Shovel Ready Projects for Post Shut-Down Stimulus

[scryer]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/poli...down-stimulus/

Mods, if this is being extensively talked about elsewhere on these forums then feel free to lock and delete this one .

Okay folks, which projects are shovel-ready for this opportunity? Any pipelines, transit, or other infrastructure projects that would help stimulate the economy in this?

Sound off here!

[someone123]

This is a good time for cities to tackle infrastructure projects that would disrupt normal traffic.

One example is the Broadway subway project in Vancouver. I am not sure how close it is to bring ready but it would be much less disruptive right now. Maybe it could be built all the way to UBC.

Another is the Cogswell interchange demolition in Halifax. It could be demolished now without any need for redirecting traffic. There is so little traffic that other routes in and out of downtown would not be saturated. On top of this they could take the opportunity to build a cut-and-cover tunnel under Barrington or Hollis (connecting up to a portion that could be built cheaply under the Cogswell portion and connect up to the Gottingen bus corridor), although that's more ambitious.

The Eglinton line is another example but it's already under construction. Maybe Toronto should start another similar project concurrently (pick another east-west or north-south corridor that connects well with the existing rapid transit network).

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by scryer

Okay folks, which projects are shovel-ready for this opportunity? Any pipelines, transit, or other infrastructure projects that would help stimulate the economy in this?

From the article:

Originally Posted by G&M

Borrowing a phrase from the Harper government’s “Economic Action Plan” spending spree after the 2008-09 financial crisis, the term “shovel ready” is back in use as Ottawa seeks out smaller projects – such as recreation-centre repairs – that can be approved quickly and create immediate jobs.

[milomilo]

Shovel ready projects never happen in the real world. Big ones at least. Cities don't just spend the tens or hundreds of millions of dollars they need to get a design to the stage where it can go ahead quickly, and then just sit on it. To spend that kind of money, the city must seriously want to build it (and wouldn't get funding from elsewhere if they didn't), and if they do want to build it then the project is already going as fast as it can.

[WarrenC12]

The ongoing project to seismically upgrade/replace public schools in BC would be a candidate I think. They have a lengthy schedule that is mostly restrained by cost I believe.

[Dengler Avenue]

Twinning of Trans-Canada Highway from Whiteshell, MB to 6 km into Ontario, from Renfrew to Arnprior (Ottawa), all that blub from Rivière-Verte to Saint-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha! (Québec, yes I know it's a hilarious name), and from Sutherlands River to Antigonish (N.S.)

[Innsertnamehere]

Tons of things like school repair backlogs, road resurfacing, etc. is unsexy but can go with minimal design and prep work.

Larger projects that are close to tender are harder to find. Hamilton LRT is all that comes to mind.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by milomilo

Shovel ready projects never happen in the real world. Big ones at least. Cities don't just spend the tens or hundreds of millions of dollars they need to get a design to the stage where it can go ahead quickly, and then just sit on it. To spend that kind of money, the city must seriously want to build it (and wouldn't get funding from elsewhere if they didn't), and if they do want to build it then the project is already going as fast as it can.

Design work is probably relatively easy to do right now. We are already over a month into this pandemic which is a significant amount of time for planning and design work.

A well-run city would have "shovel-ready" (fundable) projects at all times because you never know when something like this will happen, or when a more mundane scenario like a federal cost-sharing program will be announced. The cities that aren't prepared and aggressive lose out on funding and infrastructure value that dwarf planning costs.

I watched this play out in Halifax which was dead last for per capita federal infrastructure funding for years. The narrative there used to revolve around whether or not the "city could afford" projects, whether there was anything suitable, or why other governments were picking favourites. What didn't get much attention was that from a municipality's perspective, it is imperative to optimize for attracting provincial and federal dollars, and this means preparing good bids for available funding.

[Coldrsx]

The City of Edmonton sent their list to the Province two weeks ago...

$2.1 Billion in all:

LRT
Hospital
Rec Centre
Flood mitigation
etc. etc.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6817377/e...erta-covid-19/

[SteelTown]

Easy, Hamilton's B-Line LRT before Doug Ford killed it. The project was in its early stages of construction, now everything is halted. If the city got the money it would probably be about six months to get everything back on track and commence construction again.

[Chadillaccc]

Calgary

Fully funded

- Green Line - Ctrain
- 6+ new schools
- Mathison Hall - University of Calgary
- Arts Commons Expansion - Phase 1
- Flames Arena
- BMO Convention Centre - final phase
- Elbow River Flood Protection System
- Victoria Park Ctrain Station Demolition and Reconstruction
- 17 Avenue punch-through into Stampede Park
- $137 million expansion and upgrade to Peter Lougheed Centre (hospital)
- Fifth Street SW Underpass
- West Eau Claire Park - final phase
- RiverWalk flood berm upgrade


Partially funded

- Contemporary Art Gallery final phase
- Glenbow Museum revitalization
- Arts Commons Expansion - Phase 2
- Eau Claire Plaza Revitalization


Unsure about funding progress

- RiverWalk Stage 2
- Fifth Street SE Underpass
- Stephen Avenue Upgrade and Modernization Project


That's probably a pretty good rundown...

[CityTech]

In Ottawa, there's a few busway projects (Carling, Baseline) that are shovel ready.

[Truenorth00]

The key here is defining what shovel ready means. In the strictest terms those projects can really only those that were deferred. Virtually everything else has substantial lag to getting shovels in the ground. So the first wave is probably going to be anything that can be tendered without a complicated process. Fixing roofs in municipal buildings or sidewalks and roads. The second wave is probably more strategic stuff like VIA's HFR. Or transit projects. Etc.

[EspionNoir]

Originally Posted by milomilo

Shovel ready projects never happen in the real world. Big ones at least. Cities don't just spend the tens or hundreds of millions of dollars they need to get a design to the stage where it can go ahead quickly, and then just sit on it. To spend that kind of money, the city must seriously want to build it (and wouldn't get funding from elsewhere if they didn't), and if they do want to build it then the project is already going as fast as it can.

The Victory Building in Winnipeg was constructed between 1935 to 1936 as a response to the Great Depression. It was one of the biggest building constructions during that time in Canada

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Larger projects that are close to tender are harder to find. Hamilton LRT is all that comes to mind.

Is the freeway between Guelph and Kitchener to bypass the existing Highway 7 shovel ready? I remember that detailed engineering was done and they were even rebuilding the interchange with Hwy 8 when Doug Ford swept to power and put the project on hold.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by someone123

Design work is probably relatively easy to do right now. We are already over a month into this pandemic which is a significant amount of time for planning and design work.

A well-run city would have "shovel-ready" (fundable) projects at all times because you never know when something like this will happen, or when a more mundane scenario like a federal cost-sharing program will be announced. The cities that aren't prepared and aggressive lose out on funding and infrastructure value that dwarf planning costs.

I watched this play out in Halifax which was dead last for per capita federal infrastructure funding for years. The narrative there used to revolve around whether or not the "city could afford" projects, whether there was anything suitable, or why other governments were picking favourites. What didn't get much attention was that from a municipality's perspective, it is imperative to optimize for attracting provincial and federal dollars, and this means preparing good bids for available funding.

By that standard I don't think any cities would qualify as "well run", as I don't think it's normal for them to be sitting on ready to go plans for projects. Sure, they have a long list of things they intend to do, and some may have fairly detailed plans. But the actual engineering designs, property acquisitions, RFPs, contract issuance etc will take a long time. Calgary's Green Line for example, despite being developed for years, is still far from shovel ready.

I can see some mundane work like road maintenance, school upgrades happening relatively quickly (if the federal government gives them money). But I think some people are imagining we can just start building the hoover dam in a few weeks.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by CityTech

In Ottawa, there's a few busway projects (Carling, Baseline) that are shovel ready.

Those are two important east-west transit corridors that could complement and, to a certain extent, supplement, the Confederation Line.

For those who don't know, the Carling project is more bus lanes along a very wide, major arterial. It would go from (please correct me if I'm wrong Ottawa forumers) Lincoln Fields station (Line 1), east down Carling serving a significant amount of planned and u/c TOD, the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Hospital, the Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital, including the uOttawa Institute of Cardiology, and Carling station (Line 2).

The Baseline Transitway, which will be a BRT running in the median of a major arterial road, would serve Bayshore station (Line 1), the Queensway Carleton Hostpital, Baseline Station (Line 1, Algonquin College and City of Ottawa offices and institutions) and Mooney's Bay station (Line 2, significant Federal Government offices).

Other near shovel ready projects (roughly 1 to 3 years away), in order of readiness:

• New Civic Hospital (to be built across from Carling station, Line 2);
• Line 1 extension west to Kanata and Stittville, including the Sens arena;
• Line 1 extension south to Barrhaven.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Is the freeway between Guelph and Kitchener to bypass the existing Highway 7 shovel ready? I remember that detailed engineering was done and they were even rebuilding the interchange with Hwy 8 when Doug Ford swept to power and put the project on hold.

It has been "shovel ready" for a number of years. And, I suspect, will remain so.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

all that blub from Rivière-Verte to Saint-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha!

This already has funding.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by JHikka

This already has funding.

Hence it should be ready to go when we get back to work.