AB Highway Construction

[ggopher]

Nothing really exciting in the 2018 Alberta Budget:

5-Year Total (2018-2023) $ millions

City of Edmonton – 50th Street $14
Edmonton/Calgary Ring Roads $2,144
Gaetz Avenue / Taylor Drive Interchange (Red Deer) $27
Grande Prairie – Highway 43 Bypass $32
Highway 19 (East and West ends) $47
Highway 63 Twinning (Grassland to Fort McMurray) $53
Highway Twinning, Widening and Expansion $718
Other Road and Bridge Projects $37
Peace River Bridge $146

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by ggopher

Nothing really exciting in the 2018 Alberta Budget:

Unfathomable that Hwy 63 twinning still has not been completed.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by lubicon

Unfathomable that Hwy 63 twinning still has not been completed.

How much longer is it supposed to take?

[the.tru.albertan]

Yah this budget is pretty lacklustre in terms of transportation projects.

In the Red Deer area, the twinning of 11A from Gaetz to QEII is in the planning stages. Also, the twinning of 2A from 11A to the current northern city limit is in the design stages.

11A twinning is one of my wishlist items from post #10 in this thread. Happy to see it but there are other, more pressing issues like the 6 laning of QEII at Red Deer. It's not in the plan. Bummed me out.

[s211]

Originally Posted by the.tru.albertan

Yah this budget is pretty lacklustre in terms of transportation projects.

Considering the Province's wild deficits and rising debt, could anything else have been expected?

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by ggopher

Nothing really exciting in the 2018 Alberta Budget:

One thing that's worth noting is the amount of money allocated to ring roads in the final two years: $388 million and $396 million. If the SWRR is done in FY2020-2021 I wonder if those other amounts are to start the West leg? I can't see that much money being allocated just for upgrades.

Even though this isn't highway specific I see the government has a section on Gender Budgeting. What a waste of time and money!

[the.tru.albertan]

Originally Posted by s211

Considering the Province's wild deficits and rising debt, could anything else have been expected?

Well, the NDP doesn't seem to care about the debt so I expected more, especially in the Red Deer area for vote buying.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by ggopher

Grande Prairie – Highway 43 Bypass $32

This is good news and something that needs to be repeated for many cities on our major highways. It's infuriating having to stop for lights in places like Whitecourt.

However, for some reason AB trans have decided to put a roundabout on the Highway 43X bypass, which I really don't get. I love roundabouts in the right situation, but we really should have the intention of making Highway 43 a proper freeway (and I have seen statements from AB trans agreeing with that). But putting in a roundabout implies that they won't upgrade that intersection for many years - it's maddening.

The southern interchange looks poor too (offramp from left lane), and they've put in a few suicide left turns too for good measure. Why can't we have nice things?

[milomilo]

The southbound third lane of HWY2 has been opened. As I predicted, this was a waste of money. Everyone still just uses the two left lanes and the right one is unused. Except by me. I could literally see kms ahead with heavy traffic in the left lanes and none in the right. This could be easily helped by adding the new lane on the left rather than the right, though I'm sure the idiots will still just move left once they've realised they can.

No more three laning should be done unless the roads are overcapacity. Albertans have proved they are too stupid to use three lanes effectively and don't deserve them - spend the money on more useful improvements like closing grade intersections.

[speedog]

Originally Posted by milomilo

The southbound third lane of HWY2 has been opened. As I predicted, this was a waste of money. Everyone still just uses the two left lanes and the right one is unused. Except by me. I could literally see kms ahead with heavy traffic in the left lanes and none in the right. This could be easily helped by adding the new lane on the left rather than the right, though I'm sure the idiots will still just move left once they've realised they can.

No more three laning should be done unless the roads are overcapacity. Albertans have proved they are too stupid to use three lanes effectively and don't deserve them - spend the money on more useful improvements like closing grade intersections.

Odd, when I've been on that section of highway I have seen semi's move over to the right pretty much just after that new third lane starts and other traffic moving over as well from the left lane to the center lane. To me it seems to have been money well spent.

[milomilo]

The occasional semi does, but at least half don't - and if slow moving semis won't use it, what's the point of it? Everybody should move over, but only a rare car will, most just mindlessly carry on in the lane they were in. That lane is going to end at Glenmore, might as well get in lane early I guess?

I guess I shouldn't complain, it allows me to do the speed limit in the right lane while overtaking heavy traffic in the left lanes.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by milomilo

The southbound third lane of HWY2 has been opened. As I predicted, this was a waste of money. Everyone still just uses the two left lanes and the right one is unused. Except by me. I could literally see kms ahead with heavy traffic in the left lanes and none in the right. This could be easily helped by adding the new lane on the left rather than the right, though I'm sure the idiots will still just move left once they've realised they can.

No more three laning should be done unless the roads are overcapacity. Albertans have proved they are too stupid to use three lanes effectively and don't deserve them - spend the money on more useful improvements like closing grade intersections.

I’m more than happy to see Highway 1 east of Calgary completely grade-separated in towns (or bypassing them).

[the.tru.albertan]

Gaetz/QEII interchange rebuild added the third lane on the left side. Hopefully we see some proper driving on this stretch when it opens.

I also frequent some three lane portions of QEII. I'm pretty much the only passenger car using the right lane in these spots. However, in Leduc, it seems to be a free-for-all across all lanes.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by the.tru.albertan

Gaetz/QEII interchange rebuild added the third lane on the left side. Hopefully we see some proper driving on this stretch when it opens.

I also frequent some three lane portions of QEII. I'm pretty much the only passenger car using the right lane in these spots. However, in Leduc, it seems to be a free-for-all across all lanes.

I found that even the trucks don't move to the right. I cam e through last night. The problem is the way the lines are painted. if the far left was the add on maybe people would stay to the right. But the way the lines are painted, you actually leave the lane to move right.

Plus on Henday had some Fucknutsasshat driving a pickup and utility trailer in the left lane from Callingwood to the Stoney plain interchange in the left lane. Made a dash across traffic to exit stage right just at Stoney.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by Airboy

I found that even the trucks don't move to the right. I cam e through last night. The problem is the way the lines are painted. if the far left was the add on maybe people would stay to the right. But the way the lines are painted, you actually leave the lane to move right.

Plus on Henday had some Fucknutsasshat driving a pickup and utility trailer in the left lane from Callingwood to the Stoney plain interchange in the left lane. Made a dash across traffic to exit stage right just at Stoney.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has noticed this problem.

[the.tru.albertan]

Western frontage road in Gasoline Alley is closing the week of July 16th. New roundabout from SB QEII is opening. This will mean a loss of parking for large trucks along the 1-way frontage road. I guess RD County and AB Trans are building new parking for them at the QEII/Highway 42 interchange. Guess RD County doesn't want large vehicles in Gas Alley anymore. Probably going to be a shit show.

https://www.transportation.alberta.ca/5969.htm

[milomilo]

The frontage roads all across cities in the prairies are horrible things for everyone, the more they get rid of the better.

[the.tru.albertan]

And the saga continues....

The western frontage road was supposed to close during the week of July 16th. However, that was delayed until the 23rd. But it has been delayed again until the 27th. Rumours were that it's delayed because of backlash from the frontage road closing.

This has become quite the flash point over this project. Lots of angry people saying the road should remain as is.

Anyway, Gasoline Alley 2.0 is incoming at QEII/Hwy42. Going to be called 'Junction 42.' More about that in this article below.

https://rdnewsnow.com/article/592776...-truck-drivers

[Dengler Avenue]

Then there’s the SK government tough enough to close the access road from TCH to Main Street Balgonie despite the backlash.

[the.tru.albertan]

West frontage road closed this morning I hear.