Road Conditions - Saskatoon east across Canada
We left Saskatoon the morning of June 1st, heading east to Newfoundland.
I will update this post as internet is available. I am a conservative driver since we are traveling in our home. All comments on road conditions are from my perspective, driving a 40’ motorhome, towing a pickup. My definition of road conditions are my opinion and are as follows:
EXCELLENT – New to recently paved roads with smooth surface.
VERY GOOD – Smooth surface with very few waves or bumps.
GOOD – Smooth surface with occasional rough repair spots, some wavy sections, and some bumps, but no pot holes or surface breaks. Comfortable traveling at the speed limit.
FAIR – Surface has multiple repair spots, very wavy, surface breaks. Few if any pot holes. Speed should be 5 to 15 mph below posted speed.
POOR – Surface breaks, bad repairs, pot holes.
BAD – Surface breaks, bad repairs, pot holes, extremely bumpy, speed 15 to 40 mph.
Should slow to 25 to 45 for railroad crossings.
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1 June - Saskatoon, SK to Yorkton, SK, 200 miles. Took TCH 16, aka Yellowhead Hwy, east to Yorkton. The hwy is 4-lane for about 10 miles then goes to 2-lane. The majority of the hwy is in GOOD condition with several short sections in VERY GOOD condition and only a few short sections in FAIR condition.
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2 June - Yorkton, SK to Portage la Prairie, MB, 240 miles – Continued on TCH 16 east. It ended at Portage la Prairie, MB. Then took TCH 1 east 16 miles to the campground.
TCH 16 was 2-lane in GOOD to VERY GOOD condition for most of the way today. There were 4 short sections, for a total of about 15 miles that were only in FAIR condition. Then there was one 11 mile section under construction west of Shoal Lake. Two lanes of new pavement has been put down and they are working on paving the shoulders. The speed is 60 km/h in the construction zone and flagman are out. Pilot cars were being used.
TCH 1 – Was only on 16 miles of it. It is 4-lane. New surface was being put down on the first 3 miles of it. What I was on today was in VERY GOOD condition. Will continue east on it tomorrow.
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3 June – Portage la Prairie, MB to Kenora, ON, 188 miles – Took TCH 1 east to Winnipeg; took the bypass, TCH 100, around town; then continued east on TCH 1 to the border. In Ontario the hwy changed designation to TCH 17. Continued on it to Kenora, ON.
TCH 1 to Winnipeg was in GOOD condition. The bypass, TCH 100, was 24 miles: the first 10 miles in GOOD condition, next 6 miles in FAIR condition, and last 8 miles in VERY GOOD condition. At exit 1B continued east on TCH 1.
About 20 miles east of Winnipeg there was about a mile of BAD highway, extremely rough, traffic slowed down to 30 to 40 mph. About 40 miles east of Winnipeg there was a work zone of about 10 miles; included 3 sections of 2 miles each with one lane traffic at 60 km/p. Appears to be a long term project, working on the shoulders. At Whiteshell Provincial Park the highway went to 2-lanes. From the bypass to this position the hwy has been in GOOD to VERY GOOD condition, with the exception noted.
At the Manitoba/Ontario border the highway continued to be 2-lane but the number changed to King’s Highway 17. Since it is designated a TransCanada Highway, I am going to use the designation TCH 17. Was in GOOD to VERY GOOD condition.
Note. Just west of Kenora the hwy splits into TCH 17 and TCH 17a. TCH 17a will take you around town. Would recommend it unless you have a need to go into Kenora. Kenora is a very scenic town but with very curvy narrow streets.
There have been numerous passing lanes on TCH 17.
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Update - 06/05/2015
5 June –Kenora, ON, to Ignace, ON, 152 miles – Took TCH 17 east to Ignace, ON
Note. About 9 miles east of Kenora TCH 17a merges back into TCH 17.
TCH 17 east. Two-lane all the way today. For 60 miles the highway is in VERY GOOD condition. Then for 70 miles it is in GOOD condition. The last 22 miles to Ignace is in FAIR condition. In this section, where the asphalt is cracked all the way across the highway, it is extremely rough. I finally found that at 42 mph the bumping was manageable. Anything more than that really rattled the motorhome.
There is one construction zone about 16 miles west of Ignace. It is a long term repair on a bridge. Traffic is one-way and is controlled with a traffic light.
There have been numerous passing lanes.
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Update - 06/07/2015
6 June – Ignace, ON to Kakabeka Falls, ON, 136 miles – Took TC 17 east. Kakabeka Falls is 17 miles west of Thunder Bay.
TCH 17 east. Two-lane and GOOD to VERY GOOD all the way today. At Shabaqua TCH 17 merges with TCH 11. They will run concurrent for over a 100 miles.
There is one construction zone that is 2 miles long just west of Shabaqua. It is shoulder work and appears to be a short-term project.
There have been numerous passing lanes.
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Update - 06/14/2015
11 June – Kakabeka Falls, ON to Geraldton, ON, 175 miles.
Took TCH 11 east to Geraldton, ON. We actually got off the highway 12 miles east of Geraldton for the campground.
TCH 11/17 east. GOOD condition to Thunder Bay. East of Thunder Bay is 25 miles of EXCELLENT 4-lane highway, then goes back to GOOD to VERY GOOD.
There was one construction zone about a mile and a half east of Nipigon, bridge construction. Traffic is not effected but you do have to slow down.
TCH 11 east. Two miles east of Nipigon TCH 11 branches off from TCH 17. We stayed on TCH 11. In about 3 miles there is a curve where a lot of rock has been blasted out and rock has fallen on the road and pitted it. Signs say to slow to 50 km/p but you might want to slow to 15 km/p around the curve. We were about 30 miles into this segment of highway before we came to the only passing lane on the road today. This segment of the highway was GOOD to VERY GOOD.
There were 5 to 6 picnic areas along the way and they are marked to give sufficient time to prepare to stop. There are several pullouts along the way but none of them are marked
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Update - 06/14/2015
12 June – From 12 miles west of Geraldton, ON, to Moonbeam, ON, 240 miles.
Took TCH 11 east all day. GOOD all the way to Hearst, ON.
From Hearst to Val Cote, FAIR to GOOD.
From Val Cote to Mattice POOR to FAIR. After much experimenting with speeds I found that the least roughest ride was at 25 to 30 mph.
From Mattie to Katuskasing FAIR.
Construction Zones:
In about 78 miles, at Km Marker 1073, bridge work, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal
In about 81 miles, at Km 1067, bridge work, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal
In about 93 miles, at Km 1051, there is a passing lane.
In about 149 miles, at Km 958, bridge work, but does not affect traffic.
About a half mile of new asphalt being laid just west of Hearst. East of Hearst there is about one mile of roadwork being done. It looks like they should begin laying asphalt within a few days.
Just east of Val Cote, at Km 914, work on a bridge, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal.
Just east of Val Cote, at Km 912, work on a bridge, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal.
Just east of Val Cote, at Km 907, work on a bridge, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal.
At Km 858 there is a passing lane.
There were 5 to 6 picnic areas along the way and they are marked to give sufficient time to prepare to stop. There are several pullouts along the way but none of them are marked
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Update - 06/14/2015
13 June – Moonbeam, ON, to North Bay, ON, 295 miles.
Took TCH 11 east/south all day. GOOD to VERY GOOD except for the 2 sections noted. Two-lane all day.
Construction Zones: One mile south of Cochrane there is bridge construction, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal.
The first 10 miles south of Cochrane is POOR to FAIR then goes back to GOOD to VERY GOOD.
The first 5 miles south of Temagami is POOR to FAIR then goes back to GOOD to VERY GOOD.
We passed 11 picnic areas today and all of them appear to be large enough for our rig.
Numerous passing lanes today.
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I will update this post as internet is available. I am a conservative driver since we are traveling in our home. All comments on road conditions are from my perspective, driving a 40’ motorhome, towing a pickup. My definition of road conditions are my opinion and are as follows:
EXCELLENT – New to recently paved roads with smooth surface.
VERY GOOD – Smooth surface with very few waves or bumps.
GOOD – Smooth surface with occasional rough repair spots, some wavy sections, and some bumps, but no pot holes or surface breaks. Comfortable traveling at the speed limit.
FAIR – Surface has multiple repair spots, very wavy, surface breaks. Few if any pot holes. Speed should be 5 to 15 mph below posted speed.
POOR – Surface breaks, bad repairs, pot holes.
BAD – Surface breaks, bad repairs, pot holes, extremely bumpy, speed 15 to 40 mph.
Should slow to 25 to 45 for railroad crossings.
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1 June - Saskatoon, SK to Yorkton, SK, 200 miles. Took TCH 16, aka Yellowhead Hwy, east to Yorkton. The hwy is 4-lane for about 10 miles then goes to 2-lane. The majority of the hwy is in GOOD condition with several short sections in VERY GOOD condition and only a few short sections in FAIR condition.
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2 June - Yorkton, SK to Portage la Prairie, MB, 240 miles – Continued on TCH 16 east. It ended at Portage la Prairie, MB. Then took TCH 1 east 16 miles to the campground.
TCH 16 was 2-lane in GOOD to VERY GOOD condition for most of the way today. There were 4 short sections, for a total of about 15 miles that were only in FAIR condition. Then there was one 11 mile section under construction west of Shoal Lake. Two lanes of new pavement has been put down and they are working on paving the shoulders. The speed is 60 km/h in the construction zone and flagman are out. Pilot cars were being used.
TCH 1 – Was only on 16 miles of it. It is 4-lane. New surface was being put down on the first 3 miles of it. What I was on today was in VERY GOOD condition. Will continue east on it tomorrow.
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3 June – Portage la Prairie, MB to Kenora, ON, 188 miles – Took TCH 1 east to Winnipeg; took the bypass, TCH 100, around town; then continued east on TCH 1 to the border. In Ontario the hwy changed designation to TCH 17. Continued on it to Kenora, ON.
TCH 1 to Winnipeg was in GOOD condition. The bypass, TCH 100, was 24 miles: the first 10 miles in GOOD condition, next 6 miles in FAIR condition, and last 8 miles in VERY GOOD condition. At exit 1B continued east on TCH 1.
About 20 miles east of Winnipeg there was about a mile of BAD highway, extremely rough, traffic slowed down to 30 to 40 mph. About 40 miles east of Winnipeg there was a work zone of about 10 miles; included 3 sections of 2 miles each with one lane traffic at 60 km/p. Appears to be a long term project, working on the shoulders. At Whiteshell Provincial Park the highway went to 2-lanes. From the bypass to this position the hwy has been in GOOD to VERY GOOD condition, with the exception noted.
At the Manitoba/Ontario border the highway continued to be 2-lane but the number changed to King’s Highway 17. Since it is designated a TransCanada Highway, I am going to use the designation TCH 17. Was in GOOD to VERY GOOD condition.
Note. Just west of Kenora the hwy splits into TCH 17 and TCH 17a. TCH 17a will take you around town. Would recommend it unless you have a need to go into Kenora. Kenora is a very scenic town but with very curvy narrow streets.
There have been numerous passing lanes on TCH 17.
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Update - 06/05/2015
5 June –Kenora, ON, to Ignace, ON, 152 miles – Took TCH 17 east to Ignace, ON
Note. About 9 miles east of Kenora TCH 17a merges back into TCH 17.
TCH 17 east. Two-lane all the way today. For 60 miles the highway is in VERY GOOD condition. Then for 70 miles it is in GOOD condition. The last 22 miles to Ignace is in FAIR condition. In this section, where the asphalt is cracked all the way across the highway, it is extremely rough. I finally found that at 42 mph the bumping was manageable. Anything more than that really rattled the motorhome.
There is one construction zone about 16 miles west of Ignace. It is a long term repair on a bridge. Traffic is one-way and is controlled with a traffic light.
There have been numerous passing lanes.
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Update - 06/07/2015
6 June – Ignace, ON to Kakabeka Falls, ON, 136 miles – Took TC 17 east. Kakabeka Falls is 17 miles west of Thunder Bay.
TCH 17 east. Two-lane and GOOD to VERY GOOD all the way today. At Shabaqua TCH 17 merges with TCH 11. They will run concurrent for over a 100 miles.
There is one construction zone that is 2 miles long just west of Shabaqua. It is shoulder work and appears to be a short-term project.
There have been numerous passing lanes.
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Update - 06/14/2015
11 June – Kakabeka Falls, ON to Geraldton, ON, 175 miles.
Took TCH 11 east to Geraldton, ON. We actually got off the highway 12 miles east of Geraldton for the campground.
TCH 11/17 east. GOOD condition to Thunder Bay. East of Thunder Bay is 25 miles of EXCELLENT 4-lane highway, then goes back to GOOD to VERY GOOD.
There was one construction zone about a mile and a half east of Nipigon, bridge construction. Traffic is not effected but you do have to slow down.
TCH 11 east. Two miles east of Nipigon TCH 11 branches off from TCH 17. We stayed on TCH 11. In about 3 miles there is a curve where a lot of rock has been blasted out and rock has fallen on the road and pitted it. Signs say to slow to 50 km/p but you might want to slow to 15 km/p around the curve. We were about 30 miles into this segment of highway before we came to the only passing lane on the road today. This segment of the highway was GOOD to VERY GOOD.
There were 5 to 6 picnic areas along the way and they are marked to give sufficient time to prepare to stop. There are several pullouts along the way but none of them are marked
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Update - 06/14/2015
12 June – From 12 miles west of Geraldton, ON, to Moonbeam, ON, 240 miles.
Took TCH 11 east all day. GOOD all the way to Hearst, ON.
From Hearst to Val Cote, FAIR to GOOD.
From Val Cote to Mattice POOR to FAIR. After much experimenting with speeds I found that the least roughest ride was at 25 to 30 mph.
From Mattie to Katuskasing FAIR.
Construction Zones:
In about 78 miles, at Km Marker 1073, bridge work, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal
In about 81 miles, at Km 1067, bridge work, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal
In about 93 miles, at Km 1051, there is a passing lane.
In about 149 miles, at Km 958, bridge work, but does not affect traffic.
About a half mile of new asphalt being laid just west of Hearst. East of Hearst there is about one mile of roadwork being done. It looks like they should begin laying asphalt within a few days.
Just east of Val Cote, at Km 914, work on a bridge, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal.
Just east of Val Cote, at Km 912, work on a bridge, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal.
Just east of Val Cote, at Km 907, work on a bridge, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal.
At Km 858 there is a passing lane.
There were 5 to 6 picnic areas along the way and they are marked to give sufficient time to prepare to stop. There are several pullouts along the way but none of them are marked
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Update - 06/14/2015
13 June – Moonbeam, ON, to North Bay, ON, 295 miles.
Took TCH 11 east/south all day. GOOD to VERY GOOD except for the 2 sections noted. Two-lane all day.
Construction Zones: One mile south of Cochrane there is bridge construction, one lane, controlled with a traffic signal.
The first 10 miles south of Cochrane is POOR to FAIR then goes back to GOOD to VERY GOOD.
The first 5 miles south of Temagami is POOR to FAIR then goes back to GOOD to VERY GOOD.
We passed 11 picnic areas today and all of them appear to be large enough for our rig.
Numerous passing lanes today.
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