Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[JM1]

It might have to do with not wanting to have busses cross each other to enter and leave the station while also having the bus door exit immediately to the train station. Still... I don't like the design.

Originally Posted by MoreTrains

Wouldnt want to cut off the MUPs on the North side... Bout the only reason I can think of.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by JM1

It might have to do with not wanting to have busses cross each other to enter and leave the station while also having the bus door exit immediately to the train station. Still... I don't like the design.

The buses will be crossing each other regardless

[OTSkyline]

What if the Hurdman station was built with an underground tunnel crossing that first bus loop to emerge in a sheltered bus station in the loop median? I'm talking very wide tunnel to accommodate the large number of passengers (not some narrow scary dark corridor).

That way LRT passengers transfering at Hurdman would arrive at the second level station, take the elevator (or stairs down) to the -1 level, cross the bus loop to take elevator/stairs back up to the covered station in the middle of the bus loop.

Quick, easy and comfortable since everyone would be sheltered from the elements.

[McC]

the site is contaminated; building down means costly remediation.

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

What if the Hurdman station was built with an underground tunnel crossing that first bus loop to emerge in a sheltered bus station in the loop median? I'm talking very wide tunnel to accommodate the large number of passengers (not some narrow scary dark corridor).

That way LRT passengers transfering at Hurdman would arrive at the second level station, take the elevator (or stairs down) to the -1 level, cross the bus loop to take elevator/stairs back up to the covered station in the middle of the bus loop.

Quick, easy and comfortable since everyone would be sheltered from the elements.

Ouch no. Underground tunnel is rarely a good solution.
Not only will it decrease accessibility but most people will still cross it on ground level anyway.

[Horus]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

What if the Hurdman station was built with an underground tunnel crossing that first bus loop to emerge in a sheltered bus station in the loop median? I'm talking very wide tunnel to accommodate the large number of passengers (not some narrow scary dark corridor).

That way LRT passengers transfering at Hurdman would arrive at the second level station, take the elevator (or stairs down) to the -1 level, cross the bus loop to take elevator/stairs back up to the covered station in the middle of the bus loop.

Quick, easy and comfortable since everyone would be sheltered from the elements.

Similarly, you could run an overhead walkway (covered) passing over the bus loop to the station in the middle. That would be just as effective, cheaper and easier to use.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

What concerns me is that there is no real critical review going on regarding station designs, looking at it from the rider's perspective. We 'jump for joy' that we are getting a shiny new LRT system but we forget the details on how this is really going to work.

Whatserface in charge of the LRT project about four or five years ago promised me, when I finagled some face time with her at one of the 76 consultation sessions, that rider input was going to be solicited, and early, in the design process.

And yes, I still believe in the easter bunny, too.

The same is going to apply regarding the bus system reconfiguration. In many cases, poor design will not get noticed until opening day.

Oh, no, it will be noticed before opening day, and it will be the subject of many harried social media posts and emails to municipal politicians and officials, all of which will be dutifully ignored.

We have already rationalized the system (read service cuts) so there better not be another one tied in with the opening of the Confederation Line.

Again, going back to those consultations early in the process, I was promised that there would be service cuts - sorry, it's spelled "improvements". That is a good chunk of the premise of the LRT. When I asked about the goal of "removing" buses from downtown streets, pressing for clarity - do they just mean Transitway buses or locals as well, they were very insistent: they look forward to "improving" the local downtown routes by removing as many runs as possible in 2018.

The people who are building transit in Ottawa don't use transit in Ottawa. They should be required to as a condition of employment.

[rocketphish]

Cycling connection at U of O to close as part of LRT construction

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 12, 2016 | Last Updated: April 12, 2016 4:23 PM EDT



A key east-west cycling connection at the University of Ottawa could be closed for the summer as it undergoes a major facelift as part of light rail construction.

In early May, the tunnel underneath Nicholas Street and the Transitway, which is used heavily by those travelling between the campus, Sandy Hill and the west side of the Rideau Canal, will close for at least 12 weeks as crews tear down the Transitway bridge and reconfigure an adjacent plaza as part of construction of the new uOttawa LRT station. The Nicholas overpass will not be replaced, partly because Nicholas will be used by some OC Transpo buses that would normally travel along the Transitway.

The spot is a crucial linchpin for east-west travellers, as it connects a cycling spine that includes the Corktown Footbridge over the canal and the new Adàwe crossing over the Rideau River.

“This is basically the cycling equivalent of the 417 in terms of cycling through downtown,” said Daniel Spence, the university’s sustainable transportation manager.

But as anyone who’s ever walked or biked there knows, it’s a total mess of blind spots and potential conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians.

The poorly-marked cycling lanes run down the centre of the tunnel, while pedestrians are supposed to stick to the sides. A large S-curve, likely designed for people who use wheelchairs or electric scooters, weaves from one side of the plaza, while pedestrians walk up a staircase in the middle. The two paths cross at several points, while another staircase off to one side connects to the upper platform of Campus station, which brings hundreds of people to this small plaza every hour.

Meanwhile, as more people have taken up cycling as a way to get around — and the city has encouraged as much by building cycling and pedestrian bridges nearby — the pressure here has only increased.

According to Spence, it’s also a key spot for the university, which acknowledges that the LRT will be, in the long run, a benefit, even if it brings with it some short-term headaches.

“We’ve been taking in stride things that would otherwise be hard to swallow,” he said.

The university has been meeting monthly with city officials to discuss LRT construction, Spence said, adding he’s seen at least four different sets of drawings for how the plaza might look once the $2.1-billion Confederation line opens in 2018.

Spence said the new plan aims to essentially keep cyclists on one side of the plaza and pedestrians on the other.

Given that Campus station is set to close in less than two weeks, he’s hoping the city and OLRT Constructors, the group building the LRT line, come forward soon with a detailed plan for the corresponding tunnel closure.

City councillors are also eager to hear what’s going to happen.

They say city officials are meeting daily with OLRT to come up with a plan both sides can live with.

“There’s been progress, but no confirmation,” said Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury.

If the tunnel closes completely, one option for cyclists would be to cross Colonel By Drive and then immediately veer to the left and follow a path that would connect to Laurier. The pathway along the canal also hooks up with Laurier.

Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney says the detour may not be too arduous for cyclists, but something must be done for pedestrians, especially Golden Triangle residents who currently use Campus station.

She wants a shuttle service to run during morning and afternoon peak periods down Elgin and Laurier to deliver people to the nearest Transitway stop.

“I don’t support the closure of the tunnel until we come up with a way to get residents to a Transitway station,” she said.

[email protected]
twitter.com/mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...f-o-to-close-as-part-of-lrt-construction

[Richard Eade]

I stand corrected then. I had been told by city staff and their consultants that the tunnel was to stay open. But, in fairness, I don't think any of them knew that RTG was going to completely tear out the Transitway structure. (Remember, one of the line's rating criteria was to reuse existing infrastructure, leading to a surface station being preferred here.) I guess that RTG, who will have to maintain the rail system for a long time, felt that putting the tracks on an already old structure was tempting fate; kind of like at Bayview. Having a new structure will help ensure that they can maintain the system properly.

I will note, though, that there still might be some uncertainty about the closing since the article says

...
If the tunnel closes completely, ...

[mykl]

I don't understand why Catherine McKenney wants a shuttle to the nearest tranistway station. If you are standing at Elgin and Somerset, the walk to Campus Station is the same distance as the walk to Metcalfe Station on Slater. You've also got a fairly similar walk to Mackenzie King. So unless the shuttle is only to benefit the people who live right by the Corktown bridge, I'm not sure what the point is.

[TheBrain]

I don't see why they couldn't keep the tunnel open for the majority of the construction. They just need to make a quick and dirty ramp where the cycle ramp will be on the left side of the stairs. Then simply make those scaffold tunnels they use along side buildings under construction to protect people. Make it narrower and have everyone walk. With something like that they would be able to do a huge part of the demo and construction while keeping a safe passage for people. Obviously once they are doing the tunnel itself they'll need to close it but I think it could be limited.

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by mykl

I don't understand why Catherine McKenney wants a shuttle to the nearest tranistway station. If you are standing at Elgin and Somerset, the walk to Campus Station is the same distance as the walk to Metcalfe Station on Slater. You've also got a fairly similar walk to Mackenzie King. So unless the shuttle is only to benefit the people who live right by the Corktown bridge, I'm not sure what the point is.

LOL, did she actually say SHUTTLE SERVICE down ELGIN?

"If only we had some sort of shuttle service, probably a long type of vehicle that serves about 60 people, with a door in the front for people getting on, and a door on the back for people getting off. It would have to travel the route every few minutes, with stops along the way to pick up and drop off. Yes, that would sound like a good system to get people to where they need to go instead of walking."

Isn't that called a bus?

"We'll come up with a way to get people to a transitway station"

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

LOL, did she actually say SHUTTLE SERVICE down ELGIN?

The exact quote was:

a shuttle service to run during morning and afternoon peak periods down Elgin and Laurier to deliver people to the nearest Transitway stop.

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

"If only we had some sort of shuttle service, probably a long type of vehicle that serves about 60 people, with a door in the front for people getting on, and a door on the back for people getting off. It would have to travel the route every few minutes, with stops along the way to pick up and drop off. Yes, that would sound like a good system to get people to where they need to go instead of walking."

Isn't that called a bus?

I was thinking a shuttle would be something more like this:


(image from Wikipedia and in Public Domain)

Seriously I am guessing by shuttle, she means a free bus to connect the two sides of the tunnel (or at least reasonably close). People walking or riding their bikes through the tunnel may not have or otherwise need bus passes. Not sure why it would have to go to a transit way stop then though.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by mykl

I don't understand why Catherine McKenney wants a shuttle to the nearest tranistway station. If you are standing at Elgin and Somerset, the walk to Campus Station is the same distance as the walk to Metcalfe Station on Slater. You've also got a fairly similar walk to Mackenzie King. So unless the shuttle is only to benefit the people who live right by the Corktown bridge, I'm not sure what the point is.

I think she's just trying to remain relevant to her constituency, that's all. To accomplish this, the ideas don't need to be overly practical... you just need to complain every now and again.

[rocketphish]

Construction Update
Week of April 11

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Lyon Station

In Lyon Station cavern, crews waterproof the station arch and begin arch formwork and rebar installations. In the transition east of Lyon Station cavern, waterproofing, rebar installation and concrete pours are ongoing.

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Parliament Station

In Parliament Station cavern, crews excavate the final section of the bench. In the running tunnel, mining continues moving east past the Rideau Canal, supported by shotcrete and rockbolt installations.

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Rideau Station

In Rideau Station cavern, Crocodile Rouge mines the central pillar and crews continue cavern support activities including shotcrete.

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Downtown Integrated Stations and Entrances – Lyon, Parliament and Rideau Stations

Lyon Station west entrance: excavation and station support activities such as shotcrete continue. At the HVAC shaft, crews begin waterproofing and installing formwork. At the west vent shaft, excavation and line drilling take place. At the east vent shaft, crews begin shoring.

Lyon Station east entrance: relocation of plumbing and mechanical continues, along with demolition on the parking and concourse levels.

Parliament Station west entrance: rebar installation and concrete pours for the escalator walls are ongoing. Forming and pouring of the stairs begin.

Parliament Station east entrance: crews continue to reinforce columns and pour concrete piers at the concourse level.

Traffic restrictions on Queen and O’Connor streets remain in effect.

Rideau Station east entrance: crews complete blasting and material removals. Waterproofing and installation of the mudslab begin.

Rideau Station west entrance: excavation and support activities such as tiebacks are ongoing. Piling continues at the west vent shaft on the north side of Rideau Street.

Traffic restrictions on Rideau Street remain in effect.

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Tunney’s Pasture, Pimisi, Hurdman, Tremblay, St-Laurent, Cyrville and Blair Stations

Tunney’s Pasture Station: construction of the temporary bus loop continues and includes excavation and hoe ramming.

Pimisi Station: crews complete site mobilization and continue preliminary station excavation.

Hurdman Station: crews continue station construction, including excavation, insulation and mudslab work. Installation of rebar on grade beams and pier caps begins. Excavation and grading continues for the permanent bus loop and preliminary watermain relocation work occurs.

Tremblay Station: rebar installation and excavation for platform walls and the north station walls take place. Crews continue concrete pours near the west ring road.

St-Laurent Station: structural steel installation, concrete pours and backfilling occur. Crews strip the formwork from the plenum.

Cyrville Station: crews insulate the roof of the auxiliary building, install the base for the integrated art and continue to install structural steel.

Blair Station: crews begin installing structural steel later this week and continue pouring concrete. Permanent bus loop work continues with the construction of the RSS walls.

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Guideway Construction – Booth Street Bridge, Hurdman Station and St-Laurent to Blair Stations

Booth Street Bridge: formwork installation continues in preparation for concrete pours.

Hurdman Station Elevated Guideway: crews continue installing formwork and rebar on the deck.

Tremblay Station to Blair Station: trackwork, OCS foundation and granular installations continue along the guideway. Crews begin installing the TPSS east of Tremblay Station.

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Upcoming Construction Activities

The following construction activities are scheduled to occur:

In the coming weeks:

• Excavation of the ramp at West Portal.
• Final waterproofing and concrete work in Parliament Station cavern.
• Final waterproofing and concrete work in Rideau Station cavern.
• Excavation of the ramp at East Portal.
• Transitway service adjustment from Lees to Laurier stations.
• uOttawa Station construction.
• Mann Avenue Bridge rehabilitation.
• Lees Station construction.
• Watermain work near St-Laurent Station, along the guideway.
• Bus operators’ building construction at Blair Station.

In the coming months:

• Tunney’s Pasture Station construction.
• Bayview Station preliminary construction.
• Pimisi Station construction.
• Watermain relocation at Cyrville Station.

http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/construction/construction-update-69/

[Horus]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

---

That's a great picture. Gives real perspective to the size of these station caverns. Thanks!

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by Horus

That's a great picture. Gives real perspective to the size of these station caverns. Thanks!

Yeah... I'm trying to figure it out... on the right-hand side, the concrete looks low enough to be a train platform.
But unless my perspective is all messed up, on the left it looks like the "platform" is 2m higher than the track bed. Is it just an optical illusion?

[Mr.Flintstone]

Here a few Picture I took of Cyrville station

[MaxHeadroom]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

Yeah... I'm trying to figure it out... on the right-hand side, the concrete looks low enough to be a train platform.
But unless my perspective is all messed up, on the left it looks like the "platform" is 2m higher than the track bed. Is it just an optical illusion?

Optical illusion. The guy in the coveralls is standing on what will eventually be the platform. The temporary wood rail in the upper right is where the concourse level above will be constructed.

[rocketphish]

Alternative routes:

University of Ottawa cyclist, pedestrian tunnel to close for nearly 4 months
Crews will be constructing new uOttawa LRT station

CBC News Posted: Apr 18, 2016 11:34 AM ET Last Updated: Apr 18, 2016 11:34 AM ET

A heavily-used pedestrian and cyclist tunnel at the University of Ottawa will shut down in early May for nearly four months as the city continues work on the Confederation light rail line.

The tunnel underneath Colonel By Drive will shut down from May 2 to Aug. 22, the city said in a news release Monday.

While it's closed, crews will be reconfiguring the current Campus OC Transpo station and a portion of the Transitway in order to build the new uOttawa LRT station.

Signs will be installed near the tunnel, as well as on the University of Ottawa campus and the nearby Corkstown and Adàwe pedestrian crossings, directing people to alternate routes, the city said.

There will also be "additional capacity" during peak periods on OC Transpo routes 5 and 14, which operate along Elgin Street and make connections with bus routes to the university, during the construction work.



Along with the tunnel closure, university students and Sandy Hill residents will also soon be adapting to life without a major section of the Transitway.

Beginning April 24, the Transitway will close between Lees and Laurier stations, with most of the affected buses detouring onto Nicholas Street.

That work is being done to make the bus-only thoroughfare compatible with light rail, which is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa in 2018.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/university-ottawa-pedestrian-cyclist-tunnel-close-1.3540768