Laurie Snider
Notes from the Nest
Have you ever found yourself lying in bed awake at night wondering why the Centre street exit on the 401, at Napanee is the 579? Me neither, but after spending a great deal of time studying the highway this past weekend, happily I can now tell you. It turns out it represents the kilometer marker at this particular point on the road, if you happened to set out from Windsor.
This past Friday, our daughter Ellie and I, set out on what turned out to be an epic odyssey from Napanee to Windsor, to visit our oldest child Curtis and his fiancé Sarah, to attend a bridal shower. I find these trips difficult to plan for, in respect to time, as it seems to take anywhere from five and a half, to eight hours to make the trip.
Being the optimistic keeners, we are, we assured Curtis the dinner reservations he’d made for us at 8 p.m. were well within our reach. We left Napanee at 1 p.m., leaving 7 hours to make the trip, which at the time seemed entirely reasonable. Unfortunately, the stars were not aligned for us, on North America’s busiest highway, during our rather tortuous expedition. We over-shot our ETA, by nearly three hours!
Just before 10 p.m., we pulled into their driveway, after a harrowing drive which saw us alternatively, pulling out our hair, gritting our teeth and in my case removing permanent furrows in the dash board, where many times my white-knuckles were firmly planted. I also pulled a muscle in my leg, vigorously applying my imaginary brake on the passenger side. I was especially zealous with the pedal, during a ferocious thunderstorm, complete with torrential, lashing, blinding rain, through my least favourite part of the journey, through Toronto.
I apologize if I’ve left you with the mistaken impression, that Ellie isn’t a good driver. In fact, she’s just fine. It was the incredibly high volume of traffic which began in Trenton, frequently being squeezed, quite uncooperatively, into one lane, sort of like trying to get the toothpaste back into the tube, that led to the tangible anxiety accompanying us on our travels.
In addition, the abundance of construction zones and the line of severe thunderstorms from Coburg to Windsor, on our nearly nine hour trip, made for an experience that vacillated between titillating and electrifying.
I’ve been nervous on the 401 since Curtis was one, some 26 years ago. I was nine months pregnant with our second child Benny, when we were involved in a roll-over, just outside of Napanee. Unsurprisingly, a few unscripted spins in the ditch, with a child in a car seat, my husband at the wheel, and a dog on my pregnant lap, left me battle scarred with an enduring case of PTSD.
Thankfully there were no major injuries, but it can’t help but leave one feeling rather tentative afterwards. Regrettably, accidents are a frequent occurrence on this popular roadway. On Sept. 3, 1999, on a stretch of the highway infamously known as “the Carnage Alley,” between Windsor and London, Canada’s worst accident occurred. It was an 87-vehicle pileup which led to 8 deaths and 45 people injured. How awful!
The Macdonald-Cartier freeway as it’s also known, is used by millions each year. It serves as a vital transportation link, generating immeasurable prosperity for the province, as tonnes of items are moved from businesses to consumers every year. Planning for it began before WW11, as a way to ease the congestion on Hwy 2, through the many towns and cities it passed through.
The first phase between Scarborough and Oshawa was completed in 1947, the rest completed in several phases. The final section between Gananoque and Brockville was finished in 1968. Its current length is 817.9kms, extending from Windsor to the Ontario/Quebec border by Cornwall, passing through 18 counties and 26 towns.
Initially, the highway was two lanes but the near constant state of construction ever since, has led to a widening of up to 12 lanes in some sections, many now at least six. The most famous section, The Highway of Heroes, was named such on Aug. 24, 2007, to commemorate Canada’s fallen soldiers, that served in Afghanistan. The signs mark the route from Trenton to Toronto along this moving corridor.
Undeniably, the 401 has improved the lives of Ontarians, by lessening commutes, delivering goods, services and resources, while connecting us to the rest of the continent, even if it gives me the jitters driving on it. On Sunday we made it home in record time, setting off from kilometre marker one in Windsor, until exit 579, some five hours and twenty minutes later at Napanee.
Yes, it was a much shorter, less eventful drive but goodness me, it’s good to be home.