West LRT | 7 Stations | 8.0 KM | In Service

[kw5150]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

Actually spittle from Rick Bell's rants.


Ok I'm done.

Drool

[Knoots]

Thanks for the pics yyc_engineer. This is cool stuff. It looks as though each concrete section is offset from the previous one to get the curve, but the crane is just a straight track - so where do they do the offset? Where the concrete is attached to the crane? Or does the crane itself move the concrete piece horizontally and vertically?

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

Why was the 26th Street station not put underground? It seems odd raising the LRT line up Bow Trail to 26th only to immediately drop it back down and go underground.

I'll answer my own question. Money was the reason.

Correct?

s.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by mr.steevo

Hi,

Why was the 26th Street station not put underground? It seems odd raising the LRT line up Bow Trail to 26th only to immediately drop it back down and go underground.

I'll answer my own question. Money was the reason.

Correct?

s.

Money is always a big reason. But the LRT comes down from elevated east of 26th Ave. Overall, the elevated - at grade - underground progression makes the grade that the LRT has to climb much less, since it's climbing the same distance over a much longer distance. It probably doesn't make much sense to drop the station underground there, and especially not for the cost.

[mersar]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

Money is always a big reason. But the LRT comes down from elevated east of 26th Ave. Overall, the elevated - at grade - underground progression makes the grade that the LRT has to climb much less, since it's climbing the same distance over a much longer distance. It probably doesn't make much sense to drop the station underground there, and especially not for the cost.

Technically the LRT is at grade a long ways before 26th street, its actually at grade by the time it goes under Crowchild.

But yeah, money is the big reason. Theres nothing to be gained from burying that stretch, and it would cost a huge amount. Considering the numbers from moving from 41st to 45th into a trench vs at grade, I'd expect to bury or trench this part would be into the hundreds of millions more (its about 12+ blocks)

[MrBigStuff]

Originally Posted by yyc_engineer

Hey,

they are indeed built in Calgary, by Con-Force. I was in there a couple weeks ago for a plant tour, its a pretty impressive facility they've got there. If you're in the area I suggest checking out the massive cantilevered sections they are pouring outside...

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_...k9AZT_K3PuLs2Ob3nrQ&cbp=12,15.42,,0,0.61

I'm familiar with that place - back in the 80's I delivered plastic products to this very plant for Amptech Corporation. Very nice facility - and big!!

[suburb]

Originally Posted by mersar

Technically the LRT is at grade a long ways before 26th street, its actually at grade by the time it goes under Crowchild.

But yeah, money is the big reason. Theres nothing to be gained from burying that stretch, and it would cost a huge amount. Considering the numbers from moving from 41st to 45th into a trench vs at grade, I'd expect to bury or trench this part would be into the hundreds of millions more (its about 12+ blocks)

Yup - meaning the opportunity cost of doing that would be that the 26th street station would be the last stop for the West LRT. I don't mind the current plan. We have to be realistic at the end of the day.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by suburb

Yup - meaning the opportunity cost of doing that would be that the 26th street station would be the last stop for the West LRT. I don't mind the current plan. We have to be realistic at the end of the day.

Would have been nice to keep the elevated pedestrian headend at the station however - if the station ever gets busy, capacity on Bow Trail will be seriously degraded.

[mersar]

The second span of the guideway is all up now. They've also started paving the new alignment of Bow Trail west of 33rd, and look to be not far from paving on the east side of 33rd.

[Mike Wilhelm]

Originally Posted by Sir.Humphrey.Appleby

Would have been nice to keep the elevated pedestrian headend at the station however - if the station ever gets busy, capacity on Bow Trail will be seriously degraded.

Then the "phantom" future developers can pay for the upgrades, including a flyover at 26 St. They've got a pretty good transit/upzoning subsidy at Westbrook, and they should focus there.

It's fine until Westbrook gets built up.

Don't believe the "city line" on relative cost - the four story hole at 26 street and the "keystone cops" excavation program they've got going there (a directional drilling rig has on standby - at full cost to Enmax - behind my house for 4 days) may cost more and involve more excavation that a tunnel under the road would have. We have city water, Enmax, and Telus working together, so my expectations are low.

They now want to re-open 24 street, largely because the 26 street excavation plan now involves excavating the street instead of tunneling under it.

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

I am not sure how the 26th Street (Shaganappi Point) station will feel given that it is basically an island on the automobile currents of Bow Tr. I would have preferred an under or over pass pedestrian route to access the station, as at this point I wouldn't feel comfortable letting my kids go to the station alone.

They now want to re-open 24 street, largely because the 26 street excavation plan now involves excavating the street instead of tunneling under it.

What do you mean by this? The north side of 24 St. or the south side of 24 St.? I'm not sure what you are referring to.

s.

[srperrycgy]

My guess would be to reopen the ramp from EB Bow Tr to SB 24th St, which has been closed for many years. I can see the community being bitchy about the cut-through traffic.

[Mike Wilhelm]

Originally Posted by mr.steevo

What do you mean by this? The north side of 24 St. or the south side of 24 St.? I'm not sure what you are referring to.

Northbound, where they've already removed the pavement and ramp. They've finally started the directional drilling late this afternoon.

Once again ...

Most residents were not comfortable with going to a elevated stationhead alone, nor were the seniors at the (then) seniors complex. Bridgeland station has a similar likely volume level as Shaganappi Point. The same organization has a seniors complex next to Bridgeland station, and has requested that Bridgeland station be locked at night. They were very much in agreement on the removal of the station head to meet CPTED objectives.

The best answer would have been a trenched station with access from 26 St., we argued for it, and we know how that turned out ($150 mm price tag, with significant estimating "errors" subsequently acknowledged to council but not to the public).

We don't need to overbuild this station. However you cannot put in an overpass to a station without an elevator (a construction standard for stations) and that necessitates an enclosed stationhead, which causes the problems at Bridgeland.

[Mike Wilhelm]

Originally Posted by srperrycgy

I can see the community being bitchy about the cut-through traffic.

I can see the people on that street being bitchy about the cut through traffic.

I understand the convenience argument, and would love to negotate away legitimate property interests on 24th Street to save me 2 minutes in getting to Crowchild (I'm on the North side). However I guess the residents of that street are a bunch of NIBMYs for not wanting to convert their street to an exit between two freeways (Bow was not a major road when their houses were built).

Sarcasm aside, I support the current closure.

[MrBigStuff]

Originally Posted by srperrycgy

My guess would be to reopen the ramp from EB Bow Tr to SB 24th St, which has been closed for many years. I can see the community being bitchy about the cut-through traffic.

I say - go green - open up more of the streets which were open before, and then closed to traffic later. Enough with the planters in the middle of intersections. Less traffic tieups - cars don't sit & idle in stalled traffic as much.

[Mike Wilhelm]

Yep - onramps and offramps for everybody. Screw the community dudes, and keep traffic moving so nobody will need to ride the LRT!

[srperrycgy]

Few pics from my afternoon walk up to 69th St. The mosquitos were bad and they enjoyed feasting on me. The construction at Sarcee Tr. is increasing and the pedestrian path was poorly marked. ATCO Gas and Telus were both working on their respective utilities.

Excavation at 37th St.:


45th St. Station excavation:


New WB Lanes on 17th Ave. ready for paving:


Nice way to increase business, but how many labourers like lattes?


Oops. A nice wrench to forget. Looks like the piece was cast or was ready earlier in the month based on the date in the pic.


All of my July pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrtincalgary/sets/72157624574284256/

[mersar]

Most of the third span of the guideway is now up.

[thager]

Originally Posted by mersar

Most of the third span of the guideway is now up.

i love to see some pics??

[mr.steevo]

Originally Posted by Mike Wilhelm

Most residents were not comfortable with going to a elevated stationhead alone, nor were the seniors at the (then) seniors complex. Bridgeland station has a similar likely volume level as Shaganappi Point. The same organization has a seniors complex next to Bridgeland station, and has requested that Bridgeland station be locked at night. They were very much in agreement on the removal of the station head to meet CPTED objectives.

The best answer would have been a trenched station with access from 26 St., we argued for it, and we know how that turned out ($150 mm price tag, with significant estimating "errors" subsequently acknowledged to council but not to the public).

We don't need to overbuild this station. However you cannot put in an overpass to a station without an elevator (a construction standard for stations) and that necessitates an enclosed stationhead, which causes the problems at Bridgeland.

Hi,

We recently moved to the area so we aren't aware of the development of this station. From what I understand, MCF Housing for Seniors still owns the land next to Bow Tr. but has no immediate intentions to do anything with the property. Who knows if there will be another seniors complex. Still, I'm thinking about general accessability. The station in its current design is accessable but I just wonder how safe it will feel with the level of traffic up and down that roadway. Maybe it will be fine. Maybe not.

We do have concerns about traffic cutting through streets. I've noticed a lot more people speeding through playground zones while bumping over the traffic calming humps. I'm thinking some extra stop signs throughout the area would be a simple way of annoying people enough not to cut through. I know blocks and blocks of stop signs annoy me.

s.