Fast, Busy and Treated Early in Every Storm
The Lincoln Alexander Parkway and the Red Hill Valley Parkway form a bypass around the south and east of Hamilton. They are fast City expressways, posted at 90 km/h on the Linc and 80 km/h on the Red Hill, and the City counts them among its top-priority winter roads. Put together, that means stone chips on the front end and a film of salt down the sides.
Two Parkways, One Route
The Linc
The Linc crosses the Mountain on top of the escarpment, connecting Highway 403 to the Red Hill Valley Parkway. It opened on October 15, 1997, and carries the name of Lincoln Alexander, the former MP who became Ontario's first Black Lieutenant Governor.
The Red Hill Valley Parkway
The Red Hill runs about seven kilometres down through the Red Hill Valley and the escarpment to the QEW near Hamilton Harbour. It opened in 2007 as a four-lane freeway.
In winter
The City has contracted out anti-icing, salting, sanding and plowing on its busiest Priority 1 roads, and its November 2018 winter update names both parkways. Roads in the City's top class are meant to be bare within four hours of a storm ending, so treatment goes down early and often.
Chips and Salt
Where chips land
At parkway speed, debris kicked up by the vehicle ahead hits the leading edges: bumper, hood edge, mirrors and the front of the fenders. A bigger gap to the car in front reduces it.
Film on the front end
Paint protection film on those panels takes the hits instead of the paint, and light marks in the film can heal with heat. Our guide to front-end coverage explains the options.
Salt down the sides
Spray from treated lanes coats the lower doors, rockers and the rear of the car. A coating helps it rinse away more easily, but it still has to be rinsed.
Common Questions
Are the Linc and the Red Hill provincial highways?
No. Both are municipal expressways owned and run by the City of Hamilton. The 403 and the QEW, which they connect to, are provincial.
Will PPF stop a windshield chip?
No. Paint protection film goes on painted panels such as the bumper, hood, fenders and mirrors, not on the windshield. Keeping your distance is what protects the glass.
I only use the Linc a couple of times a week. Is film worth it?
Possibly not for that alone. Chips build up with distance driven at speed. Count your highway kilometres on every road, not just the Linc, and ask us to look at the front end before you decide.
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