Calgary Public Transit II - Page 490

MasterG · #**9781** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 4:51 PM**

Excellent. Cross your fingers, but this might mean that 11th Street SE in Ramsay to Inglewood will get a sidewalk on both sides.

joe498 · #**9782** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 4:52 PM**

Ottawa pledges $1.53B for Green Line transit in Calgary

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ot...-green-line-transit-in-calgary-1.3166511

Sure hope this means we skip the whole bus lane thing and go straight to LRT.

When they say completion date of 2024, does that mean 2024 to Seton or 2024 to Quarry Park?

Somehow 9yrs away seems a little to long for me still.

Aegis · #**9783** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 4:52 PM**

Is it a foregone conclusion that the Province is ready to fund their 1/3 of the project? We basically have 2/3 covered now.

simster3 · #**9784** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 4:53 PM**

How quickly will they be able to solidify the route through downtown? I really hope they choose the bridge across the river from 2nd street and tunnel into the side of the bluff.

MasterG · #**9785** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 4:54 PM**

Does anyone remember those colour coded maps showing transportation share by neighbourhood? They were published on twitter and a bunch of places but can't find them.

They did an excellent WLRT before and after visualization.

suburbia · #**9786** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 4:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Assuming the Conservatives win the election...

What Nenshi will push for is all other party's to agree to the same deal. He's a strategist not easily pimped.

Fuzz · #**9787** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 4:58 PM**

Conservatives must be a little worried about election prospects here. I can't remember the last time they felt the needed to buy votes in Alberta.

suburbia · #**9788** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 4:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe498

Ottawa pledges $1.53B for Green Line transit in Calgary

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ot...-green-line-transit-in-calgary-1.3166511

Sure hope this means we skip the whole bus lane thing and go straight to LRT.

When they say completion date of 2024, does that mean 2024 to Seton or 2024 to Quarry Park?

Somehow 9yrs away seems a little to long for me still.

That's faster than I expected. Nenshi said construction to start 2017 near the middle and build out. I believe it is all the way from South Health Campus to North Pointe.

Surrealplaces · #**9789** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 5:04 PM**

Great news about the Green line being a go.

I'm looking forward to watching all the construction progress on this one.

I guess Quarry Park is officially not a loser dead zone any more.

Govertical · #**9790** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 5:07 PM**

Exciting day!, I cannot wait to see designs. And she better go underground downtown!

simster3 · #**9791** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 5:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterG

Does anyone remember those colour coded maps showing transportation share by neighbourhood? They were published on twitter and a bunch of places but can't find them.

They did an excellent WLRT before and after visualization.

I also would be interested to see this.

holhm22 · #**9792** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 5:23 PM**

Wow. That's awesome news, especially how fast the project will start according to the timeline.

Spring2008 · #**9793** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 5:39 PM**

Awesome news, does this mean NC and SE lines will be built as one?

Time for the province to step up too. Finally the hub of the west getting some of the huge amount of tax $ we pay to the feds and province back.

CTrainDude · #**9794** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 5:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5seconds

Was the City always considering a P3 for this project? Will this announcement mean that they pretty much have to now?

I Don't believe the City is really planning on a P3 here, but due to the size of the project it needs to go through a P3 'screen' (as Nenshi put it in the Press Conference). There's no stipulation on this money that it needs to be a P3 project.

lubicon · #**9795** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 5:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aegis

Is it a foregone conclusion that the Province is ready to fund their 1/3 of the project? We basically have 2/3 covered now.

Given the current state of the Provinces finances I would say this is anything but a forgone conclusion. Add in the uncertainty of the federal election outcome and the fact the City has almost zero dollars laying around and the skeptic in me says this project is still very much in doubt. But I would love to be proven wrong by all three levels of government.

MalcolmTucker · #**9796** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 5:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5seconds

Was the City always considering a P3 for this project? Will this announcement mean that they pretty much have to now?

Quote:

In order to be eligible for support under the PTF, projects must have a minimum of $1 billion in total estimated eligible costs. Federal contributions under the fund will be up to one-third of the total eligible costs and will lever the expertise, ingenuity, and financing of the private sector and alternative funding mechanisms.

...

Federal support will be allocated based on merit, to projects that: significantly reduce urban congestion and travel time; lever significant private sector involvement and expertise and provide value for money for taxpayers’ dollars; and support innovative approaches to project funding, financing, payments structures and delivery models.

- See more at: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2015/06/18/public-transit-fund#sthash.fb9pb0dS.dpuf

I think the last major public transit project built in Canada not as a P3 (or to pass through a P3 screen) is Toronto's Vaughn subway extension (which is currently delayed and over budget). After the failure to find a proponent for UPExpress (since a significant portion of the capital cost of the line was to be funded by operating revenues instead of an availability fee) MetroLinx/Infrastructure Ontario funded it internally using a P3 like structure, mostly because they didn't have time to go back through another P3 tender.

So yes, P3 to some extent, though P3s come in many different flavours. I predict that financing probably won't be part of the deal given Alberta's useful Capital Finance Authority that allows city's to borrow on the province's credit card.

The province may have to pass an order in council or a law to change Calgary's debt limits to finalize this.

I don't think the city would ever contemplate a project this big without the mildest P3 - design build. Toronto on the other hand with Vaughn has acted as its own prime contractor.

MalcolmTucker · #**9797** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 5:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lubicon

Given the current state of the Provinces finances I would say this is anything but a forgone conclusion. Add in the uncertainty of the federal election outcome and the fact the City has almost zero dollars laying around and the skeptic in me says this project is still very much in doubt. But I would love to be proven wrong by all three levels of government.

The province transfers a whole lot more money to the city than the necessary $76 million a year for this.

I doubt the city would be looking for an over and above special commitment for this.

The province could play games re: P3, but it would be stupid.

All the province needs to do is send a letter indicating that beyond the original MSI agreement, MSI and gas tax will continue to flow at some level, and would be available for projects like the Green Line.

Depending on how the financing is structured they might not need to contribute anything for many years, as the federal commitment is over 20 years.

O-tacular · #**9798** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 5:56 PM**

Nothing like buying votes heading into an election!

Spring2008 · #**9799** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 6:21 PM**

The city has also already allocated $500M towards this so far based on the excess property tax revenue of $50M over the next 10 yrs.

If i had to pick a line i'd say SE deserves it more. Seton, Rangeview, Quarry Park, and Providence in the south are all being designed as large mixed-use hubs with large concentration of employment and residential. Will benefit Vic park and Inglewood too. North Central's pretty far behind.

Policy Wonk · #**9800** Posted **Jul 24, 2015, 6:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fusili

PolicyWonk is going to have a heart attack. Or maybe he'll still fight and say "this is just some pipe dream that our council has that will be moved back to Nose Creek when more reasonable people get into council." Pretty sure this solidifies it.

If the money is really there in this geological epoch, that is just great. If I completely misread the funding environment I am absolutely delighted to be wrong about that.

I always agreed that Centre Street at grade was possible, I think it's stupid and doomed to be a politically charged multimodal clusterfuck for the ages, but indeed possible.

The Centre Street subway we argued about for five years straight remains another matter.