Kanata LRT EA - Bayshore to Palladium

[AuxTown]

This line should stop at terry fox. Any additional ridership by going to Stittsville does not justify the cost. Eagleson and terry fox park and rides offer huge ridership potential and the rights of way are already ready to go; including the (sadly) unused Kanata Ave underpass. If Melnyk balks and Lebreton never happens then I would understand the CTC extension but otherwise it's just not needed!

[J.OT13]

Oh 🞵🞵🞵🞵! Document 1 KLRT, page 44, the City is considering a new line from Moodie to Kanata North. What a waste of money that would be!! Or should I say will, cause that will happen before any urban subway routes!! Central Ottawa is f***d for life!

http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=7302&doctype=agenda&itemid=372869

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Oh 🞵🞵🞵🞵! Document 1 KLRT, page 44, the City is considering a new line from Moodie to Kanata North. What a waste of money that would be!! Or should I say will, cause that will happen before any urban subway routes!! Central Ottawa is f***d for life!

http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=7302&doctype=agenda&itemid=372869

Projected ridership for almost all of the options is less than the existing ridership on weekday route 12 alone.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Jesus Christ and all his angels... -_-

[rocketphish]

City staff recommend against connecting LRT to Kanata Research Park

By: Peter Kovessy, OBJ
Published: Apr 30, 2018 2:52pm EDT

City staff are recommending that a future extension of Ottawa’s light-rail line in the west end bypass the Kanata Research Park and instead follow a “central spine” that largely follows Highway 417 to the Canadian Tire Centre before travelling south to Hazeldean Road.

Shovels won’t be hitting the ground on the $1.85-billion, 11-kilometre extension any time soon. The city is still tendering the second phase of Ottawa’s light-rail network, which will extend the line west to Moodie Drive and Algonquin College, south to the airport and Riverside South, and east to Trim Road in Orléans. And city staff say the Kanata LRT link is currently beyond Ottawa’s “2031 affordable rapid transit network plan.”

However, the city undertook a study of potential routes to examine how the project could be implemented in sections if and when funding became available.

In a report being tabled at the city’s transportation committee on Wednesday, staff argue that running rail along March Road through the Kanata Research Park and then out via Terry Fox Drive towards Palladium Drive would result in higher construction costs and longer travel times for other commuters.

Staff say this would potentially result in lower overall ridership and conclude there’s “no net benefit” to routing the rail line into the high-tech hub.

Instead, staff say the site can be served with feeder service to the main LRT line. While that means buses for now, the report imagines autonomous vehicles eventually whisking high-tech workers from the business park to the light-rail line.

The Kanata North Business Association has long lobbied for better transportation links to the research park, arguing that congestion and poor road conditions hurt the area’s image as a world-class tech hub.

While Kanata North Coun. Marianne Wilkinson previously mused about a spur line extending into the Kanata Research Park, she was cited in the staff report as supporting the proposed route alignment.



Staff say they examined 13 potential corridors before arriving at the recommended route, which they say will bring 90 per cent of Kanata residents within five kilometres of rail:

• Travelling along the north side of Highway 417 from Moodie Station, with stops at March Road / Eagleson Road, the Kanata Town Centre and Terry Fox Drive;
• The line then curves to the north, with stations at Didsbury Road and, one kilometre west, Campeau Drive;
• The rail corridor then turns south along Palladium Drive, with stops at the Canadian Tire Centre and Maple Grove Road before terminating at Hazeldean Road.

http://www.obj.ca/index.php/article/city...inst-connecting-lrt-kanata-research-park

[rocketphish]

.

[roger1818]

@@@This would probably be better in one of the Stage 2 threads. It has nothing to do with Stage 3 to Kanata/Stittsville.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by roger1818

^^^This would probably be better in one of the Stage 2 threads. It has nothing to do with Stage 3 to Kanata/Stittsville.

You're right. Moved to http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=214409

[McC]

Transportation committee likes recommended route for Kanata LRT
"The transportation committee is recommending council approve the proposed route for a $1.85-billion LRT extension through Kanata."
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...e-likes-recommended-route-for-kanata-lrt

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

*headdesk*

[rocketphish]

West-end LRT route runs through Kanata floodplain
The city expects developers will fill in the wetland along the proposed route

Laura Osman · CBC News
Posted: May 05, 2018 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

The city's $1.85-billion west leg of the Confederation LRT is expected to pass through a large Kanata floodplain at the request of developers in the area, but city staff expect developers to fill that same wetland before trains are ready to run.

If approved, a four-kilometre portion of the route will be elevated on an aqueduct-style structure so the train can pass over roads and creeks from Campeau Drive, around the Canadian Tire Centre to Hazeldean Road.

A swath of land was set aside as part of a potential bus rapid transit route through the area, but developers asked that the city to relocate the future line closer to Feedmilll Creek to make more room for them to build.

The top choice for the Kanata LRT route would see the city swap the BRT land for a section in the floodplain along Feedmill Creek.



Building in the floodplain is strictly against city policy, but despite that the transportation department is counting on developers building in the floodplain in order to keep the future LRT line safe from water.

The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA), responsible for protection of watersheds in the area, has allowed developers to fill in the most sprawling part of the wetland, which will change where flood water is stored. That fill will make sure water stays away from the elevated LRT structure.

The cost of building the structure closer to the creek will be similar to the original BRT route, said transportation planning director Vivi Chi.

"We costed the structure, knowing that the structure would be in this kind of land, in this area," Chi said.

More detailed design work won't be done until the city finds some funds, which isn't expected until after 2031.

But once the route is approved, it will be difficult to move if it turns out to be more expensive than anticipated. Development plans have already been submitted to the city that could box the LRT in.

The development documents lay out subdivision plans for the area directly next to the proposed Campeau LRT Station. They describe soft soil that's difficult to manage, and the years of work the developer has done to stabilize the ground for building.

The changing nature of the floodplain puts city and the MVCA in a regulatory no-man's land for the time being, said John Price, the director of water resources engineering for the conservation authority.

The MVCA is supposed to refer to the existing floodplain when making decisions about what can and cannot be built in the area. The city has been approving developments on the condition that they aren't built until the properties are properly filled, he said.

The city will likely need a permit to fill in the land near the creek to put up its structure for the future LRT line, but that won't happen until the project is almost shovel ready, a long time from now.

The route will not be final until city council votes on Wednesday.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lrt-floodplain-kanata-feedmill-1.4648477

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by roger1818

For those who are interested, I have made a Google My Map of the proposed route. It is a bit of a guesstimate but should be reasonably close though not perfect. If you see any errors, let me know.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=16vx5U4OGZpYisB_J8C6eI-cT2ZQ1q5i7&usp=sharing

I updated my map to more accurately follow the EA that was published. I'm actually surprised how close my guess was to the actual route.

I still don't think we should extend beyond Terry Fox anytime soon, but here is the plan if/when we do.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

If getting LRT out to Kanata and Stittsville is such a pressing concern for locals and politicians, then why not try and focus it as a proper commuter-type setup? Something like the following that would also connect with the planned BRT in Kanata-Stittsville:

[zzptichka]

You can probably forget about that Kanata South spur going through people's backyards that is now TCT. Public outcry will be insane.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

You can probably forget about that Kanata South spur going through people's backyards that is now TCT. Public outcry will be insane.

This is why I hate the rails-to-trails movement. Giving up those beautiful rights of way to birdwatchers.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

If getting LRT out to Kanata and Stittsville is such a pressing concern for locals and politicians, then why not try and focus it as a proper commuter-type setup? Something like the following that would also connect with the planned BRT in Kanata-Stittsville:

Why do you propose for the Kanata North and Stittsville lines follow the 417 and Moodie Drive respectively until they intersect the old rail lines instead of just following the old lines back to where they intersect the stage 2 west line? It would be shorter to cut off the corner.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

You can probably forget about that Kanata South spur going through people's backyards that is now TCT. Public outcry will be insane.

Probably yeah, because they're NIMBY's. However, if the city had some stones, they could say "look, you wanted rail earlier and to Kanata and Stittsville so here's the deal. It's either this now, or a different plan later. Besides, they're electric trains so they're quiet."

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Why do you propose for the Kanata North and Stittsville lines follow the 417 and Moodie Drive respectively until they intersect the old rail lines instead of just following the old lines back to where they intersect the stage 2 west line? It would be shorter to cut off the corner.

Because the Stage 2 west line ends at Moodie. That's why I swung the rail line up there, because that's currently the proposed western terminus for stage 2.

http://www.stage2lrt.ca/

[SF Thomas]

Found this via reddit a bit ago: Keep pushing for LRT to Stittsville

The publisher of Stittsville Central (a local news website/blog), is speculating that LRT could go to Barrhaven next after LRT Phase 2 instead of Kanata. This is mainly as a re-election ploy for Jim Watson and to appease Lisa MacLeod who is now Ottawa's main point of contact with the provincial government since the PCs won.

Personally I don't see any of this mattering too much at the moment since LRT to Kanata is probably out until at least 2025 at earliest given the construction schedule for Phase 2 and the fact it is only in the official plan after 2031 due to the City of Ottawa's financial constraints. This gives more than enough time for the mayor's office and city council, as well as the provincial government, to change hands or their minds a couple of times.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by SF Thomas

Found this via reddit a bit ago: Keep pushing for LRT to Stittsville

The publisher of Stittsville Central (a local news website/blog), is speculating that LRT could go to Barrhaven next after LRT Phase 2 instead of Kanata. This is mainly as a re-election ploy for Jim Watson and to appease Lisa MacLeod who is now Ottawa's main point of contact with the provincial government since the PCs won.

Personally I don't see any of this mattering too much at the moment since LRT to Kanata is probably out until at least 2025 at earliest given the construction schedule for Phase 2 and the fact it is only in the official plan after 2031 due to the City of Ottawa's financial constraints. This gives more than enough time for the mayor's office and city council, as well as the provincial government, to change hands or their minds a couple of times.

If they can get the money, they may want to have a new contract in place to start construction immediately after Stage 2 is completed.

I've said it before, but personally I think the priority should be to extend to Terry Fox first and then to Barrhaven shortly afterwards. Only once both of those are done should we look at other options (be it beyond Terry Fox, to Riverside South or a new line downtown).

I added a comment to the article. Lets see if the moderator approves it or if he will squash dissenting voices.