O-Train Line 1/3 [Stage 2 | West Extension | Tunney's to Baseline/Moodie] | U/C

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

You mean Holly Acres, not Moodie.

Doh! Yes of course.

[PHrenetic]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I liked the City's second attempt at the route with the shallow tunnel and "windows" to the river. I never understood why that was not satisfactory for the NCC. How is the new routing any better?

Good Day.

The new, or at least latest, routing, is no improvement at all.

The original was to have cut through a small piece of NCC to the southern edge from Dominion to and through Rochester Field up to Richmond/Byron Transit Corridor. This was the best option available for reasonable cost and less disruption to communities, and better catchment and destinations and TOD. It remains by definition the best routing of these options. But it sailed.

After the McKellar park screams and NCC objections, City revised to the next best, along the southern edge of NCC from Dominion to Cleary, in a half buried trench/tunnel/berm, with windows for view, ventilation, and emergency exit, with MUP on top for green space and minimal southside view disruption, and minimized disruption to the parkway roads, and minimizing the additional costs. It also minimized exposure to water table seepage and potential floodplain exposure, with those windows being on the upper degree of the tunnel walls, not down to the bottom of railbase.

Then Skead Rd. screamed, NCC still had (big) objections, and the whole thing went to the 100-day negotiation, report, and agreement (basically Heritage Canada and Cabinet told NCC to get it done), with the resultant full burial, Parkway roads re-alignment, and re-greening of the lands to the north of the roads to the river's edge. And greater costs yet again. And half-assed catchment.

And as a final point of fact, we do not yet know for absolute for sure that the RoW from Cleary (should be Sherbourne) to (Woodroffe, now) New Orchard will indeed be fully cut-and-cover buried. It is supposed to be, but.......sometimes things change, and ya knever know.

EnJoy!

[OCCheetos]

Not sure if this is of interest to anyone, but geoOttawa shows that there will be space left for two pocket tracks at Algonquin (are we officially calling it that now?) station. Extra (or just more convenient) storage space for future expansions to the south west.

[PHrenetic]

Good Day.

Yep. I noticed that awhile back myself, as per March 4 :

Originally Posted by PHrenetic

Along the same line as to my posts in the Trillium Line Stage 2 thread ref: GeoOttawa,

The GeoOttawa plotting for Algonquin station seems to show the station being situated to the south end of the tunnel (as previously noted),
but now also that in furthur detail,
that the main tracks would appear to be using the two outer 'tunnels', with the platform occupying the larger 'center' tunnel,
and that to the north of the platform (in the 'center' tunnel) would appear to be two stub-end pocket tracks for storage, switching off the east-side north-bound track.

An Interesting tid-bit !

This seems to be an indication of possible provision for start-up and shut-down load balancing of trains and maintenance period on the RoW.
It would seem to be about 120 to 150 meters long, good for a pair of pair-coupled 5-unit LRVs. A reasonable making-use-of-infrastructure that is already available.

Proviso:
As I have said before, GeoOttawa is to be taken as a best-info-available at the time to an infrequently updated overlay.
Ref is somewhere back awhile that someone noted a pocket track indicated east of Limebank.
They asked about it to an official, who replied that that was an error, and it would be removed in the next update.
It is still there at this time. Still.....BIG credit to the poor maintainer doing the best he can to get some info about the plans out to us.

So.... for what it is worth.

EnJoy!

[PHrenetic]

Good Day. FYI.

The Phase 2 website just posted a SJAM Parkway update :

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD PARKWAY REALIGNMENT – PHASE 2 UPDATE

https://www.stage2lrt.ca/news/sir-john-a-macdonald-parkway-realignment-phase-2-update/

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD PARKWAY REALIGNMENT – PHASE 2 UPDATE

This notice is to advise that, as part of the Stage 2 O-Train Light Rail Transit project, crews will begin to realign the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway between Dominion Avenue and Cleary Avenue. This work will allow for future construction of the cut-and-cover tunnel to safely occur on the south side of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway without interfering with traffic.

As outlined below, the next phase of activities are scheduled to begin effective July 2 and continue through fall 2019. All work is being done in accordance with the regulatory requirements for the project, and with planning participation and approval from the NCC.

Phase 2: July through October*

Temporary traffic lane construction and utility relocation will occur to the north of Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway. Once completed, traffic will be shifted to the north side of Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in preparation for work in the median.

Phases 3 and 4: September through December (and into 2020)*

Temporary traffic lane construction and utility relocation will occur in the median of Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway. Once completed, all traffic will be shifted to the north side of Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway. Additional area clearing and tree removal will occur along the south side of Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in preparation for cut-and-cover tunnel construction.

*Please note paving and other roadworks are weather dependent and dates will be subject to change.

HOURS OF WORK

In addition to typical daytime construction hours, limited nighttime activity will occur to avoid impacts to traffic in the area. Nighttime activity typically occurs between 6:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

ANTICIPATED IMPACTS

Pedestrians and Cyclists

Pedestrian and cycling access along Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway will be maintained. Temporary crossings will be implemented along the construction corridor and pedestrians and cyclists should use extra caution as traffic patterns change.

Motorists

Traffic will be maintained although delays may occur at times. Intermittent daytime off-peak lane closures will be required at times. Motorists should be aware of and adhere to traffic control signage, posted speed limits and traffic control personnel.

Residents and Businesses

Noise and temporary disruption are not anticipated to be significant during daytime or nighttime work. Residents may hear truck movement and limited roadwork activity at night when noise from commuter traffic is low. Access to and from properties will be maintained although local traffic delays may occur.

The safety of workers and the public is paramount, and we thank you for your patience during construction.

EnJoy!

[zzptichka]

Temporary traffic lane construction and utility relocation will occur in the median of Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway. Once completed, all traffic will be shifted to the north side of Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway. Additional area clearing and tree removal will occur along the south side of Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in preparation for cut-and-cover tunnel construction.

Kinda annoyed they are moving a huge section of SJAM slightly to the North to accommodate cut-and-cover construction. Only to move it back as it was, next year.
Such a waste. Spending Millions, cutting down trees, turning up the ground.
Could've just made North band of parkway two-way instead. There are no intersections there, it would've handled the traffic just fine.

[zzptichka]

From Laura Dudas newsletter: https://lauradudas.ca/stage-2-lrt-project-update-3/
Sorry for formatting. Better read it on her website.

Stage 2 LRT Project Update
july 31, 2019

Overall

• Preparatory activities (borehole drilling, top soil stripping, site office mobilization, preconstruction surveys, etc.) are currently underway on each O-Train extension to facilitate the commencement of Stage 2 construction activities in 2019.

O-Train Trillium Line South Extension

• Borehole drilling between Greenboro Station and Bayview Station
• Borehole drilling is scheduled to occur at night between late-July and mid-August between Greenboro Station and Bayview Station. This work will occur at night while the O-Train Trillium Line is not in service to minimize disruptions to transit operations.
• Some hydrovacing is required at each station for utility investigations.
• Preparatory works at Walkley Maintenance and Storage Facility
• In coordination with OC Transpo Rail Operations, preparatory works such as surveying, clean up, trackwork and fencing are underway at the future site of the new Walkley Yard Maintenance and Storage Facility.
• Uplands Structures Yard set up
• Light post installation is now complete.
• Crews will be connecting utilities to site trailers in preparation for occupation later this summer.
• Jersey barrier installation
• Crews will be installing jersey barriers overnight between late-July and mid-August at the following locations:
• Airport Parkway
• Uplands Drive
• Lester Road
• Leitrim Road
• This work is scheduled to take place at night to minimize disruptions to local traffic.
• Caisson drilling at future Trillium Line rail bridges
• Caisson drilling is a method of creating structural foundations where boreholes are drilled and filled with concrete/reinforcing materials. These weight-bearing concrete columns (perhaps supplemented by steel cages or other reinforcements) can reach all the way down to the bedrock, providing for a much more stable base for large structures.
• Caisson drilling is anticipated to begin later this summer in the following locations where new rail bridges will be constructed:
• Airport Parkway
• Uplands Drive
• Lester Road
• Leitrim Road
• Crews have commenced construction of crane pads at all of the above locations to support upcoming drilling activities.
• Crews have started to remove topsoil and lay gravel between Uplands Drive and the main Trillium Line. Excess soil is being trucked to the Bowesville/Earl Armstrong laydown site and stockpiled for future use. Once complete, crews will commence topsoil removal activities between Uplands Drive and Airport Station.
• Noise and Vibration monitoring
• Baseline noise and vibration monitoring is underway at properties near the Trillium Line alignment to ensure that construction and rail activities comply with applicable regulations and requirements.

O-Train Confederation Line East Extension

• Borehole drilling is currently underway along OR 174 between Blair Road & Trim Road (night work).
• Pre-construction surveys
• East-West Connectors (EWC) have retained DST Consulting Engineers to carry out a pre-construction survey of the homes and buildings located within close proximity to the project. They will be documenting properties to establish the existing conditions of the interior and exterior of buildings near the alignment, prior to construction.
• East day-to-day work yard set up (Montreal Road and OR 174)
• Crews have completed the installation of the granular pad and fencing.
• Utility work and site servicing to follow.
• This site will be used for the coordination of Confederation Line East construction activities support temporary modular trailer complex, parking spaces and a day-today yard.

O-Train Confederation Line West Extension

• Borehole drilling is currently underway in the following locations:
• Lincoln Fields Station
• Between Pinecrest Station & Connaught Tunnel
• Bayshore Station
• Lincoln Fields Tunnel Portal
• West of Moodie Station
• Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway Cut and Cover Tunnel Preparatory Works
• The Sir John A. Macdonald (SJAM) Parkway is shifting north to accommodate the space required to construct a cut-and-cover tunnel between Dominion Station and Cleary Avenue.
• Crews have commenced preparatory activities to realign the SJAM by installing signage, fencing and temporary concrete barriers.
• Topsoil removal is underway.
• Roadworks are anticipated to begin in areas where topsoil removal has been completed.
• Off-peak lane reductions between Dominion Avenue and Cleary Avenue are anticipated to occur until late October. Eastbound and Westbound traffic will be maintained at all times.
• The City of Ottawa continues to coordinate with the NCC’s Public Affairs Office to provide appropriate public notification (signage, resident notices, web updates, etc.)
• West day-to-day work yard set up
• Work has commenced to construct granular pad near Baseline Road and Navaho Drive/Transitway to support temporary modular trailer complex, parking spaces and a day-to-day yard.
• This site will be used for the coordination of Confederation Line West construction activities.
• Building demolition
• Building demolition is scheduled to occur in September 2019 within the project limits:
• On the east side of Connaught Avenue between Severn Avenue and Hanlon Avenue (three houses)
• On Richmond Road, east of Cleary Avenue (one strip mall).
• Rochester Field Archeological Investigation
• In coordination with the NCC and local indigenous stakeholders, EWC is performing an archeological investigation at Rochester Fields.
• Once complete, work will commence to transition this location to a laydown area.
• Pre-construction surveys
• East-West Connectors (EWC) have retained DST Consulting Engineers to carry out a pre-construction survey of the homes and buildings located within close proximity to the project. As indicated in the east update, DST will be documenting properties to establish the existing conditions of the interior and exterior of buildings near the alignment, prior to the start of construction.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

Kinda annoyed they are moving a huge section of SJAM slightly to the North to accommodate cut-and-cover construction. Only to move it back as it was, next year.
Such a waste. Spending Millions, cutting down trees, turning up the ground.
Could've just made North band of parkway two-way instead. There are no intersections there, it would've handled the traffic just fine.

I don't think those trees fit in with the NCC'c plans for Rochester Field anyway. What sort of concerns me most in the future is that by straightening and flattening out the parkway on top of the LRT, it is just going to speed up traffic. The SJAM west of Island Park should really have been downgraded to two lanes.

[AuxTown]

Is there any chance that phase 2 might be expanded out to Eagleson or Kanata? Seems like such a short distance to pick up a huge number of potential riders.

[Multi-modal]

Originally Posted by AuxTown

Is there any chance that phase 2 might be expanded out to Eagleson or Kanata? Seems like such a short distance to pick up a huge number of potential riders.

Hard No. Stage 2 is too far along for such a big change. That is Stage 3 and that's that.

[Admiral Nelson]

Did the Stage 2 contract discard the requirement for weekly published updates, as we saw in Stage 1?

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by AuxTown

Is there any chance that phase 2 might be expanded out to Eagleson or Kanata? Seems like such a short distance to pick up a huge number of potential riders.

An extension like that would cost roughly $100 million, so if that money were available then sure. But that's not going to happen...

[PHrenetic]

Good Day. An FYI.

Kiewit of EWC has put up (2 weeks old) a "Stakeholder Outreach Coordinator - Ottawa LRT" job posting on LinkedIn (Requisition ID: 79858) :

https://ca.linkedin.com/jobs/view/stakeholder-outreach-coordinator-ottawa-lrt-at-kiewit-1417515006

EnJoy!

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by OCCheetos

An extension like that would cost roughly $100 million, so if that money were available then sure. But that's not going to happen...

Moodie to Eagleson would be more like $400M, considering the estimate from Moodie to Terry Fox was $710M.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/kanata-lrt-extension-would-cost-1-85b-to-build-someday

[Gat-Train]

Anyone know how they plan to get rail through the berm at Tunney’s? Will they build a parallel bridge?

[OtrainUser]

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

Anyone know how they plan to get rail through the berm at Tunney’s? Will they build a parallel bridge?

My guess is that they will remove the berm once they close the remaining part of the transitway there.

[Gat-Train]

Originally Posted by OtrainUser

My guess is that they will remove the berm once they close the remaining part of the transitway there.

But how will buses access the loop?

[OtrainUser]

Originally Posted by Gat-Train

But how will buses access the loop?

Probably the same way like they do now. Once stage 2 is complete the station will look way overbuilt.

[PHrenetic]

Good Day.

The Tunney's Pasture reconstruction will remove the new ramp from the end of the transitway just west of the station and berm bridge, and remove the berm bridge from it's exit between Caroline and Smirle. It was designed as a cheap, removable bridge because a) it was cheaper to build than a permanent bridge, whose location and who-pays-for-it had not yet been decided, and B) they knew it would have to be removed once they did decide on (A). Cheaper because it is cored with giant foam blocks, and simply covered with gravel and dirt, and paved.
So.
Now they (RTG, NCC, DPW, City, etc.) have decided, with the NCC long-term plans, DPW plans, OC-T plans all now in place, that the replacement permanent bridge will be a direct line connection from Goldenrod to Smirle. Three car/bus lanes, bike lanes, pedestrian cross. Cost to be shared between City and DPW. Maintenance to be City.

I have to think that the construction .vs. removals will be phased as best possible to put most of the new bridge in place before removing the old bridge. Then finish the new bridge. Then the ramp will be removed as they shut that stretch of the trench, and convert buses to Scott St.

Additional, once Stage 2 opens, the bus loop is scheduled to be drastically reduced, just about to pre-rail levels, and the extra land space returned to Tunney's Pasture.

EnJoy!

[SidetrackedSue]

Originally Posted by PHrenetic

Good Day.

The Tunney's Pasture reconstruction....

Thanks for the detailed explanation of what is coming.