Highway One Improvements: North Vancouver / Ironworkers Memorial Approach | Completed

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

What causes the slowdown are idiots that try and get from the furthest right lane (lane 1) to the most inside lane (lane 3), and either cutting other vehicles off in the process or braking once they enter each lane. I have driven in other cities across the continent, Toronto and Vancouver are the absolute worst for this.

DriveBC

Yes, so true [that lane changing slows things down]. On that note, it looks like they have put at least some concrete barriers in place now as in the first pic that will reduce lane changing to some extent.. We'll have to see how far they put the barriers up the bridge.

We saw how efficiency improved on the new Port Mann bridge not only because on more lanes that eliminated merging but because of the physical barrier that prevented lane changes from slowing down flow.

Also lane changes probably cause a bunch of accidents too...

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

What is rush hour normally like southbound on the Cut through to the IWM? I'm looking at the cameras and - while it is limited to still frames at approximately 15-minutes intervals - there did not appear to be any significant backups for freeway traffic this morning.

It's strange but unless there's an accident further east there is almost never that much of a morning backup into Vancouver.

[logicbomb]

Originally Posted by Jimbo604

We saw how efficiency improved on the new Port Mann bridge not only because on more lanes that eliminated merging but because of the physical barrier that prevented lane changes from slowing down flow.

Also lane changes probably cause a bunch of accidents too...

For sure. The old PMB used to see daily collisions near the Cape Horn exit (44) with drivers doing last minute lane changes from the passing lane to the exit.

Unfortunately there's daily collisions near the WB Cape Horn onramp (from the Mary Hill or Lougheed Hwy) and Gaglardi because drivers rush into the HOV lane.

Ultimately, the province just needs to commit to a 10 lane bridge off the North Shore. Dedicate lanes from Vancouver into Lower Lynn and through-lanes. Unfortunately this project pretty much kills any long-term replacement for this region.

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

Ultimately, the province just needs to commit to a 10 lane bridge off the North Shore. Dedicate lanes from Vancouver into Lower Lynn and through-lanes. Unfortunately this project pretty much kills any long-term replacement for this region.

Yeah, this is a 20-year bandage and all we will get. This is why I hated them skipping on adding extra through lanes now that they were working on this section. Adding them in later on will cost us extra few hundred million.

Ramp metering would definitely help Willingdon and Kensington onramps that clog the entire highway every day. That or just making the merge lanes few hundred meters longer for a miniscule cost. They have essentially built the same problem we had with Dollarton now on Highway 1 through Burnaby (adjusted to traffic volumes, I would say exactly the same).

[djmk]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

Ultimately, the province just needs to commit to a 10 lane bridge off the North Shore. Dedicate lanes from Vancouver into Lower Lynn and through-lanes. Unfortunately this project pretty much kills any long-term replacement for this region.

The cars would just get stuck in lower lynn then. The real problem is not the bridge. The problem is that there are only 4 routes going east/west (and only 3 right by the bridge!). North Van residents use the highway to access local amenities like grocery shopping or going to the gym

once one of these routes get blocked, there is no way for people east of the bridge to get to the west side of the bridge and things get backed up bad

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by djmk

North Van residents use the highway to access local amenities like grocery shopping or going to the gym

Yes, especially if you start out from above the Upper Levels, many local destinations usually involve travel on a portion of the highway. The lack of routes for east-west travel, and the fact that the crossings are concentrated in the same area, really impedes flow for both local and regional traffic.

[jollyburger]

Even with that accident earlier the cut is almost empty. Main Street is pretty bad.

[esup21]

This is not a Sunday - this is the weekday PM rush hour! (on a rainy day and just two hours after the whole Upper Levels and Low Levels were backed up due to a bridge accident).

https://postimg.cc/XrHwY94F

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

Unfortunately there's daily collisions near the WB Cape Horn onramp (from the Mary Hill or Lougheed Hwy) and Gaglardi because drivers rush into the HOV lane.

This has got to be at least in part due to the fact that there are only specific places where you're allowed to enter or exit the HOV lane, as indicated by the dashed vs. solid white line separating it from the general-purpose lanes. People rush to get over to the HOV lane before they run out of the dashed-line stretch where they're allowed to enter it.

For the life of me I don't understand why they do this. It just restricts people's opportunities to change lanes and forces them to give up what might be happen to be a perfectly safe opportunity where there's a solid line for what can be a very dicey situation when they reach (or before they run out of) the dashed lines.

Originally Posted by Klazu

Ramp metering would definitely help Willingdon and Kensington onramps that clog the entire highway every day. That or just making the merge lanes few hundred meters longer for a miniscule cost.

A longer merge won't help, you're still packing the same volume of cars per minute onto the freeway.

One of the problems with ramp metering is that it backs traffic up onto the street grid. I can see this being particularly problematic at Willingdon where the stopped cars will stretch back into the intersection with Canada Way and cause all kinds of havoc.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by esup21

This is not a Sunday - this is the weekday PM rush hour! (on a rainy day and just two hours after the whole Upper Levels and Low Levels were backed up due to a bridge accident).

https://postimg.cc/XrHwY94F

Traffic is even worse on the weekends

And to be fair when traffic starts backing up on the highway it's like 6km of traffic versus right now on the Low Level road which is about 2km + maybe another 1km on the Dollarton side.

[esup21]

Posted today on the project's website:

Highway 1
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021
On Tuesday, October 19, 2021, the Ministry opened the new Main St. Overpass and Dollarton Hwy EB on-ramp to the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. The Dollarton Hwy on-ramp merge, which has been a primary cause for congestion and safety concerns, has been removed. The Dollarton Hwy on-ramp is now combined with the Main St. on-ramp using an adaptive signal system that adjusts to current traffic conditions. However, the transition to the new system can only be completed in stages, therefore, further traffic impacts will be unavoidable until we complete the on-ramps final paving, line marking, queue sensor installation and signal timing adjustments over the next 1-2 weeks.

The Ministry is monitoring the traffic on a daily basis and working with the municipalities to identify areas where improvements to traffic flow can be implemented not only on Dollarton Hwy and Main St. but throughout the Lower Lynn area now that the overall project is nearing completion. Understanding the significant inconvenience drivers have experienced throughout construction, we are committed to completing this integral component of the Lower Lynn Improvement Project as quickly as possible.

[Jimbo604]

DriveBC

Mountain Hwy coming along.. bets on when new lane will open??

[Tvisforme]

Has anyone here been using the IWM in the morning rush? I don't normally pass through that area at that time but I'm curious as to whether there's a perceived improvement in flow. It might be too early to tell.

[interrobang]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

Has anyone here been using the IWM in the morning rush? I don't normally pass through that area at that time but I'm curious as to whether there's a perceived improvement in flow. It might be too early to tell.

I've driven it this week and haven't noticed much of a change heading southbound. I have noticed a significant change in the afternoon rush this week northbound on Brooksbank with people looking to get onto the highway at the Mountain Highway EB onramp as opposed to slinking along Main

[esup21]

Originally Posted by interrobang

I've driven it this week and haven't noticed much of a change heading southbound. I have noticed a significant change in the afternoon rush this week northbound on Brooksbank with people looking to get onto the highway at the Mountain Highway EB onramp as opposed to slinking along Main

Yesterday I shared a screenshot showing the Cut completely green at 5:00PM. This was unheard of before.

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by esup21

Yesterday I shared a screenshot showing the Cut completely green at 5:00PM. This was unheard of before.

Good news! Finally the vehicles already on the highway, aka the through lanes, have priority over those not on the highway, as it should be.

It didn't take much traffic from Dollarton before it would be "one-to-one" with one car from Dollarton and one from the right through lane.

[jollyburger]

As mentioned earlier there is still more sensor work to be completed.

The signal is designed to have sensors to detect how long the back-ups are for each input and then give green or red lights accordingly.

“The signals were in an interim phase,” Porter said Thursday afternoon. “We have to complete a little bit more construction on the ramps in order to get the sensors hooked up and those lights adjusting to whatever the traffic conditions are. … That's why there are some backups.”

The hope is to have the adaptive system online by Friday. Porter said he is confident getting on the bridge will be faster for all once that is done.

“Then the ramp signals will be more in sync and they'll adapt to wherever the heavier volumes are,” he said.

And the good news is, it appears combining the Dollarton and Main on-ramps is having the desired effect of cutting down on the eastbound back-ups on Highway 1.

“It's definitely improved in the a.m. and the p.m.,” Porter said. “That was one of the main objectives, absolutely, and to improve safety, which removing that [Dollarton] ramp certainly does.”

Drivers having to slow down to accommodate people trying to merge on Dollarton’s notoriously short on-ramp was the major culprit in highway traffic backing up to Lonsdale Avenue most afternoons, according to the ministry’s traffic modelling. That modelling also predicts a 50 per cent reduction in the time it takes to get from the top of the Cut to mid-span on the bridge, Porter added.

“That's a big part of why the municipal road network was backed up,” he said. “The highway is moving much better than it was before, then it's just a matter of time until we get the municipal traffic sorted out.”

The last bit of heavy construction to be done is the completion of a retaining wall near the Mount Seymour Parkway on-ramp to Highway 1 westbound. That should be done by early November, eliminating the need for the current detour there, Porter said

And the west sidewalk and bike lane on the Ironworkers should be fully paved and the safety barriers should be back up within a couple weeks, Porter added.

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/new-signalized-ironworkers-on-ramp-switched-opens-4539743

[Klazu]

DailyHive is quoting people waiting 2.5 hours to get on the bridge.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ironworkers-on-ramp-traffic-north-shore

[SpongeG]

would a tunnel be possible from North Van, east side like Deep Cove side to Barnet/Burnaby?

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Klazu

DailyHive is quoting people waiting 2.5 hours to get on the bridge.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ironworkers-on-ramp-traffic-north-shore

It didn't seem like 2.5 hour waits today. Though you are out of options if you decide to use the Low Level Road since until you get to Brooksbank there's zero options to turn off.