Atlantic Highways Thread

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Feds will stop investing in 'large' road projects, environment minister says
Steven Guilbeault revised his comments after saying Ottawa would stop investing in new road infrastructure
John Paul Tasker · CBC News · Posted: Feb 14, 2024 12:10 PM AST | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/gui...oads-1.7114867



In a country as large as Canada, with weather as fickle as Canada's, Guilbeault's comments seem pretty tone deaf. This guy is both out of touch and out to lunch........

I guess if you want to visit Cape Breton now you'll have to bicycle there........

No one is stopping provinces or municipalities from building additional road infrastructure.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by OliverD

No one is stopping provinces or municipalities from building additional road infrastructure.

It gets complicated when the highways touch federal land, such as N.B.-7.

[sailor734]

"Yet another nail in the coffin of this Liberal administration."

It's like they all know they are toast and they just don't care anymore. I mean, it's fine to play to your base but when your base only gets you 75 seats out of 338 you might want to rethink things.

In the immortal words of James Carville when he was running Bill Clinton's campaign...."It's the economy stupid!"

[Dengler Avenue]

This also means that Newfoundland has to downscale if not outright cancel the plan to twin TCH.

[adamuptownsj]

I've never seen a federal government willingly throw away the 905 and Quebec City at the same time. Even for these guys, this is an inexplicable misstep. Unless he's sacked tomorrow I really don't know what their plan is.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by adamuptownsj

I've never seen a federal government willingly throw away the 905 and Quebec City at the same time. Even for these guys, this is an inexplicable misstep. Unless he's sacked tomorrow I really don't know what their plan is.

Maybe it's all just a cunning plan to distract people from the ArriveCan boondoggle?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by sailor734

Maybe it's all just a cunning plan to distract people from the ArriveCan boondoggle?

Yes, let’s dazzle them with even more incompetence.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by OliverD

No one is stopping provinces or municipalities from building additional road infrastructure.

Nothing stopping them except $$$. Major infrastructure projects in Canada have almost always included a major federal funding component....often 50%
That's a pretty major shortfall to make up.

[Dengler Avenue]

Meanwhile, I was looking at the rate for Argentia Ferry, which would last for 16 hours: https://www.marineatlantic.ca/sailin...orth-sydney-ns
If I’m driving myself, does it mean that the cost is $116.27 (passenger) + $234.19 (car) + $176.75 (cabin) = $527.21 one way??

[Pugsley]

So, I haven't read too much into the comment or the official statements, but if they are saying they are NOT investing in more highways, it is likely the shift away from seeing more highways and instead investing in urban density, transit-oriented developments, and...better public transit infrastructure. No government is going to stop investing in infrastructure. This is likely a shift away from the infrastructure they see as being more problematic than good - aka highways that promote a car-oriented society, promote sprawl, and make life overall unaffordable for most Canadians.

They are also looking at millennials, which are now the largest demographic (and voting group) in the country and are statistically more friendly to urban living with access to reliable public transit than being a two-car family in the suburbs negatively contributing to climate change.

Case in Point: Look at all the highways being built in and around Halifax. This is contributing to sprawl and requires everyone to own a car. The need for a car to access essentials like work, groceries, and healthcare is not helping the affordability crisis when we have a housing shortage - so there needs to be an effort to 1) build more housing and 2) stop investing in infrastructure that promotes more costly living due to car-dependency. The more highways you build, the more sprawl and car dependent people in Halifax you will have... and it will just get worse.

Instead, I would expect that what the messaging from the feds is (and likely very poorly articulated as they normally do) is that they'd rather see the provinces focused more on cleaner public transit, increasing density and reducing overall car dependency. THAT, would be something they'd likely fund - not another bypass highway around Toronto or adding more lanes to Truro from Halifax.

I'd also highly doubt that they'd NOT fund infrastructure road projects that would be considered vital or essential. Things like shoring up the corridor connecting Nova Scotia/New Brunswick due to climate change, modernizing ferry services to NFLD, etc. They did clarify to say NEW road infrastructure and not that they are unwilling to upgrade EXISTING road infrastructure. So this is likely to tell Rob Ford that..."NO, we won't fund your new highway through the Holland Marshes around Toronto" but likely means to Higgs/Houston that "YES, we will be at the table to ensure the existing TCH is upgraded as an important link between your two provinces". I give them the benefit of the doubt that what they mean here is that they are not going to pay for NEW four-lane roads to nowhere when the money should be spent on maintaining existing infrastructure, building better transit, and ensuring more equitable and affordable access to services through healthier and less car-centric communities.

[Dengler Avenue]

Lorsqu'une autoroute devient une route ordinaire dans un village, l'incohérence de design routier me dérange. Voici donc un concept de prolongement du tronçon autoroutier.
Ça aidera à moderniser le réseau autoroutier sur la côte acadienne.
======
When a controlled-access highway becomes an ordinary road through the village, the inconsistency in roadway design bothers me. Here's an idea on how to extend the freeway.
This will help with modernizing the freeway network on Acadian Peninsula.

[Dengler Avenue]

Modernization of the interchange between New Brunswick Highways 2 and 15, and elimination of their at-grade railway crossing, near Moncton Airport: Any thoughts?
======
Modernisation de la jonction des Autoroutes 2 et 15 Néo-Brunswickoises, puis l'élimination de leur passage à niveau ferroviaire, près de l'aéroport de Moncton (au Nouveau Brunswick): Qu'en pensez-vous?

[J81]

^^Pretty much a pointless waste of money honestly. That rail spur is used once a week ( used to be on Saturdays but not sure what day now ). Be cheaper to dig up the crossings and build a transload facility at Gordon Yard to handle the 1 car per week that master packaging gets.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by J81

^^Pretty much a pointless waste of money honestly. That rail spur is used once a week ( used to be on Saturdays but not sure what day now ). Be cheaper to dig up the crossings and build a transload facility at Gordon Yard to handle the 1 car per week that master packaging gets.

I agree, and if any government is going to spend money improving any major highway intersection in Moncton it should be the McLaughlin/TCH intersection, the causeway traffic circle or the Lewisville/Botsford/Wheeler intersection, and by extension the halls creek traffic circle. Eventually the airport will get a proper interchange, but it will be inline with the future phases of the new industrial park along this section of the highway.

[Dengler Avenue]

The causeway traffic circle will be quite a challenge. (I have also been thinking about that one for quite some time.)

[toones]

One thing to consider for railways is that there is a strict tolerance on grade steepness. Typically less than 2.5%. This would greatly increase the length of the footprint required at either approach for an overhead rail bridge.

I think its more typical for projects that improve an at existing at grade road/rail crossing is to tunnel under the rail or bridge over the rail.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

The causeway traffic circle will be quite a challenge. (I have also been thinking about that one for quite some time.)

I’ve also been thinking of that one for a while.

Had a couple ideas but it would be a massive undertaking. I think the simplest thing would be to remove as many pieces from the interchange as possible. You’d have wheeler cross under the tracks in the middle of the existing overpasses. Then have Baig turn south between Loblaws Warehouse and Toyota and connect to Salisbury road on the other side of the tracks. Have Main Street wrap around the front of Lounsbury Chev connecting to Dickson. Have at grade rail crossings from Main to the extension of assumption at Milner, Mount Royal and perhaps have a grade separated crossing at Ivan Rand. After this you would have an overpass from assumption to Salisbury road. North side ramps could use the existing rail overpasses to cross the tracks. South side ramps would just go right on to the causeway.

[Franco401]

Meant to post this when the discussion was going on but here's an idea for the causeway roundabout: