Regina Bypass Thread

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

Google Maps is now giving directions on the Bypass.

I doesn't show for me. Also doesn't show traffic on the new legs.

[BrutallyDishonest2]

Originally Posted by Stormer

I doesn't show for me. Also doesn't show traffic on the new legs.

Probably not enough people on it.

[Drofmab]

Originally Posted by Stormer

I doesn't show for me. Also doesn't show traffic on the new legs.

It’s essentially “pencilled-in” - many of the interchanges haven’t been included (just two roads crossing... no ramps, loops, etc), so there’s no way Google could route you onto the Bypass from Hwy6, for example.

Apple Maps has some of the interchanges... but in several cases, they don’t appear to actually connect to the Bypass. Likely old data that has been there during construction.

Google-owned Waze is more accurate (it allows crowdsourced updates to its maps), but still needs quite a bit of work before it’ll be useful for routing traffic accurately.

EDIT: Waze does route me to Saskatoon & Winnipeg via the Bypass (with an Albert Park starting point). Interestingly, none of the alternate routes suggested involve the “traditional” routing - via Lewvan (Stoon) or Ring Road/Vic Ave (Wpg).

EDIT2: my Garmin (no network connectivity) had an update waiting for it yesterday. After the update all of the Bypass interchanges appear... Garmin seems to have the most accurate/complete renders of the maps I’ve mentioned here... BUUUUT... I couldn’t force the device to route me via the Bypass, even when it was clearly the best option. Strangely, when you’re following a route, if you zoom out, the Bypass doesn’t show at all - all the other major & secondary roads do, though. Work to go with Garmin’s maps.

[pappcam]

Well, I drove the whole bypass both ways yesterday. It's a pretty cool work of engineering but I still think it's too far out of the city on the south end and quite a few km's could have been shaved off the route if it was closer to the city.

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by pappcam

Well, I drove the whole bypass both ways yesterday. It's a pretty cool work of engineering but I still think it's too far out of the city on the south end and quite a few km's could have been shaved off the route if it was closer to the city.

Especially considering the likelihood of the city expanding south of the Ring Road in our lifetimes is pretty nil.

[Stormer]

The reason the Bypass is so far south is not to accommodate City growth but because of existing infrastructure - mostly several huge pipelines, but also the SaskEnergy caverns and a little-used rail line.

[PhotoJim]

Originally Posted by Stormer

The reason the Bypass is so far south is not to accommodate City growth but because of existing infrastructure - mostly several huge pipelines, but also the SaskEnergy caverns and a little-used rail line.

But cities also do grow and even if that space will not be used up in our lifetimes (not a certainty, mind), one day the city will grow that far, and they want it usefully spaced from the existing former Highway 1/current Ring Road to make both roads locally useful. Having two four-lane highways just a km-ish apart would be pretty silly once the city's grown.

We discussed this a few months ago. Worth scrolling back if a person didn't catch it the first time.

Remember, too, that the point is that the bypass NOT carry much local traffic. By making it a few km further, it discourages local traffic and keeps it on Lewvan Drive or Ring Road. That may not matter much today when the road is lightly used, but one day it will matter, and it is mighty expensive to move roads.

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by PhotoJim

But cities also do grow and even if that space will not be used up in our lifetimes (not a certainty, mind), one day the city will grow that far, and they want it usefully spaced from the existing former Highway 1/current Ring Road to make both roads locally useful. Having two four-lane highways just a km-ish apart would be pretty silly once the city's grown.

We discussed this a few months ago. Worth scrolling back if a person didn't catch it the first time.

Remember, too, that the point is that the bypass NOT carry much local traffic. By making it a few km further, it discourages local traffic and keeps it on Lewvan Drive or Ring Road. That may not matter much today when the road is lightly used, but one day it will matter, and it is mighty expensive to move roads.

So it's strictly for truckers and the mythical GTH traffic? All $1.8 billion?

Are you actually saying the Lewvan moves traffic efficiently right now?

[jigglysquishy]

It very much is for truckers and the GTH traffic. It's the largest corporate gift in Saskatchewn history.

[bomberjet]

From an outsiders perspective. I don't see how taking the bypass from one end of town to the other would be any better. It's way out there.

In Winnipeg, the only people that benefit from taking the Perimeter from one end to the other are the people who live close to it. Since nobody lives anywhere close to the bypass, it's called a bypass for just that reason. Highway traffic going around the city.

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by bomberjet;8747714[B

]From an outsiders perspective. I don't see how taking the bypass from one end of town to the other would be any better. It's way out there.[/B]

In Winnipeg, the only people that benefit from taking the Perimeter from one end to the other are the people who live close to it. Since nobody lives anywhere close to the bypass, it's called a bypass for just that reason. Highway traffic going around the city.

You are absolutely right. There are portions on the east and west parts of the bypass that might be used by commuters, but other than that, taking the bypass wouldn't make any commuting trips shorter in time or distance (I tested out going from SW Regina to E Regina).

We built a $2B bypass around Regina yet we still have our busiest highway in the province go down to one lane in each direction to go through a town of 90 people.

[Nathan]

The main private passenger users would likely be:

- Moose Javians (and maybe Westerra residents) going to Costco

- White City and area residents going to the South/Grasslands

- Harbour Landing/Westerra residents heading to Saskatoon

Can't really see any other routes/uses that would make going out that far faster than using the current roadways.


As for Chamberlain.... This issue is the valley and the train tracks. I suppose they could have used at most $100 mill to build some overpasses back and forth across the tracks to give the space needed to bypass at highway speeds though.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Nathan

The main private passenger users would likely be:

- Moose Javians (and maybe Westerra residents) going to Costco

- White City and area residents going to the South/Grasslands

- Harbour Landing/Westerra residents heading to Saskatoon

Can't really see any other routes/uses that would make going out that far faster than using the current roadways.

There really isn’t that much cross-country traffic for the bypass to make sense, eh?

As for Chamberlain.... This issue is the valley and the train tracks. I suppose they could have used at most $100 mill to build some overpasses back and forth across the tracks to give the space needed to bypass at highway speeds though.

I’m glad someone brought this up. What about a 4-lane tunnel underneath the town (though I definitely suggested something else when I first looked at this odd section of Louis Riel Trail)? It’s a European solution.

[Stormer]

The Province could buy the shortline railway at Chamberlain for 1/100th the cost of a bypass/overpasses. The most practical solution is to re-route the track. Just move it a few hundred metres SW for about 1 KM where it runs through town and move the highway 100m SW. No overpasses required.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Stormer

The Province could buy the shortline railway at Chamberlain for 1/100th the cost of a bypass/overpasses. The most practical solution is to re-route the track. Just move it a few hundred metres SW for about 1 KM where it runs through town and move the highway 100m SW. No overpasses required.

It’s still necessary to connect 2nd Street to Highway 733 and build an interchange with Highway 11, which will also serve as a rail overpass. The exit from 11 Saskatoon Bound to the town and entrance from the town to 11 Sasktoon Bound will be the extension of 2nd Street, while 11 Regina Bound will form a partial diamond with the overpass. Most importantly, you will need to cut access from the town to the current highway 11.

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

There really isn’t that much cross-country traffic for the bypass to make sense, eh?

I'm sure, given the departures and the destinations, you may have been able to pick up that I was talking about local private passenger usage (also the general topic of discussion in the last number of posts).

That said, I'm thinking cross-country traffic would be more likely to make a pit-stop in Regina than to completely bypass it. There are more places for services in Regina than most other places on the stretch and it would be a long journey between Winnipeg and Calgary without a stop (unless someone was going to go cross-country and not make stops at the major cities along the way).

[Dengler Avenue]

I’ve wanted to say this for a while:
In hindsight, we shouldn’t have allowed Victoria Avenue to be built up. This way we could have put in a free-flowing interchange at Ring Road and Vic Ave and grade-separated TCH all the way from there to Balgonie, but clearly that ship sailed long ago. Back then, if people couldn’t even foresee the need for a Ring Road and for interchanges with exurban commuter towns (until recently), something like this would have been too extravagant for them.

I read the comments and was thinking that if the departure and destination aren’t anywhere inside the city, the bypass should be the way to go. But yea now that you guys have pointed out, the bypass is a bit too south.

[Nathan]

I've always thought that Victoria could have still been built out, but as a straight-through express road with limited entry points (merge off and on only) and proper service roads on either side to service the businesses and some overpasses periodically to cross Victoria. That would have eliminated all the lights on Victoria and kept through-traffic flowing to Ring and the city Centre.

[bomberjet]

If I was driving from Winnipeg to Calgary for Grey Cup this year, because the Bombers will be playing in that game! haha. I would try to stop out at Emerald Park and then continue along the bypass. Get gas, some coffee.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

If I was driving from Winnipeg to Calgary for Grey Cup this year, because the Bombers will be playing in that game! haha. I would try to stop out at Emerald Park and then continue along the bypass. Get gas, some coffee.

Apparently a 3rd place team has not made it to the Cup since 2005, so good luck with that.