Metro Vancouver Road Infrastructure Discussion

[hollywoodnorth]

Go Falcon Go!

[deasine]

Moving to General Roads Thread.

[seatosky]

This is one of my everyday irrits that really bothers me. The 4-way stop sign at the intersection of Lower Capilano Road and Welch St in North Vancouver on "Capilano Indian Reserve 5". It is invariably backed up under the bridge to the west and to W 1st street to the east. You can even see it backed up on Virtual Earth (and thats nothing compared to usual.) What they need is a roundabout! All it is the stopping traffic that takes sooo long to get moving. You can sit in the line for more than 5 minutes for just 1 intersection!

It's also the same on 15th and 21st street in West Van (although in this case mainly for school/rush hour). There are so many 4-way stops. Once you get past one you usually zip along quite quickly untill the next one where you just sit for 5 minutes. West Van is considering a roundabout at 21st and Queens just below the highway but we need more everywhere. They just make so much more sense. Why stop when you can just slow down a bit and go right through!

[wrenegade]

Originally Posted by seatosky

This is one of my everyday irrits that really bothers me. The 4-way stop sign at the intersection of Lower Capilano Road and Welch St in North Vancouver on "Capilano Indian Reserve 5". It is invariably backed up under the bridge to the west and to W 1st street to the east. You can even see it backed up on Virtual Earth (and thats nothing compared to usual.) What they need is a roundabout! All it is the stopping traffic that takes sooo long to get moving. You can sit in the line for more than 5 minutes for just 1 intersection!

It's also the same on 15th and 21st street in West Van (although in this case mainly for school/rush hour). There are so many 4-way stops. Once you get past one you usually zip along quite quickly untill the next one where you just sit for 5 minutes. West Van is considering a roundabout at 21st and Queens just below the highway but we need more everywhere. They just make so much more sense. Why stop when you can just slow down a bit and go right through!

Agreed on all counts.

[jlousa]

The District of Maple Ridge invites tenders for Lougheed Highway Improvements between the Haney Bypass and 105 Avenue. The work generally includes the construction of a new 170m parallel lane and 70m merge taper on Lougheed Highway east of River Road, pavement
removal, supply and placement of granular materials and asphalt pavement, island modification, streetlighting, pathway construction, supply and installation of approximately 1 km of concrete median barrier, line painting, signage and traffic management.

[SpongeG]

Fire closes B.C.'s Pattullo bridge


With a fire still smouldering this morning on the south end of the Pattullo Bridge, commuters are being warned the major traffic artery will be closed for days – or more.

Wooden beams, some dating back to 1937, caught fire early Sunday morning on the Surrey end of the bridge. The cause of the fire has not been determined and damage is being assessed by technical engineers today to determine what it will take to make the bridge safe for traffic again.

“The fire is not out, it's still smouldering under the asphalt layer,” said Translink spokesman Ken Hardie, speaking in a telephone interview from the scene of the fire.

“Right now the structure is not safe. What we have to find out if it can be braced or if it has to be knocked down. If it has to be knocked down, the bridge could be out of action for a month.”

The Pattullo Bridge normally carries about 80,000 vehicles a day. That traffic will now be diverted either to the Port Mann or Alex Fraser bridges over the Fraser River, or on the Surrey SkyTrain.

Mr. Hardie said Translink is looking at getting extra transit services in place before Monday morning.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../National/home

[The_Henry_Man]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Fire closes B.C.'s Pattullo bridge


With a fire still smouldering this morning on the south end of the Pattullo Bridge, commuters are being warned the major traffic artery will be closed for days – or more.

Wooden beams, some dating back to 1937, caught fire early Sunday morning on the Surrey end of the bridge. The cause of the fire has not been determined and damage is being assessed by technical engineers today to determine what it will take to make the bridge safe for traffic again.

“The fire is not out, it's still smouldering under the asphalt layer,” said Translink spokesman Ken Hardie, speaking in a telephone interview from the scene of the fire.

“Right now the structure is not safe. What we have to find out if it can be braced or if it has to be knocked down. If it has to be knocked down, the bridge could be out of action for a month.”

The Pattullo Bridge normally carries about 80,000 vehicles a day. That traffic will now be diverted either to the Port Mann or Alex Fraser bridges over the Fraser River, or on the Surrey SkyTrain.

Mr. Hardie said Translink is looking at getting extra transit services in place before Monday morning.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../National/home

OUCH. I guess life pretty much stops south of the Fraser River minus Richmond.

[mr.x]

Patullo blaze could lead to a month's shutdown


By Mary Frances Hill, VANCOUVER SUN
January 18, 2009 11:31 AM


SURREY - A suspicious fire that broke out on a wooden trestle supporting the Patullo bridge could lead to the closure of the span for up to a month.

The fire struck wooden trestles supporting the south end of the Patullo Bridge this morning.

The Surrey fire department was alerted to the fire at 3 a.m. By 11 a.m. today, Surrey firefighters were tending to the hot spots on the trestles, which were still emitting smoke eight hours after it was still reported.

The bridge was evacuated, and will be closed for the next two days so that investigators can probe the cause of the blaze. Firefighters, RCMP, Translink officials and consulting engineers will meet today at 2 p.m. to determine the extent of the damage.

Translink spokesman Ken Hardie said depending on the severity of damage to the trestles, the bridge could be closed for an extended period, forcing the estimated 80,000 vehicles that cross the bridge every day to take the alternate bridges or use public transit.

“One option [for repair] would be to brace the bridge, work that will take a few days. But the wooden structure may have to be replaced, and that could take a month,” he said.

Hardie said they’ll look into the possibility that homeless people, who often take shelter against the cold under the bridge, may have lit candles to warm themselves, leading to the fire.

“One of the suspicions is that somebody started a fire to keep warm, and the flame engaged the creosote pilings.”

Creosote covers the trestles to protect the wood from rotting.

Surrey fire department Staff Sgt. Bruce Anderson said that's one suspicion of the fire’s cause, but it isn’t definite.

“As per any fire, we go in acting as if it’s suspicious, but there’s a lot of rumours about how this started,” he said.

The investigation involves looking at the soil samples and the fire’s pattern. On Sunday morning, firefighters were hoping for the safest, and most convenient conclusion for commuters, Anderson said. “Closing the bridge for a month would cause a lot of problems. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

[deasine]

Global News has said it could be closed for at least this week. If there are structural issues, it could be even closed for a month.

[Whalleyboy]

i hope they learn now after this how disparately we need a new bridge

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Whalleyboy

i hope they learn now after this how disparately we need a new bridge

You know you need a new bridge when the bridge you have is able to catch on fire.

[NetMapel]

Horrible. I take the Alex Fraser bridge everyday for my commute to work. This will probably make the commute even longer... =_= The bridge is always over-used during the commute when you get 5-6 lanes of cars trying to squeeze into 3 lanes on the bridge. Yo government, build more bridges !!!

[CoryHolmes]

Originally Posted by NetMapel

Yo government, build more bridges !!!

But then you'd get 'grassroots' NIMBYs out in force, decrying the advancement of any sort of vehicle expansion. And then they complain when their local stores and big-boxes run out of their ever-so-precious items, so they'll vote against the current government. Government gets replaced by new one promising to 'fix the problem'. New government tries to develop new fixes and riles up 'grassroots' NIMBYs who come out in force...

Welcome to BC. Land of opportunity... to complain so loudly that you make the government ram projects down the throat, and then wait 20 years and complain that the previous adminstration didn't build enough at the start.

[Metro-One]

Exactly, that is why i want the SFPR, #1 and NFPR along with skytrain to Coquitlam and UBC to be fast tracked as much as possible so if a new government comes to power it is to late to stop such improvements. A lot of people hate Falcon, i myself am not a fan of the liberals, but i do give them credits in transportation for having the balls to ram these projects through.

[Mininari]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Exactly, that is why i want the SFPR, #1 and NFPR along with skytrain to Coquitlam and UBC to be fast tracked as much as possible so if a new government comes to power it is to late to stop such improvements. A lot of people hate Falcon, i myself am not a fan of the liberals, but i do give them credits in transportation for having the balls to ram these projects through.

I agree with you.
I have a feeling the May BC election is going to VERY close... the liberal government is getting stale, the economy is dragging them down, and the NDP is occasionally coming out ahead in polls. I hope that they can get the gateway contracts signed and enacted, and at least then there is a good chance that they will be built (perhaps put some BIG project cancellation penalties in the contracts ).

But yes, the opposition to any major improvements to roads and bridges has been a major factor that many people around the city do not realize. They just think that our governments never invest in bridges, lack foresight etc. (a prominent inlaw of mine blames the federal gov't's lack of funding for BC). I also second crediting the liberals for having the will to "press forward." I would love to see them stick around long enough to start pushing their H-99 vision (upgrades to the Massey and Oak Street crossings), but I think I can be satisfied with the SFPR/NFPR/PMBH1 for now.

[vanman]

Originally Posted by NetMapel

Horrible. I take the Alex Fraser bridge everyday for my commute to work. This will probably make the commute even longer... =_= The bridge is always over-used during the commute when you get 5-6 lanes of cars trying to squeeze into 3 lanes on the bridge. Yo government, build more bridges !!!

I take the Pattulo every day to work (transit is not a viable option) and I can only imagine how congested the Alex Fraser is going to get over the next couple of days. Every route leading to and from it will be even more shitpacked including the Queensborough bridge as well as River Road in Delta. This going to be AWESOME!

[deasine]

I'm positive there will be people still driving to the Pattulo wondering WTF happened... I can't imagine the lineup at Scott Road STN tmr...

[Whalleyboy]

i say screw the evergreen line
lets build us a bridge which is much more needed!

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Whalleyboy

i saw screw the evergreen line
lets build us a bridge which is much more needed!

I think you're asking for an ass whooping.

[Stingray2004]

Pattullo Bridge, South End, Burnt Section:



Speaking of wooden bridges mysteriously becoming engulfed with flames, the old Cambie Street bridge (prior to 1986) typically had the fire department on scene every summer due to "smoldering" sidewalks. The sidewalks were wood plank, throw in discarded cigarettes, hot weather... and well...

The old Fraser St. Bridge, after the Knight St. Bridge was opened, also apparently was engulfed in flames after its closure circa 1974.