Quote:
Originally Posted by bomberjet
The first leg is also under construction and will be complete in 2019. It's the routes going beyond those two which have not been looked at really at all. I highly doubt we'll get all routes built by 2030. Although I didn't really think that was a realistic election promise.
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A spur off southwest to go past Waverly and Kennaston essentially long Sterling Lyon could service communities like Whyte Ridge, Linden Woods, Ridgewood West, etc. Some not directly RT to the door but RT 80% of the route with the last mile being on street. You could also split a spur into Bridgewater and Southpointe. The Ridgewood West spur could go out to the west Perimeter. Sadly, the other side of the Assinboine would be better for a park and ride but you could have a limited stop park and ride near the race track to access the spur via the Perimeter.
Depending on travel times v current options you could look at a spur from the SW line at Bishop and Pembina across the Red and then along Bishop to St Vital Centre area or even all the way east to Sage Creek. It might not be as ideal as a direct north-south route to downtown but the cost savings v a direct route would be huge. The travel time is where that one would ultimately shake out though. That said getting transit traffic off the heavily congested routes like St Marys and Archibald could be a win in itself.
Similar to the SW spurs, there is a right of way for RT set aside along Gateway although it would require doing some realignment of the active trail there. That would pick up Elmwood, East K, North K and could even add a park and ride near the 59/101.
That really leaves the northwest area (Garden City, Maples, Amber Trails, Riverbend) and Polo Park/airport and points west. Neither of those routes will be easier or cheap but that is fairly obvious. The "best" choice to downtown-Polo Park could be an elevated platform down the middle of Portage Ave from Colony to just before the rail underpass by Polo Park. Make the boulevard slightly wider by pushing the existing lanes out and shrinking the sidewalks. Leaving Polo Park the RT line could take a reworked Empress to St Mathews, west to the edge of the airport then essentially run along a reworked Berry. Berry is currently three lanes with wide boulevards. Could rework that to have north-south transit and either maintain two lanes of other traffic and reduce the existing traffic to one way. West of the airport using the setback for Silver Ave would seem to be the best course.
The northwest corridor? Perhaps look at McGregor. It is four lanes from the start until Lelia. Rework Lelia between McGregor and Amber Trails following the completion of the CPT extension reducing it to two lanes vehicles and two lanes limited cross traffic dedicated transit. Going through residential would limit the speeds but if stop count and cross traffic was essentially eliminated it could make for fairly quick travel time on that corridor. McGregor has (had?) and existing allowance for it to continue further north too and could potentially service Riverbend.
Considering there are lots of existing roads or right of ways that could be used when RT moves beyond the eastern cooridor it has potential to hit the target date. The big torn though is going to be the downtown/Polo Park route.
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