Roads/Bridges projects/issues

[waterloowarrior]

Highway 7 and Highway 15 Intersection Improvements
https://hwy7-15ea.ca/

PIC 2 display boards
https://hwy7-15ea.ca/wp-content/uploads/...wy-7_15-PIC-2-Displays_Jan-30-2020-1.pdf

[Dengler Avenue]

Ha, funny enough, I was gonna ask about extending the freeway to Perth in this thread today too. I was gonna draw a freeway alignment from Tay Valley which bypasses Perth on the south, passes by and provides access to Smiths Falls VIA Station then replaces Highway 15 from there to Carleton Place, and ask for inputs from you all.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Highway 7 and Highway 15 Intersection Improvements
https://hwy7-15ea.ca/

PIC 2 display boards
https://hwy7-15ea.ca/wp-content/uploads/...wy-7_15-PIC-2-Displays_Jan-30-2020-1.pdf

Strange there is no mention or consideration of cycle tracks along Hwy 7 between Hwy 15 and McNeely- only sidewalks, despite there being plenty of space available.

MTO has a long way to go.

[Mulder]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Ha, funny enough, I was gonna ask about extending the freeway to Perth in this thread today too. I was gonna draw a freeway alignment from Tay Valley which bypasses Perth on the south, passes by and provides access to Smiths Falls VIA Station then replaces Highway 15 from there to Carleton Place, and ask for inputs from you all.

4 laning from Carleton Place to Perth is on MTO's Radar. They will probably prefer the same corridor. The amount of thought put into secondary access in this EA shows some future thought about this making it a freeway.

Keep a watch out for new business along this stretch of Highway 7 over the next 10-15 years. MTO manages access to their corridors very tightly, if nothing new pops of or all have alternative access then we know somethings up.

[Dengler Avenue]

For real? I thought there have been proposals in the past that put the future freeway south of Mississippi Lake.

=====

I just put my bias aside and read through the entire document. It’s pretty impressive I’ve gotta say.

[rocketphish]

'Worrisome' damage forces closure of Alexandra Bridge for about three weeks

Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: 1 hour ago • 2 minute read

The Alexandra Bridge had to be closed without warning last Friday after inspectors found a serious and unexpected flaw, a local MP says.

It will take an estimated three weeks to repair, and the bridge will remain closed to cars and trucks during that time. The lane for cyclists and pedestrians will, however, remain open.

The weak point also emphasizes that the 120-year-old bridge is nearing the end of its life, said Liberal Steve MacKinnon, who represents Gatineau.

“We have announced a life extension program that would sporadically, periodically get executed that would buy us basically six to 10 more years for that bridge,” said MacKinnon.

“That work involves obviously a large number of inspections. An inspection was done at the end of last week whereupon they strongly recommended to the department (Public Services and Procurement Canada) that the bridge be closed because they found a deformed piece of latticework in the structural part of the bridge. So a very worrisome development.

“So the department decided to close the bridge for at least three weeks while that particular problem gets repaired.”

The latticework is a set of load-bearing beams that are arranged in a criss-cross pattern, and one of them has become bent.

“If you look at the structure, it is composed of sort of cross-cutting steel that bears weight.

“This bridge needs to be replaced in that six-to-10-year window,” MacKinnon said. “It will need to be dismantled and replaced.”

“The government has booked the money to replace the bridge” but there is no design yet, he said.

So far, only one deformed part has been found. “This (bridge) is being constantly inspected and there is constant reinforcement work going on,” he said.

“That work is usually foreseeable and planned and you’re able to do it by closing at night or closing one lane from time to time. In this case, no.” He said the deformity was “disquieting” and required a full closing.

MacKinnon said the latest development also emphasizes the need to approve a sixth crossing of the Ottawa River, which would take truck traffic away from downtown instead of channeling it along King Edward Avenue.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...cm/fa3cde82-820f-49a2-8f36-748002fc145d/

[J.OT13]

What if we eliminated car traffic from the bridge completely? How long would that extend its life? This is getting ridiculous.

No matter if we keep this bridge or if we build a new one, vehicular traffic should not be part of its future. With talks of transforming the Market into a pedestrian only zone, parks and museums on each side, at the historic heart of the region, it's time to reduce congestion by removing the cars completely. Add tracks to cross the Gatineau tramway and figure out how to get it to Rideau (tunnel or existing RoW to the Chateau Laurier).

If we removed cars from the Alexandra crossing and added rail transit, it would be a major selling point to win over the Mayors' approval.

[Dengler Avenue]

Curious: Why are there so many intersections with dual left-turn lanes in Ottawa (especially in Nepean)? This is one of those things that make lasting impression on me of the city.
The other cities in Ontario that I know that have lots of those are Mississauga, Brampton and Sudbury.

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Curious: Why are there so many intersections with dual left-turn lanes in Ottawa (especially in Nepean)? This is one of those things that make lasting impression on me of the city.
The other cities in Ontario that I know that have lots of those are Mississauga, Brampton and Sudbury.

Maybe because many key arterials don't cross the city and are broken up by geography/neighbourhood layout. E.g. Conroy, Carling, Innes/Industrial, Walkley, Woodroffe, Merivale/Clyde.

In Nepean there aren't really any north-south collector roads, only four arterials. So turning movements are concentrated at key intersections and bridges.

Most of the suburban arterials have a ±150 foot right-of-way, which may not be possible in older cities.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Maybe because many key arterials don't cross the city and are broken up by geography/neighbourhood layout. E.g. Conroy, Carling, Innes/Industrial, Walkley, Woodroffe, Merivale/Clyde.

In Nepean there aren't really any north-south collector roads, only four arterials. So turning movements are concentrated at key intersections and bridges.

Most of the suburban arterials have a ±150 foot right-of-way, which may not be possible in older cities.

Yes, Ottawa has a very disjointed survey pattern with the complication of both the Rideau River and Canal. Actually, the Rideau River is the cause of those survey complications. Often the concessions reverse directions, going east-west (north of Baseline) then north-south (south of Baseline) or in the case of south-east Ottawa, on an odd angle based on the old Gloucester Junction Gore bound by Walkley and St. Laurent. Then you add that many of the primary streets (Richmond, Montreal, Bank) were all forced roads not following the survey lines. So, as you suggest, all these things limit direct traffic flow across the city making more turns necessary.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

What if we eliminated car traffic from the bridge completely? How long would that extend its life? This is getting ridiculous.

No matter if we keep this bridge or if we build a new one, vehicular traffic should not be part of its future. With talks of transforming the Market into a pedestrian only zone, parks and museums on each side, at the historic heart of the region, it's time to reduce congestion by removing the cars completely. Add tracks to cross the Gatineau tramway and figure out how to get it to Rideau (tunnel or existing RoW to the Chateau Laurier).

If we removed cars from the Alexandra crossing and added rail transit, it would be a major selling point to win over the Mayors' approval.

I'm with you. Forget a tunnel. Give Gatineau the Alexandra Bridge and turn Mackenzie into a transit Boulevard which terminates at Rideau. Let them run their LRT there. Build an underground pedestrian tunnel to Rideau if needed. Make Sususex bidirectional. Move the bike lanes to the transit corridor on Mackenzie.

[Tesladom]

If it will cost a billion dollars to replace this bridge, I say tear it down and build at Kettle Island.
You could replace it with a pedestrrian and byke bridge, that would be nice and much cheaper, since MacD-C bridge is not pedestrian or bike friendly

Cue in the NIMBYs

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Tesladom

If it will cost a billion dollars to replace this bridge, I say tear it down and build at Kettle Island.
You could replace it with a pedestrrian and byke bridge, that would be nice and much cheaper, since MacD-C bridge is not pedestrian or bike friendly

Cue in the NIMBYs

Nimbys against the Alexandra Bridge? Seems unlikely, although mixed mode vs pedestrian bridge could be a lively discussion ...

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Nimbys against the Alexandra Bridge? Seems unlikely, although mixed mode vs pedestrian bridge could be a lively discussion ...

I think Tesladom's point was the NIMBYs would be against the Kettle Island bridge. I do tend to agree that we should remove cars from the Alexandra Bridg,e but the new bridge should be built to accommodate a future tram/LRT in addition to pedestrians and cyclists.

[OTownandDown]

I don't find the 'traffic' on the Alexandra bridge to be a huge nuisance. A single lane of traffic, moving slowly, does not really detract from walking across the bridge at all, actually (aside from the buzzing from the cantilevered side). Would a tram run in traffic? There's not enough space at the bridge landing on the Ottawa side to have two lanes of traffic, bike path, walking path, and two-direction tram, without hanging the tram from the underside of the new bridge.

Fun fact, using the Major's hill escarpment, where trains used to run, would eventually meet with the new Senate committee rooms beneath the Chateau Laurier terrace, rebuilt in the 1990's to look just like the train tunnel/terrace, and owned by the feds. So some sort of compromise would be required to blow out the committee rooms for a train tunnel and get a tram stop beneath Wellington/Rideau. BUT it's an absolutely perfect place for it, right where that bike rental place is. A bit of extra cut-and-cover could get the tram stop beneath the ugly MacKenzie overpass/homeless shelter, much closer to connecting with the middle-level escalator landing of Rideau Station.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

I don't find the 'traffic' on the Alexandra bridge to be a huge nuisance. A single lane of traffic, moving slowly, does not really detract from walking across the bridge at all, actually (aside from the buzzing from the cantilevered side). Would a tram run in traffic? There's not enough space at the bridge landing on the Ottawa side to have two lanes of traffic, bike path, walking path, and two-direction tram, without hanging the tram from the underside of the new bridge.

Fun fact, using the Major's hill escarpment, where trains used to run, would eventually meet with the new Senate committee rooms beneath the Chateau Laurier terrace, rebuilt in the 1990's to look just like the train tunnel/terrace, and owned by the feds. So some sort of compromise would be required to blow out the committee rooms for a train tunnel and get a tram stop beneath Wellington/Rideau. BUT it's an absolutely perfect place for it, right where that bike rental place is. A bit of extra cut-and-cover could get the tram stop beneath the ugly MacKenzie overpass/homeless shelter, much closer to connecting with the middle-level escalator landing of Rideau Station.

I agree with you that the traffic on the bridge isn't a big deal, but traffic on the approaches makes for an unpleasant walk or ride. For that reason alone, I'd like to see the bridge go to pedestrians and cyclists.

Hopefully the MacKenzie overpass is still slated to be converted to a street level plaza. That move is long overdue.

[waterloowarrior]

Huntmar Drive Widening (Campeau to Maple Grove) and Stittsville Main Street Extension (Maple Grove to Robert Grant) Environmental Assessment Study – Statement of Work
http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/agdocs.aspx?doctype=agenda&itemid=400077

Vanguard Drive Extension (Lanthier Drive to Mer Bleue Road) Environmental Assessment Study
http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/agdocs.aspx?doctype=agenda&itemid=400081

[waterloowarrior]

https://www.ottawamatters.com/local-news...be-widened-in-findlay-creek-area-2375458

Bank Street expected to be widened in Findlay Creek area
City councillors Carol Anne Meehan and George Darouze say construction is set for 2022.
2 days ago By: Mike Vlasveld
Road construction 1 shutterstock
Photo/ Shutterstock
A section of Bank Street in Ottawa's south end will be going from two lanes to four in another couple of years.

Osgoode Ward City Councillor George Darouze and Gloucester South-Nepean City Councillor Carole Anne Meehan announced Monday that the street will be widened from just south of Leitrim Road to Dun Skipper Drive in 2022.

Seven years ago, Darouze says city council made the decision to delay the widening of that section of Bank until 2031, but he and Meehan have been pushing for the work to happen sooner.

The two councillors say they will continue to work with city staff and their council colleagues to ensure the funding is approved during the 2021 budget process.

Design work for the project is scheduled to begin in 2021 with construction set to start in 2022.

[rocketphish]

Upcoming lane closures along high-traffic stretches of Highway 417

Taylor Blewett, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: 3 hours ago • 6 minute read

Highway 417 drivers should plan for lane closures through a number of high-traffic stretches in the coming days, including between Pinecrest and Woodroffe, Carling and Parkdale, Metcalfe and St. Laurent, and at Innes Road.

From 11 p.m Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday, the eastbound Bronson Avenue off-ramp will be closed for construction. The westbound on- and off-ramps at Innes Road will close periodically until Saturday morning at 6 a.m.

For two more days, motorists travelling eastbound on Highway 174 will have to share one lane between Orléans Boulevard and Place D’Orléans Drive to accommodate construction work. The closure is scheduled to lift at 5 p.m. Thursday.

The eastbound off-ramp at Place D’Orléans Drive is also down to one lane until that time.

Motorists on Metcalfe Street may experience a slowdown between Frank and Lewis streets, as traffic there is reduced to a single northbound lane until June 12, as part of the Elgin Street construction project.

Elgin Street will be closed to traffic for the next few days as Hydro Ottawa removes overhead power poles. Pedestrians can still use the street.

On Wednesday and Thursday nights, construction on Highway 417’s westbound off-ramp between and Pinecrest Avenue and Greenbank Road will force the closure of various turning lanes between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Also on Wednesday, a section of the Queen Elizabeth Driveway between McLeod Street and the Pretoria Bridge will reopen to motor vehicle traffic until Friday. The driveway will become part of a detour route for vehicles and buses due to construction on nearby Elgin Street. It had been closed daily between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. as part of a pilot project to help people enjoy the outdoors while ensuring physical distancing. The driveway will remain closed to vehicles between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. between Laurier and Fifth avenues as part of the same pilot project. The pilot project is in effect until Sunday, June 28.

Meanwhile, construction that began Monday on Montreal Road between Olmstead Street and Marier Avenue continues, with plans for a new water main, left-turn lane, curbs and sidewalks expected to continue until near the end of August.

As a result, OC Transpo’s Route 19 will be on detour for three months and Montreal Road reduced to one lane in each direction. Additionally, some bus stops in the area will be relocated, and intersections including Marier Avenue from Montreal Road to Deschamps Avenue and Olmstead Street from Montreal Road to Levis Avenue will be closed until Aug. 28.

In other construction-related road closures:

• Bayfield Avenue remains closed between Herzberg Road and Carling Avenue to facilitate the installation of a trunk sewer.
• Elgin Street northbound between Catherine and Nepean streets remains closed, as does Jack Purcell Lane between Elgin and Frank streets.
• Earl Armstrong Road is closed between Limebank and Bowesville roads for repairs to a gas pipeline.
• Farmer’s Way is closed to traffic daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. between Piperville and Leitrim roads for resurfacing until late June. Cyclist and pedestrian access will be maintained but vehicles will be detoured from Leitrim and Piperville roads to Anderson Road.
• Hogs Back Road is closed to vehicles between Prince of Wales and Riverside drives until August and between Colonel By and Riverside drives until December for bridge repairs. Access for pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained with a signed detour for motorist, pedestrians and cyclists in place, the City of Ottawa said. A detour is in place for cyclists and pedestrians from May to the end of December passing over the deck of the Hog’s Back Dam and through the National Capital Commission’s Hog’s Back Park then rejoining the pathways along the roadway.
• Lane closures on Highway 417, from west of Maitland Avenue to east of Island Park Drive, will continue due to rehabilitation and road-widening.
•Intermittent lane closures are expected to continue on Huntley Road between Perth Street and Flewellyn Road.
• A westbound lane of Innes Road is closed between Star Top and Cyrville roads.
• March Road is closed intermittently in both directions between Carling Avenue and Shirley Brook Drive for repaving until July. Access for pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained throughout this period.
• Expect weekday lane reductions from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Merivale Road between Prince of Wales Drive and Slack Road until September to resurface the road. Access for pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained.
• Rideau Street is closed between Sussex Drive and Dalhousie Street due to streetscaping.
• There are nightly lane reductions on the Vanier Parkway between Presland Road and Donald Street to replace a storm sewer and a water main until June 8. The sidewalk on the east side of the Vanier Parkway between Presland Road and Donald Street is closed. Pedestrians can use the sidewalk west of the Vanier Parkway.


COVID-19-RELATED CLOSURES:

• Queen Elizabeth Drive remains closed between Fifth and Laurier avenues each day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
• The National Capital Commission announced a pilot project partially closing the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway to vehicles from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends until the end of May. It aims to “provide local residents more space for outdoor wellbeing” on foot or by bike while physically distancing.
• The Bank Street Bridge is reduced to two lanes for vehicles so that pedestrians and cyclists can use the curb lanes in addition to the sidewalks between Wilton Crescent and Echo Drive.
• Byron Avenue is closed between Golden Avenue and Redwood Avenue but access for local traffic is maintained and cross-traffic permitted.
• Greenview Avenue is closed from Carling Avenue to Britannia Park. Access for local traffic is maintained between Carling Avenue and Don Street.
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TRANSIT:

• Until Friday at 5 p.m., Routes 10, 16, R1, N57, N61, and N75 will be on detour due to the closure of Bus Stop A at Lyon Station.
• Routes 80 and 81 will be detoured at the Westgate Shopping Centre. Construction at the Mall is expected to be completed at the end of June. Bus stop #2464, #2474, and #8094 will not be in use.
• Route 16 will be on detour due to construction on Mann Avenue and Range Road This detour will be in effect until Tuesday, December 15, 2020 at 12:00 PM. Stops 7617, 0013, 6793, and 7616 are affected
• OC Transpo has added extra weekday trips on routes 12, 14, 39, 40, 62, 80 and 88 “based on customer and employee feedback.” In March, the service scaled back weekday service in the wake of a drop in ridership due to COVID-19.
• OC Transpo is asking passengers to “please consider wearing a non-medical mask” while riding the bus, train or Para Transpo.
• O-Train Line 2 is closed and replaced with bus service for about two years of construction of Stage 2 extending from Greenboro to Limebank in Riverside South with a link to the Ottawa airport.
• The Rack & Roll program is gearing up for spring with 750 bike racks to be installed on city buses by the end of May. They’ll be on bus routes across the city, including routes 12, 15, 25, 35, 39, 45, 55, 57, 61, 62, 63, 74, 75, 85, 88, 97, 98 and 99, and Line 2 buses.
• Passengers must board buses by the rear door unless they have mobility issues and on trains the doors closest to operator cabs are closed and blocked with tape.
• Cash fares and paper transfers won’t be accepted, even if some buses don’t allow customers to tap their Presto cards when they board.
• OC Transpo customer service centres are temporarily closed. Alternatives include prestocard.ca plus ticket machines in stations and Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws and Real Canadian Superstore locations.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...cm/fedb14be-c8e8-48d4-94b3-09241f4bd712/

[rocketphish]

Ottawa's photo radar still delayed because of pandemic

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: 20 minutes ago • 1 minute read



The start date of the City of Ottawa’s photo radar program is still out of focus.

“Due to the impacts of COVID-19 and school closures, the activation of speed enforcement cameras has been delayed,” according to Krista Tanaka, program manager of road safety and traffic investigation.

The city hasn’t said when it anticipates the cameras will begin snapping speeders, but the provincial government has shut schools until at least September.

The province has required cities to install signs in communities where photo radar will be operating, providing motorists a 90-day warning about the arrival of automated enforcement.

City council has already determined the first photo radar locations, which are near schools:

• Innes Road (École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges)
• Bayshore Drive (St. Rose of Lima School)
• Ogilvie Road (Gloucester High School)
• Smyth Road (Vincent Massey Public School, Hillcrest High School and École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité)
• Meadowlands Drive West (St. Gregory School)
• Watters Road (St. Francis of Assisi School)
• Longfields Drive (École élémentaire catholique Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau, St. Mother Teresa High School and Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School)
• Katimavik Road (Holy Trinity Catholic High School)

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...cm/3fea8fb6-a33a-40bb-8360-1b46872d0953/