Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvements | Completed

[cabotp]

Other than the new Capehorn interchange. I think the new Grandview-Willingdon interchange is the 2nd biggest change to happen for an interchange. And they are finally fixing a few of the problems with it that I have noticed for years. Having all lanes on grandview accessible to highway 1. Blocking off the side stree between boundary and highway 1. Stopping people from accessing Gilmore by trying to turn across the eastbound off ramp. Hopefully the new HOV lanes on Grandview extend to at least Renfrew or Slocan. Not sure if they are going to do it, but possibly adding left turn bays on grandvidw at boundary. Although I'm also reluctant as it might create a major jam if the majority of the vehicles coming off of highway east bound want to make a left onto boundary southbound. And it is kind of hard to get data for that as they banned left turns on grandview since about the late 70's to early 80's.

[Dave2]

Originally Posted by Mininari

Bottom: Yep... how many cars actually get off at McGill? The new lanes terminate at McGill through the Cassiar Tunnel. Then again, what kind of timeline would we be sniffing at for a Second Narrows replacement? Theres been musings about that, no? But perhaps after the H99 improvements?

Someday.

Years ago (early 90s?) there was talk of a "nippon clippon" for the 2nd Narrows to match the 6 lane tunnel

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by cabotp

And they are finally fixing a few of the problems with it that I have noticed for years. Having all lanes on grandview accessible to highway 1.

NO more queue jumping.... cutting in at the last moment to get on the highway.

Blocking off the side stree between boundary and highway 1.

I don't really see this as a current problem. That street is only used by local traffic. It's not worth it as a shortcut for anyone else. That street fills in the gaps in cars entering the freeway because of the lights at the Boundary intersection. However, when the improvements go in, if traffic is more free flowing, that street will be a problem.

Stopping people from accessing Gilmore by trying to turn across the eastbound off ramp.

Wow! People actually DO that! That's insane. They could just get off at the Willingdon exit which is less congested anyhow... and go straight through to Gilmore.

Hopefully the new HOV lanes on Grandview extend to at least Renfrew or Slocan. Not sure if they are going to do it, but possibly adding left turn bays on grandvidw at boundary. Although I'm also reluctant as it might create a major jam if the majority of the vehicles coming off of highway east bound want to make a left onto boundary southbound. And it is kind of hard to get data for that as they banned left turns on grandview since about the late 70's to early 80's.

Boundary is a very fast route South and would serve a large swath of Burnaby and Vancouver. IT really should have its own exit, if you ask me. Anyone know what will happen to the Boundary entrance? It's a death trap now. They recently SHORTENED the merge lane to insanely short because of the work being done in the area. It was horrid BEFORE... but now...

EDIT

Originally Posted by Dave2

Years ago (early 90s?) there was talk of a "nippon clippon" for the 2nd Narrows to match the 6 lane tunnel

Cool, I'd never heard of this term... interesting history. It refers to the Auckland Bay Bridge, which had lanes clipped onto the sides. The work was done not too long after WWII by a Japanese firm, so with post WWII anti-Japanese resentment still lingering, it was nicknamed the "Nippon" clip-on. Note: Nippon or Nihon are both used in Japanese to refer to their country and is not derogatory in Japan.

[DKaz]

Apparently the Nippon Clip Ons are starting to get old so they've had to restrict heavy trucks from using the outside lanes. They're already at the end of their 50 year lifespan although they think they can get another 10 years out of them. This could be a good solution to add an extra lane each way on the Second Narrows and widen each sidewalk until the end of the bridge's lifespan. The main question is if the Second Narrows can handle to extra weight?

[The Lonely Tanner]

San Fransisco has recently finished work on their new Bay Bridge. The old span will most likely be torn down, however, one group of architects came up with an idea to suspend housing from beneath it, and cover the old roadway in parks.

I'm sure it's pie-in-the-sky, but it would be extremely cool if we could do this with the old Port Mann, rather than tear it down and sell it for scrap.

Link:
http://io9.com/5359254/william-gibsons-bridge-city-in-virtual-light-could-become-real

[officedweller]

Nice find! Thanks!

Reminder that the new bridge amounts to having an arterial road bridge combined with a freeway bridge.
The collector lanes are essentially an arterial road bridge connecting with Coquitlam while the express lanes provide the freeway bridge.

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

NO more queue jumping.... cutting in at the last moment to get on the highway.

Exactly, which causes frustration.

I don't really see this as a current problem. That street is only used by local traffic. It's not worth it as a shortcut for anyone else. That street fills in the gaps in cars entering the freeway because of the lights at the Boundary intersection. However, when the improvements go in, if traffic is more free flowing, that street will be a problem.

It wasn't so much that people constantly turned onto that street. It is that some people some how don't see the "NO LEFT TURN" signs. So they pull up and stop to turn left. Meanwhile there is this massive backup of cars trying to get around them. It is bad enough that there is only one lane going onto the freeway. That just made it worse. So if people can't follow a simple sign well than block them from doing it physically.

Wow! People actually DO that! That's insane. They could just get off at the Willingdon exit which is less congested anyhow... and go straight through to Gilmore.

Ya I usually see at least 5-10 cars during rush hour go down Grandview hwy east bound in the left lane and then cross over the freeway overpass. You then come up to the stop sign which stops you at the Grandview hwy westbound off ramp. It can become quite scary at times when your coming off the freeway and you don't know if someone is going to wait for you or just cut in front of you.

Boundary is a very fast route South and would serve a large swath of Burnaby and Vancouver. IT really should have its own exit, if you ask me. Anyone know what will happen to the Boundary entrance? It's a death trap now. They recently SHORTENED the merge lane to insanely short because of the work being done in the area. It was horrid BEFORE... but now...

The Hwy 1 Eastbound off ramp to Boundary Southbound. Will have its own lane all the way Grandview Hwy. But the Boundary northbound on ramp to Hwy 1 West bound will only have a 200M (rough guess) on ramp. That is once your beside freeway traffic. Personally I think they should just extend it as the 1st ave off ramp.

[red-paladin]

I wrote a letter to Gateway Program, and they told me the dimensions of the of bridge:

To: GATEWAY PROGRAM INFORMATION GTWY:EX
Subject: I have a question about the new Port Mann Bridge.

Hello,

Can you tell me the height of the new Port Mann Bridge towers and the
length of the main span?
I assume these figures must be available as construction is well
underway.

From (red-paladin)

They replied:

To (red-paladin)

Thank you for your email regarding the Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement (PMH1) Project.

Here is some information about the new Port Mann Bridge:

* In total the new bridge will be 2.2 km long, 50m wide, and have a 42m clearance above high water level (same length and clearance as existing).
* The towers will be approximately 75m tall above deck level (total height approx 163m from top of footing).
* The main span (between the towers) will be 470 meters long.
* The main bridge (between the end of the cables) will have a length of 850 meters with two towers and 288 cables.


Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Warm regards,
Alicia


Alicia Richards
Community Relations Coordinator
Transportation Investment Corporation
Suite 1420 - 1111 West Georgia Street Vancouver BC
Office: 778-783-1220| Mobile: 604-828-7900| Email: [email protected]

[crazyjoeda]

At 163m high I imagine that it will be a highly visible structure like the Alex Fraser Bridge is, but the Alex Fraser is a bit shorter at 143m.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by cabotp

It wasn't so much that people constantly turned onto that street. It is that some people some how don't see the "NO LEFT TURN" signs. So they pull up and stop to turn left. Meanwhile there is this massive backup of cars trying to get around them. It is bad enough that there is only one lane going onto the freeway. That just made it worse. So if people can't follow a simple sign well than block them from doing it physically.

So you mean people coming off the freeway and turning left, right? That's true. People know that they can't turn on Boundary. Those are people who "should" have gotten off at Willingdon.

The other way (Westbound on GV Hwy after Boundary) is a little annoying, but since it's just blocking the Gilmore lane, isn't as big an issue during normal hours. But during the rush, I agree. People use that little road to get onto Boundary Northbound.

Ya I usually see at least 5-10 cars during rush hour go down Grandview hwy east bound in the left lane and then cross over the freeway overpass. You then come up to the stop sign which stops you at the Grandview hwy westbound off ramp. It can become quite scary at times when your coming off the freeway and you don't know if someone is going to wait for you or just cut in front of you.

Hehe... it's scary the other way too. Hard to judge a car's speed. Though I've never seen any accidents there, so I guess people use extra caution. However, I thought you meant people coming off the highway suddenly doing a U-Turn there to access Grandview Hwy Eastbound.

The Hwy 1 Eastbound off ramp to Boundary Southbound. Will have its own lane all the way Grandview Hwy.

It does now.

But the Boundary northbound on ramp to Hwy 1 West bound will only have a 200M (rough guess) on ramp. That is once your beside freeway traffic. Personally I think they should just extend it as the 1st ave off ramp.

Totally agree. Although it's tight in that area and they'd likely have to expropriate some land to the east or west of the highway.

[martinishaker]

The most effective way of easing congestion for east bound traffic before the port man would be to extend the Brunette onramp to the hwy to the lougheed offramp. The stretch is only a km or two, but would eliminate the bottle neck.

[DKaz]

The bottleneck is the King Edward underpass which is only 6 lanes wide. In a few months Hwy 1 will detour around King Edward underpass while they get rid of it and flatten the section, then build the new King Edward overpass while they return Hwy 1 to its intended alignment. Whether they decide to build the additional lanes from the get go is up in the air.

Repost:
http://www.coquitlam.ca/NR/rdonlyres/910.../92778/KingEdwardOverpass20090515web.jpg

Somehow it seems like there'll be 4 lanes WB and 5 lanes EB at that section, although I can't tell if the 5th EB lane exists or not as only 4 lanes are obviously visible, but the overhead sign points down on 5 lanes.. Don't count on traffic being that light in the afternoon lol.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by DKaz

The bottleneck is the King Edward underpass which is only 6 lanes wide. In a few months Hwy 1 will detour around King Edward underpass while they get rid of it and flatten the section, then build the new King Edward overpass while they return Hwy 1 to its intended alignment. Whether they decide to build the additional lanes from the get go is up in the air.

Repost:
http://www.coquitlam.ca/NR/rdonlyres/910.../92778/KingEdwardOverpass20090515web.jpg

Somehow it seems like there'll be 4 lanes WB and 5 lanes EB at that section, although I can't tell if the 5th EB lane exists or not as only 4 lanes are obviously visible, but the overhead sign points down on 5 lanes.. Don't count on traffic being that light in the afternoon lol.

That section with the bridge and underpass and road flattening is apparently going to be finished in a period of just 12 weeks. This bridge will also go over the railway tracks as well.

[DKaz]

I still dunno how the heck they'll get it flattened and get an overpass done in 12 weeks but I guess there's enough room that they can work 24 hours a day with little daytime disruption to Hwy 1. Being in an industrial area helps a lot too.

[GeeCee]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

That section with the bridge and underpass and road flattening is apparently going to be finished in a period of just 12 weeks. This bridge will also go over the railway tracks as well.

What do you mean by that? The new overpass won't be completed for a few years. They're scheduled to pile drive for the next six to eight weeks alone.

http://www.pmh1project.com/construction-...4CapeHornpiledrivingandretainingwall.pdf

Or do you mean just the Highway 1 aspect of it?

The rendering of the new overpass makes me laugh. Who would build condos, let alone purchase units right beside a garbage transfer station? On a warm sunny day that place friggin stinks.

[DKaz]

Originally Posted by GeeCee

What do you mean by that? The new overpass won't be completed for a few years. They're scheduled to pile drive for the next six to eight weeks alone.

http://www.coquitlam.ca/NR/exeres/FE39BC...6EC7CB7B2,frameless.htm?NRMODE=Published

Or do you mean just the Highway 1 aspect of it?

No, Coquitlam was promised that King Edward across Hwy 1 would be closed for 12 weeks at most. With 24/7 work and extensive prep work, they can do it.

[GeeCee]

There's no way to get the new overpass in in that kind of timeframe and reroute traffic unless they build the new overpass over the existing Highway 1 overpass. Even then..

# Phase One: The closure of Woolridge Street at Como Creek (at the existing Bailey bridge) for construction of the new bridge over Como Creek. The new bridge will be wider with sidewalks on both sides.
# Phase Two: A detour in place of King Edward Street based on the initial closure between Lougheed Highway and Woolridge Street (to be initiated at the end of 2009 or early 2010).
# Phase Three: A 12-week full closure of King Edward Street between Lougheed Highway and United Boulevard (likely during the Fall of 2010).

http://www.coquitlam.ca/Residents/Transi...+Overpass+Project/Traffic+Management.htm

Confused as to when the Highway 1 lanes would be moved if this is the case..

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

So you mean people coming off the freeway and turning left, right? That's true. People know that they can't turn on Boundary. Those are people who "should" have gotten off at Willingdon.

Yes It is not that people constantly do it. But every time someone does it they disrupt the flow. Which causes a ripple effect far after that person has turned and gone.

The other way (Westbound on GV Hwy after Boundary) is a little annoying, but since it's just blocking the Gilmore lane, isn't as big an issue during normal hours. But during the rush, I agree. People use that little road to get onto Boundary Northbound.

Ya it is not as bad, but then again really all 3 lanes (which they are doing) should be going onto the freeway and not just the one lane.

Hehe... it's scary the other way too. Hard to judge a car's speed. Though I've never seen any accidents there, so I guess people use extra caution. However, I thought you meant people coming off the highway suddenly doing a U-Turn there to access Grandview Hwy Eastbound.

Ya I'm amazed that there hasn't been anymore accidents. Maybe like you said people are just more cautious. Which is amazing because if they are cautious there, why not somewhere else.

I do remember one time around 10:40pm I was going up Westbound Hwy 1 off ramp to Grandview Hwy and I saw someone reversing back up the on ramp Westbound on ramp from Willingdon onto Hwy 1 Westbound. Thankfully it was late at night.

Totally agree. Although it's tight in that area and they'd likely have to expropriate some land to the east or west of the highway.

Unfortunately yes.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by GeeCee

What do you mean by that? The new overpass won't be completed for a few years. They're scheduled to pile drive for the next six to eight weeks alone.

http://www.pmh1project.com/construction-...4CapeHornpiledrivingandretainingwall.pdf

Or do you mean just the Highway 1 aspect of it?

That PDF refers to the Cape Horn Interchange, not the King Edward Overpass.

It will be done in 3 phases. Phase 1 will be the widening of the Woolridge St. Bridge to handle more traffic. They will route it slightly south next to the existing #1.

Phase 2 will close King Edward from Lougheed to just past McD's. The Road past Ikea will become the major detour route, along with Schoolhouse Road. The Ramp from Lougheed to Hwy #1 will be constructed and some Utility work and construction on King Edward south of #1 will be done ( King Edward south of #1 and underpass remain open )

Phase 3 will add a temporary exit on #1 to/from United Blvd at Taft Ave. and close King Edward completely for 12 weeks. During this time, I would imagine they will reroute #1 onto Woolridge and then collapse #1, one direction at a time while simultaneously building the South side ramp. This is the 12-week closure and a LOT of work. As others have mentioned, being in an industrial area, noise will be less of an issue. If they can do this in summer they'd be able to take advantage of better weather and longer days, but I believe it's scheduled for late 2010.

The rendering of the new overpass makes me laugh. Who would build condos, let alone purchase units right beside a garbage transfer station? On a warm sunny day that place friggin' stinks.

The garbage transfer station is actually one of the parcels that is part of that new development. In other words, it will not be there.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

Note: Nippon or Nihon are both used in Japanese to refer to their country and is not derogatory in Japan.

Ha, I just had BBC world news on in the background and I swear I just heard the reporter say "— Party". I must say that caught my attention and I looked at the TV, but alas, he was talking about elections in Japan and I misheard him say "Nippon Party" with his thick English accent.