straight road ahead of me, a straight away and speed kinda keeps me awake.

I certainly rather a twistie road than a straight one!

[si]

Personally there's nothing I like better than a long straight road ahead of me, a straight away and speed kinda keeps me awake.

I certainly rather a twistie road than a straight one!

That brings up an interesting side of things.  Are there more deaths on the praries due to driver's falling asleep than there are in places where roads don't go straight for a long time.  Driving around the interior of BC at night, I find that the constant turns, threat of deer, and headlights lighting up quickly moving trees helps to keep me awake.  Whereas on a straight highway in alberta, say, it would be so consistantly yawnful. 

Then again, fall asleep on a rural BC highway and you'll probably end up with the trees.  Fall asleep on a rural Alberta highway and you'll probably wake up when you've run out of gas!