Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

This makes me very thankful we tendered the Confederation Line as a P3. Otherwise, the city would have just put trains on these dying old bridges and have to tear it all up 10 years later.

RTG is rebuilding these bridges from scratch as train bridges that won't need salting (as they're train bridges).. so they'll last a much longer time.

Just imagine what is happening to 70s, 80s, and 90s infrastructure in the rest of the city. And province. And country.

The decommissioning, restoration, replacement, and repair bills for post-war sprawl and structural overbuilding is going to be huge.

[Radster]

Has anyone complained yet, let alone mentioned the fact that all those new condo dwellers on Fleet/Lett can't turn left from Fleet onto Booth Street Southbound anymore as there is a median on that section of Booth street? So that, coupled with the fact that they can't turn left from SJAM onto Booth either, means that their options for reaching Preston, Dow's Lake, Queensway from there are as follows, starting with the best option:
1. From Lett St, turn left on SJAM (West) and turn right into the Museum of War grounds (whenever there is no Bluesfest) and loop around to Booth Street Southbound.
2. From Lett St, turn right on SJAM (East), right on Lyon, then proceed as you wish to nearest Queensway onramp or right on Somerset, Gladstone etc.
3. From Lett St, turn left on SJAM (West) and exit at Parkdale then proceed as you wish.

That whole median on the Booth Street Bridge is useless, encourages higher driving spends (hence why its being called the Booth Street highway), so no wonder there is no more left turn from Fleet onto Booth. But with this new change, I think its kind of silly that the same old returned to the SJAM/Booth intersection (ie no left turn from SJAM Westbound to Booth). Allowing a left turn would not only help Fleet/Lett street residents, but also alleviate some traffic on the bridges - giving an extra route option into Chinatown/Preston/Hintonbourg/Queensway for those driving from QC to ON.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Radster

Has anyone complained yet, let alone mentioned the fact that all those new condo dwellers on Fleet/Lett can't turn left from Fleet onto Booth Street Southbound anymore as there is a median on that section of Booth street? So that, coupled with the fact that they can't turn left from SJAM onto Booth either, means that their options for reaching Preston, Dow's Lake, Queensway from there are as follows, starting with the best option:
1. From Lett St, turn left on SJAM (West) and turn right into the Museum of War grounds (whenever there is no Bluesfest) and loop around to Booth Street Southbound.
2. From Lett St, turn right on SJAM (East), right on Lyon, then proceed as you wish to nearest Queensway onramp or right on Somerset, Gladstone etc.
3. From Lett St, turn left on SJAM (West) and exit at Parkdale then proceed as you wish.

That whole median on the Booth Street Bridge is useless, encourages higher driving spends (hence why its being called the Booth Street highway), so no wonder there is no more left turn from Fleet onto Booth. But with this new change, I think its kind of silly that the same old returned to the SJAM/Booth intersection (ie no left turn from SJAM Westbound to Booth). Allowing a left turn would not only help Fleet/Lett street residents, but also alleviate some traffic on the bridges - giving an extra route option into Chinatown/Preston/Hintonbourg/Queensway for those driving from QC to ON.

The Booth Street "Highway" is exactly what we need, with pedestrian oriented Little Italy and Chinatown to the south, and the planned pedestrian oriented Zibi and Lebreton Flats developments to the north and west. We need an anti-pedestrian barrier right in the middle. A little taste of the suburbs right in the centre of the city.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

The Booth Street "Highway" is exactly what we need, with pedestrian oriented Little Italy and Chinatown to the south, and the planned pedestrian oriented Zibi and Lebreton Flats developments to the north and west. We need an anti-pedestrian barrier right in the middle. A little taste of the suburbs right in the centre of the city.

It will save downtowners the trip to, I dunno, Carling Avenue, for their taste of the vibrant culture of the suburbs, no?

[passwordisnt123]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Here's a great shot by Chuck Clark showing the new Booth St. bridge, the west portal of the LRT tunnel, the aqueduct, as well as new park that is taking shape along the Parkway at Booth.



southfacing, July 1, 2016.

Ugh, that absolutely massive Holocaust memorial under construction to the right just makes me shiver. I can just see it now.

Scene #1: "Hey everybody, let's go to that fun, hip new neighbourhood downtown! You know, that multi-billion dollar investment with Zibi, Lebreton Flats, all the newest restaurants, the new Ottawa Senators stadium and easy access to both the Trillium AND Confederation lines?"

Some minutes later.

Since #2: Family staring silent, mouths agape, their arms hanging heavy at their sides as they gaze upon this massive concrete brutalist monument stretching up from the ground to commemorate the Holocaust. Gone are the feelings of fun happiness they had briefly flirted with some minutes earlier.

Parents: "Never mind, kids. Let's just go home and contemplate our mortality, the scourge of antisemitism, and how cruel humans can be to one another."

Children respond: "Again?"

[Beedok]

It's not like the massive concrete Peace Keepers memorial gets people off put when visiting the Market. People are good at blinders.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by Beedok

It's not like the massive concrete Peace Keepers memorial gets people off put when visiting the Market. People are good at blinders.

Are you referring to the "massive concrete Peace Keepers memorial" that will fit, crudely, 8 times over into the space of the Holocaust Memorial site (Probably more like 10 times if you eliminate the grassy edges).

Holocaust Memorial site:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4172585,-75.7140623,250m/data=!3m1!1e3

Peacekeeper's Memorial:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4288119,-75.6967827,246m/data=!3m1!1e3


(And yes, they're the same scale)

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Beedok

It's not like the massive concrete Peace Keepers memorial gets people off put when visiting the Market. People are good at blinders.

The peacekeepers monument is at least at a human scale (and with human figures.)

[lrt's friend]

At least the Holocaust memorial won't be a pile of bronze bodies piled up in an open grave. Now, that would be creepy, but the reality of what happened.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

The peacekeepers monument is at least at a human scale (and with human figures.)

On top of a giant wall.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by acottawa

On top of a giant wall.

Barely a "wall", and hardly giant.

I mean, I hate open space and monuments, especially overly-literal ones, as much as the next guy, but if you are gonna hate on the peacekeeping monument, you might as well just pack it all in. It's almost as unbrutal a monument as you are going to get.

[adam-machiavelli]

From a planning perspective, why are 3 open spaces being installed at one of the best intersections for high-intensity development? Seems like bad planning to me.

[McC]

The southern 2 are temporary because it will be years (if not decades) until PWGSC commissions the office buildings that are planned for those 2 sites, and the NCC wanted something slightly less hideous in time for 2017.

Darwin wrote about their planning a while back: http://www.westsideaction.com/three-temporary-landscapes-flats/

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by adam-machiavelli

From a planning perspective, why are 3 open spaces being installed at one of the best intersections for high-intensity development? Seems like bad planning to me.

New here?

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Barely a "wall", and hardly giant.

I mean, I hate open space and monuments, especially overly-literal ones, as much as the next guy, but if you are gonna hate on the peacekeeping monument, you might as well just pack it all in. It's almost as unbrutal a monument as you are going to get.

It's 10 stone blocks high as seen from the west side (and even more imposing from the east side where it is elevated by another set of stairs and takes up almost a full block in one of the most prominent locations in the city. If it were human scale it would be human-sized statues close to ground level (say like the valeants monument). Even better it would be something nice built to honour peacekeepers (such a fountain or garden) rather than a large deconstructivist wall with a few bronze statues on top.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by acottawa

It's 10 stone blocks high as seen from the west side (and even more imposing from the east side where it is elevated by another set of stairs and takes up almost a full block in one of the most prominent locations in the city. If it were human scale it would be human-sized statues close to ground level (say like the valeants monument). Even better it would be something nice built to honour peacekeepers (such a fountain or garden) rather than a large deconstructivist wall with a few bronze statues on top.

Human scale != human-sized.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Human scale != human-sized.

It means on a size designed for human use. Humans can't use a 12 foot deconstructivist wall (although Trump might like it). It isn't even possible to look at the statues up close because they are so high up and unusable to humans. The thing was clearly designed on a monumental scale (and primarily for the enjoyment of cars) and started the trend that every monument to every cause in the city had to be on a monumental scale to give cars something to look at.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by acottawa

It means on a size designed for human use.

No, it doesn't. Langevin is a human-scale building. Don't use it. PM's protective detail gets upset.

Humans can't use a 12 foot deconstructivist wall (although Trump might like it). It isn't even possible to look at the statues up close because they are so high up and unusable to humans.

Are you seriously talking about the same monument that, on Canada Day, is covered by young people who have certainly not smoked any marijuana who are out to enjoy the fireworks?

The thing was clearly designed on a monumental scale (and primarily for the enjoyment of cars) and started the trend that every monument to every cause in the city had to be on a monumental scale to give cars something to look at.

Albert Speers' Berlin was planned on a "monumental scale".

The Peacekeeping monument, as banal as it is, is definitely on a human scale.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

No, it doesn't. Langevin is a human-scale building. Don't use it. PM's protective detail gets upset.



Are you seriously talking about the same monument that, on Canada Day, is covered by young people who have certainly not smoked any marijuana who are out to enjoy the fireworks?



Albert Speers' Berlin was planned on a "monumental scale".

The Peacekeeping monument, as banal as it is, is definitely on a human scale.

Langevin is not built on a human scale. The ceilings are over-sized (for a human), the main staircase is over-sized, the hallways are over-sized, it was designed to be impressive.

The fact that teenagers can climb something does not make it human scale.

There are degrees of monumental scale between typical monumental architecture and ridiculous nazi scale.

[Guideway]

Mini update, I was at the train station yesterday and saw that the lrt tracks reach out to the first bridge (The one you take to exit the train station). Just wanted to let y'all know.

By the way, does anybody know the testing date of eastern portion of the track?