Official Fredericton, NB projects thread

[cl812]

Originally Posted by OliverD

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

What's the tall vertical structure across from the Beaverbrook hotel?

It looks like an exhaust stack. You can see the old brick one at the old hospital too.

[Taeolas]

Looks like they're renovating the entire building of George's Footwear. The garbage bin is in the alley next to the building, and I noticed they had chutes from the upper floors going into it. They're down to the second floor now.

[OliverD]

The Shoppers on Prospect may soon have a Starbucks attached to it: http://www.fredericton.ca/en/citygov...sources/D2.pdf

There may be a medical clinic coming to the Centennial Building: http://www.fredericton.ca/en/citygov...sources/D1.pdf

Details on the office building expansion at York and Aberdeen: http://www.fredericton.ca/en/citygov...sources/D3.pdf

Chippins is seeking reapproval for 52 new R2 lots in the next phase of their development in Lincoln Heights: http://www.fredericton.ca/en/citygov...sources/C2.pdf

[Taeolas]

Considering Shoppers ate up 80% of the Rent a Centre space, if they didn't have SOMETHING ready to move into the remaining space, the owner would have been an idiot. That leftover space was really tiny and would have been hard to sell if Starbux or similar weren't ready to go in.

[Blue Blazer]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Considering Shoppers ate up 80% of the Rent a Centre space, if they didn't have SOMETHING ready to move into the remaining space, the owner would have been an idiot. That leftover space was really tiny and would have been hard to sell if Starbux or similar weren't ready to go in.

Plus isnt there a Starbucks in Target which is really close by. i cant see two Starbucks that close by, Then again it doesnt matter for Tim Hortons ?

Any word on what is going on at 2NC yet. Any word on any stores ? It must have been leaked by now

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by Blue Blazer

Plus isnt there a Starbucks in Target which is really close by. i cant see two Starbucks that close by, Then again it doesnt matter for Tim Hortons ?

Maybe they want a full size store that can be storage/warehouse space for the Target and Chapters stores? I can't imagine the longer hours a standalone store could offer would make it worthwhile.

Any word on what is going on at 2NC yet. Any word on any stores ? It must have been leaked by now

Just checked the Smart Centres site, and there's no change on the 2NC site plan, so they're keeping it close to their chest.

Rio did finally update the Corbett Centre site plan. They show Hallmark taking half the remaining space next to Homesense, and most surprisingly, the Future Gas Bar is gone! (Replaced by the actual gas station. )

Since the site is almost at capacity, I still think they'll start on the rest soon. They probably just need 1 big anchor to start the D building. I wonder if Old Navy might be a good fit for that slot?

I'm surprised Hallmark closed so early (they did close last week, didn't they?), with their building not complete yet, and in the peak Grad/Dad season. I guess their lease in Regent was up, and they didn't want to go for a 1 month lease or so to get over the hump. Is the Homesense building running late in construction perhaps?

And in other news, I've noticed the dirt pile on Queen street isn't going down as fast any more, and there is a second dirt pile (that seems to have cleaner dirt) off the main building site. I wonder what's going on? Maybe they're looking to raise the Queen Street parking lot for flood protection?

And finally, the nightmare is about to begin. Construction equipment is gathering on the Westmorland Street Bridge. They're setting up under the Devonshire on ramp so far. Anyone know if they are planning to keep pedestrian access open somehow while the work is done? The sidewalk needs a lot of work too (rebar is showing in the concrete under the railing in spots), but shrinking down to 2 lanes AND closing the ramps AND closing the sidewalk just adds to the nightmares. When I walked across last night, it looks like they could set aside a sidewalk on a closed lane once the west ramps are closed off, until the sidewalk is repaired; but they might not have time to do that.

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Maybe they want a full size store that can be storage/warehouse space for the Target and Chapters stores? I can't imagine the longer hours a standalone store could offer would make it worthwhile.

The drive-through is the key to that store. Also, I doubt many people go to the Target location strictly for Starbucks. Rather, they get Starbucks on the way in or out of Target.

This should put to rest the (silly, IMO) rumors that Starbucks would be occupying part of that new mixed used building beside the Lakeview Inn/Holiday Inn Express on Prospect.

[Freddypop]

Not sure about Hallmark but I heard t a month or two ago that Homesense was to open in July

[OliverD]

Just found this site today: http://www.kingswoodvillage.ca/

No info but there is an is a presentation at the Kingswood Lodge this Sunday: https://twitter.com/KingswoodPark/st...35905050279936

[Freddypop]

Funny. I was just thinking yesterday about the status of their plans for the waterpark and hotel. Any idea of the status of that component? They seemed to be ready to move quickly on it last year

[cj6286]

Upgrades to the park next to the Westmoreland Bridge on the north side.

[cj6286]

I whipped up some proposals to upgrade the Princess Margaret Bridge / Route 8 to make it flow better and make the on/off ramps safer on the south side.

I propose building a second bridge next to the Princess Margaret Bridge, and when it comes time, tear down the old bridge and replace it while temporarily using the new one for two-way traffic. Once the second new bridge is built, make it a four-lane highway, thus causing little traffic disruption. I would remove the north-bound exit on to Forest Hill and move it further up the hill. I would also remove the south-bound on ramp from Forest Hill and move it up to Forest Hill Court.



The north-side of the bridge is trickier. A full closure may be necessary. I propose removing the second bridge that goes over south-bound route 105. In place, build the road straight to meet up with the Barker's Point Bypass. Use the existing infrastructure to the west to build on/off ramps for south-bound traffic. On the east, build a round-a-bout to enable traffic exiting the PMB to turn left as well as south-bound route 105 traffic the ability to turn left onto the Barker's Point Bypass.

[Franco401]

I for one love this. I drew up a plan for this a while ago, but I got rid of my plan after I realized a new bridge upriver would be more important. Love the northside roundabout. I like the southside changes, too, but using Forest Hill Ct. could be tricky. Unless tearing down the bridge is a short-term goal, we should make the new bridge visually similar to the PMB, unless tearing down the PMB is a within-10-years goal.
P.S. I mentioned this previously and got zero feedback since I picked a bad time to post, but does anyone like my Waterloo/Beaverbrook/Lincoln/Forest Hill roundabout? I won't mention this again.
Link: http://i.imgur.com/DezqezF.jpg

[mylesmalley]

Originally Posted by Franco401

I for one love this. I drew up a plan for this a while ago, but I got rid of my plan after I realized a new bridge upriver would be more important. Love the northside roundabout. I like the southside changes, too, but using Forest Hill Ct. could be tricky. Unless tearing down the bridge is a short-term goal, we should make the new bridge visually similar to the PMB, unless tearing down the PMB is a within-10-years goal.
P.S. I mentioned this previously and got zero feedback since I picked a bad time to post, but does anyone like my Waterloo/Beaverbrook/Lincoln/Forest Hill roundabout? I won't mention this again.
Link: http://i.imgur.com/DezqezF.jpg

The intersection is a mess as it stands now, so pretty much anything would be an improvement. A roundabout there would simplify things greatly. That said, given Fredericton's ...challenges... with circles, I'm not sure if anything other than a straightforward + intersection wouldn't be best.

[cl812]

Actually, in my experience (surprisingly) the new roundabouts seem to work pretty well with few issues (at least I haven't seen any personally), now mind you they are all simple single lane roundabouts. We'll see how the new multi-lane one on Route 8 works out. I think a roundabout is definitely the best solution at the Beaverbrook/Waterloo Row/Lincoln Rd/Forest Hill Rd intersection though. Its hard to believe that intersection used to be worse than it is now.

[Taeolas]

The city seems to be going full speed ahead on roundabouts. In the Northside discussion they are considering putting roundabouts on both ends of Main Street (one at Devonshire Drive, the other at Royal Road/Stone Bridge).

And it looks like they are planning to have one at Smythe/Woodstock/King/St Annes.

I'm sure Beaverbrook/Waterloo/Lincoln/Forest Hill are being planned as well.

I think they would work well at 2NC/Ring Road and Brookside/Ring Road as well (but maybe not Ring and Maple, maybe after 2NC/Ring and we see how the flows change)


Now crazy thoughts... Regent/Prospect? Hanwell/Bishop? Hanwell/Prospect? Bishop/Regent? (or whatever that road is on the walmart corner of the mall) Those four are probably way too busy to take a circle, but I'm sure someone's crunching the numbers on them.

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by cl812

Actually, in my experience (surprisingly) the new roundabouts seem to work pretty well with few issues (at least I haven't seen any personally), now mind you they are all simple single lane roundabouts. We'll see how the new multi-lane one on Route 8 works out. I think a roundabout is definitely the best solution at the Beaverbrook/Waterloo Row/Lincoln Rd/Forest Hill Rd intersection though. Its hard to believe that intersection used to be worse than it is now.

I agree, I haven't seen many problems with the roundabouts. I think I've seen people stop in the roundabout twice so far and I've gone through them probably hundreds of times.

People always talk about how bad that Beaverbrook/Waterloo Row/Lincoln Rd/Forest Hill Rd intersection is, is that a rush hour thing? I've never had to commute through it but it really doesn't seem that bad to me.

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

The city seems to be going full speed ahead on roundabouts. In the Northside discussion they are considering putting roundabouts on both ends of Main Street (one at Devonshire Drive, the other at Royal Road/Stone Bridge).

And it looks like they are planning to have one at Smythe/Woodstock/King/St Annes.

I'm sure Beaverbrook/Waterloo/Lincoln/Forest Hill are being planned as well.

I think they would work well at 2NC/Ring Road and Brookside/Ring Road as well (but maybe not Ring and Maple, maybe after 2NC/Ring and we see how the flows change)

I think they should do an overpass at 2NC/Ring Road and then roundabouts at Brookside and Maple. Disrupting the traffic in a third spot along that stretch isn't a good idea IMO.

Now crazy thoughts... Regent/Prospect? Hanwell/Bishop? Hanwell/Prospect? Bishop/Regent? (or whatever that road is on the walmart corner of the mall) Those four are probably way too busy to take a circle, but I'm sure someone's crunching the numbers on them.

Regent/Knowledge Park/Arnold drive would be awesome IMO. Some of those intersections might be a bit space-limited though.

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by OliverD

I think they should do an overpass at 2NC/Ring Road and then roundabouts at Brookside and Maple. Disrupting the traffic in a third spot along that stretch isn't a good idea IMO.

It would screw up my bus route, but I'm of the opinion that if they get a connector at 2NC/Ring Road, they should either close off Maple, or make it No Left Turns from all directions (and disallow Maple to cross Ring Road at all; Maple would just turn onto Ring road), so the lights are basically removed. Now that the off ramp is in place on the bridge, and assuming something is made on 2NC/Ring, there wouldn't really be a need for a full Maple intersection.

But they might need to rework some of the traffic flow around; maybe do an off-only Devonshire to Douglas exit, and maybe roundabout Douglas and Maple if traffic warrents it.

Regent/Knowledge Park/Arnold drive would be awesome IMO. Some of those intersections might be a bit space-limited though.

Regent/Knowledge/Arnold should have room. The only corner with a building on it is the South-East one, with the Relish minimall. The other three corners are lawns or parking lots, so they should be easy to get.

Prospect @ Regent would be tough. They might have space towards CBC and the Vanier, but it would be a tough squeeze, especially since it would probably have to be a 2 lane Roundabout.

Bishop @ Hanwell should be doable, if it warrants it. Tim's is a bit in the way, but the other three sides are lawn/parking, so they could probably squeeze it in.

Hanwell @ Prospect would be a bit of a tight squeeze, but seems like it has room. It would probably warrant a 2 lane roundabout as well.

Still, the Route 8/Smythe roundabout and Bishop connection is *really* going to change the traffic flow on Bishop/Prospect/Regent/Smythe/Hanwell, so there probably isn't much point in planning too much for intersections between those roads until it is done and we can get new numbers for how traffic is going now.

[VRedsRock]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

It would screw up my bus route, but I'm of the opinion that if they get a connector at 2NC/Ring Road, they should either close off Maple, or make it No Left Turns from all directions (and disallow Maple to cross Ring Road at all; Maple would just turn onto Ring road), so the lights are basically removed. Now that the off ramp is in place on the bridge, and assuming something is made on 2NC/Ring, there wouldn't really be a need for a full Maple intersection.

But they might need to rework some of the traffic flow around; maybe do an off-only Devonshire to Douglas exit, and maybe roundabout Douglas and Maple if traffic warrents it.



Regent/Knowledge/Arnold should have room. The only corner with a building on it is the South-East one, with the Relish minimall. The other three corners are lawns or parking lots, so they should be easy to get.

Prospect @ Regent would be tough. They might have space towards CBC and the Vanier, but it would be a tough squeeze, especially since it would probably have to be a 2 lane Roundabout.

Bishop @ Hanwell should be doable, if it warrants it. Tim's is a bit in the way, but the other three sides are lawn/parking, so they could probably squeeze it in.

Hanwell @ Prospect would be a bit of a tight squeeze, but seems like it has room. It would probably warrant a 2 lane roundabout as well.

Still, the Route 8/Smythe roundabout and Bishop connection is *really* going to change the traffic flow on Bishop/Prospect/Regent/Smythe/Hanwell, so there probably isn't much point in planning too much for intersections between those roads until it is done and we can get new numbers for how traffic is going now.

No upgrade is needed at Forrest Hill / Beaverbrook / Waterloo as although it looks awkward, it operates with much less delay overall than it would as either signalized or realigned roundabout option...the existing heaviest traffic movements do not need to stop at all. There is also a shockingly low collision history here. Has anyone ever seen an accident here....turns out a confusing intersection alignment forces people to pay attention and when people pay attention they don't crash.


Tough to fit double lane roundabouts at existing signalized intersections...as a rule of thumb go with a 50-55m diameter and see where that puts you on google earth....add a couple more metres for sidewalk if there is sidewalk present.....keep in mind it would be very expensive to build roundabouts at existing signalized intersections so if the existing intersections are working ok, pretty unlikely a roundabout will be considered.

Ring Road/Maple and Ring Road/Brookside would be great locations for roundabouts and once the one on Route 8 is built and working great, citizens will be demanding them on Ring Road for both the safety and operational benefits.

There will be a 3rd bridge built at the western end of the city long before the PMB will ever be twinned. If DOT was interested in adding capacity to that bridge they would have done it when they spent a gazillion dollars on a full retrofit.