Edmonton WLRT - Which Route is the Best?

[feepa]

I tried to layout roughly all routes I've ever heard talked about for WLRT.

Which route is the best, and why do you think it is?

(Red Line being the current LRT and SLRT expansion under way)

[Hardhatdan]

102 via corona = best
87 seems like its going to be a fight.
107 seems viable with benefit of hitting alot of areas with potential for upward development.

[feepa]

^hardhatdan - you don't think people in glenora and elsewhere along 102 ave are not going to put up a fight? (ala VFC?)

[SHOFEAR]

best: jasper/102

really good: 87th as long as it keeps going to bonnie doon.

acceptable: 107

poor: 87 if it stops at health sciences

crapy: jasper/ ravine....although it would give us a tunnel underneath Oliver.

pack my bags I'm moving this city is fubar: fox drive

[Hardhatdan]

Originally Posted by feepa

^hardhatdan - you don't think people in glenora and elsewhere along 102 ave are not going to put up a fight? (ala VFC?)

Not to the degree of Laurier.
You can placate some of the concerns from neighborhoods through proper buffering. See Belgravia McKernan. What you cannot do is hide a massive new bridge on a route that has already caught the ire of the Mayor.
102 also serves the highest density part of the City, Oliver.
I don't want to see another extension mired in tie ups with communities, from what I heard Belgravia-McKernan delayed the SLRT for years with their demands. So, I want the City to find the route that has citizen support and not enter into another battle.
I think 102 ave, using the experience gained, could be done well and garner community and city wide support. It also happens to be the best route in my ever so humble opinion.

[feepa]

I think 87ave could be ok if done right.

The lastest shows a shorter bridge and tunnels at either end of the bridge to go under laurier and under university ave...

102ave via Corona is the best in my mind too, but likely the most expensive, but makes the most sense. 3 or 4 stops underground along Jasper ave through Oliver would be really cool. Edmonton's highest density neighbourhood should have LRT going through it. WLRT makes sense.

I'm down for either 102ave/jasper ave to corona or 87 ave to health sciences...

[leendert]

Best: 87th Avenue (even better if continues on east). A separate line should cover areas west of downtown (e.g. Oliver)

Pretty good: Jasper/102.

OK: 107th Avenue if connecting at Corona. Too much winding on the route though.

Rather not: 107th Avenue connecting at Churchill: If you want to go from Corona to WEM, backtracking east to Churchill and the heading west again is dumb.

No: Anything connecting at South Campus.

At the WLRT open-house today, they mentioned that a Stony Plain road alignment was under investigation as well...

[Xelebes]

A separate line to Mayfield should service Glenora and Oliver.

WEM via 87th Ave is the best.

[CanadianCentaur]

Seems like any way you cut it, there's bound to be a fight a-brewing, whether it's NIMBYs from Laurier or Glenora, city planner and/or Mandel and city council. But that's Edmonton for you.

However....

87th Av is the best way to WEM. NIMBYs from Laurier (and Mandel, probably) be damned!

102 Ave is acceptable, but is likely going to require tunneling underneath either 102 Ave or Jasper Ave to 124 St - would be VERY expensive!

107 Ave could do and would hit nodes of employment, but that's kind of beating around the bush, so to speak.

Via Fox Drive or 102 Ave through McKinnaird Ravine - I have a very bad feeling about this. Very. The city's not going to touch either with a 100 foot pole. Remember Keillor Drive and the freeway proposal through the McK Ravine as well?

[Hardhatdan]

Please explain how 87th trumps 102 ave.
There is quite a bit of tunneling and a large bridge structure. I don't see how it weights better over 102 ave.

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by Hardhatdan

Please explain how 87th trumps 102 ave.
There is quite a bit of tunneling and a large bridge structure. I don't see how it weights better over 102 ave.

Where would it go above ground?

[S_B_Russell]

102 ave through Glenora would be such a shit storm.

[canucklehead2]

#1-87th Avenue. Valleyview be damned!
#2-107 Avenue to 156 St. I'd personally benefit from this if the line were open now.
#3-Jasper Avenue to 102 Ave. At grade or tunnel it doesn't matter, except for the extra cost. A fairly direct route and a good tie in with the RAM...

[leendert]

Originally Posted by Hardhatdan

Please explain how 87th trumps 102 ave.
There is quite a bit of tunneling and a large bridge structure. I don't see how it weights better over 102 ave.

Straight line = best. 102 Ave is better for capturing more passengers, but I'm guessing it will face similar problems as 87 Ave, i.e. tunneling, sharp corners and small bridge structures (e.g. Groat Road).
I would be happy with either 87th Ave or 102 Ave, as long as it gets done yesterday.

[0773|=\]

107 Ave would get ridership because it runs close to two, possibly three high schools, but I agree with most people here, 87 Ave still looks like the best option (and would benefit me the most!).

[basilbrush]

87 ave route still looks the best.

An underground extension west of Corona down Jasper would be nice and then using the route shown going through the ravine to 149 street. Station placement would be awkward near 142 street if you wanted to service that area.

[Mikemike]

Best: 87th, branching from existing SLRT.

OK: Corona-Jasper-Ravine or 102. Bloomin' expensive (even more so than 87th, University not on main line. Conflict in Oliver between ideal stop spacing for oliverites and for through-riding suburbanites. Other routes could save enought money to build a dedicated at grade Streetcar on 102ave or 103 ave to serve oliver.

Rather Not: anything 107th. I don't see the magical TOD opportunities that have been cited, it's longer and less direct. Using churchill doesn't make sense to me. If we use 107, a corona connection would make the most sense.

Please No: Fox drive.

Makes No sense at all: 87th through to Bonney Doon. Why force a transfer for 95% of riders? Whyte ave has very different transit needs than 87th in the west, and a Rapid-style LRT would need to go underground. A connecting rapid streetcar LRT makes far more sense for whyte ave.

[Kevin_foster]

87th Ave just blatently makes most sense.. it's direct, shorter than all others, and probably end up being the most economical. Although the bridge might end up costing a pretty penny...

I really don't like the 107th ave route, seems too out of the way - but I suppose it is far enough north that you could bridge a connection to North West Edmonton a bit better... and perhaps St. Albert

[newfangled]

Originally Posted by Kevin_foster

I really don't like the 107th ave route, seems too out of the way

For me the main thing recommending a 107 route is that it could easily be a 105/107 route. And provding LRT to the North Edge is a good thing, because honestly, I don't know why people would buy condos "starting at $330k" at that location without LRT. If the Quarter takes off, I could see the North Edge floundering badly.

[Mikemike]

Well, the eastern north edge looks like it will have LRT either way, with an NLRT station at 105 St. Western North edge looks like it is already approaching a critical mass near 116st. That part has a low scuzzy-people concentration, plus it has the old CN ROW trail and the cemetary for greenspace. I've heard that the bottle depot at 110St is gone, so that could help things, too.