Final LRT western extension open house reveals recommendations
City transportation planners lay bare most likely LRT westerm extension plans for public scrutiny
By Megan DeLaire
Nepean Barrhaven News, May 4, 2015
The city revealed recommendations for the western light rail extension on April 29, which included removing and adding stations along the line and establishing routes for construction detours on April 29.
Plans for the extension were disclosed in what the city called the final western extension open house at city hall. Representatives from the city’s transportation planning department said that the final plans revealed on April 29 for the LRT track and its corresponding stations were deemed the most suitable out of 12 options.
Factors considered when choosing the final route included economic feasibility, environmental impact, transit efficiency and accessibility, and working around municipal infrastructure including a large underground water main and a large underground sanitary sewer.
The city confirmed that Queensway station would be decommissioned and replaced with a new Queensview station further west. Two other new LRT stations confirmed include Cleary station on Cleary Avenue and New Orchard station between Clearly and Lincoln Fields stations. Lincoln Fields station will be reconstructed slightly north of its current location, beneath Carling Avenue.
The presentation addressed concerns by some residents about whether tracks would be laid over Byron linear park. According to the city’s presentation, the LRT line would be situated below grade on the northern edge of the park.
“There’s thousands of people who use that park,” said Charles Biscope, a resident of nearby Alison Street. “But I think, by the looks of it, it’s going to be OK. Then again, it’s way down the road.”
The presentation also addressed fears that construction of the LRT extension from Lincoln Fields station to Baseline station would negatively affect the ecology of Pinecrest Creek and the surrounding woods and trails.
Planning consultant David Hopper said that the watershed, which has been reshaped over the years by development, would be returned to its original alignment as part of construction along the corridor. Hopper added that former wetland areas along the Pinecrest corridor would be restored in order to re-naturalize the area and mitigate flooding.
Hopper talked about the effect on transit and road traffic during construction of the western extension. He said that in addition to Scott Street and Richmond Road, Carling Avenue and Hwy. 417 would be used to re-route buses from the existing Transitway during construction of the line between Tunney’s Pasture and Dominion stations.
Karen Large, who lives near Scott Street, was relieved by the prospect of other roadways being used to re-route bus traffic. She and many residents in neighbourhoods along Scott have expressed concern in the past about the impacts of LRT construction on local traffic.
“I’m really encouraged today because they’re actually taking a lot of our ideas and they’re utilizing them for phase two. We kept asking them where the buses were going to go, there’s 2,500 buses a day,” Large said. “Now what I’m very excited about, and was not expecting, is that they’re now reconsidering some of their design.”
Among topics that left some people concerned were plans for Cleary station to be constructed on Cleary Avenue behind the Unitarian House of Ottawa, a retirement facility. Residents of Unitarian House were worried about sound and vibration disturbances during construction, as well as changes to the geography of the Unitarian House parking lot. Residents at the open house also expressed concerns about a large bus staging area Hopper said would be constructed as part of LRT modifications to Bayshore station.
City transportation planning representatives said public comments would be considered in future planning and engineering of the western LRT extension.
http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-...sion-open-house-reveals-recommendations/
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