Cogswell Interchange

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Empire

Where are the bike lanes?

Oooops!

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Empire

Where are the bike lanes?

Shhhhhhh............

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by KMcK

Concrete curbs seem exorbitant for temporary roads.

There is no price too exorbitant for Halifax city hall............

[Nouvellecosse]

It really depends on how temporary they are. If they'll be there for many months or even years during construction then these roads which will be used by thousands of people per day will get more use per dollar of investment than many quiet suburban streets with curbs that are around much longer.

[Summerville]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

There is no price too exorbitant for Halifax city hall............

Yeah, I road through it yesterday. The cars just had to get in line behind me.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by KMcK

Concrete curbs seem exorbitant for temporary roads.

I think anywhere they've put formal concrete curbs is the actual final location. I.e. those concrete curbs are not temporary.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

I think anywhere they've put formal concrete curbs is the actual final location. I.e. those concrete curbs are not temporary.

I believe this is correct except I cannot figure out the curbs in Photo 1. That is a temporary detour road being built. The final design plan shows two building lots and a narrow Proctor Street but it doesn't line up correctly. The rest of the curbs being installed in the southern section are all permanent.

[KMcK]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

I believe this is correct except I cannot figure out the curbs in Photo 1. That is a temporary detour road being built. The final design plan shows two building lots and a narrow Proctor Street but it doesn't line up correctly. The rest of the curbs being installed in the southern section are all permanent.

Yes, those curbs caught my attention and prompted my comment. Last week I was on a bus stuck for more than 20 minutes waiting to get through Upper Water Street because of that construction. Why couldn't transit have been detoured to Barrington Street if delays were that long? Perhaps because Barrington was supposed to have been closed for several weeks starting the week before, yet it wasn't. Private vehicles were using it without delay. Presumably the Cogswell people didn't tell transit people about these changes. This doesn't bode well for getting through the construction zone over remainder of the project.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I can't see the cost of some temporary curbs being exorbitant, especially if it is being poured at the same time as curb work that will remain for the final configuration. Sure, there's the labour to build the forms plus the cost of a few yards of concrete, but the crew is already there doing that work anyhow.

This project is going to take a couple of years, and there's already a lot of money being spent on building temporary road beds, pavement, line painting, etc. The curbs should allow them to design a drainage plan for the temporary roads that could avert other problems if water (and ice) were to build up in the wrong areas.

JMHO, but given their location, these roads are going to get a lot of use by a lot of people over the demolition and construction period, so doing the temporary stuff right is not a bad idea.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

Well, no. The City of Halifax before amalgamation comprised far more than just the peninsula.

I had forgotten to respond to this when you originally posted it. Whether that statement is true or not depends upon what time period you are talking about.

When I was a little kid, the city of Halifax ended at what was then called Dutch Village Road (now Joseph Howe Dr, which back then only ran under that name from Bayers Rd to the Bedford Overpass, with the stretch from Bayers to the Armdale Rotary being DVR). That's why the old and rather handsome Halifax County Administration building was built on the "county" side of DVR.

At some point in the late '60s or early '70s the City of Halifax was expanded to include the western suburbs, which actually made some sense. Then of course in the '90s the Savage govt forced amalgamation upon the remaining parts of the county plus Dartmouth and Bedford to create the monster known as HRM. I think in retrospect now we can conclude that on balance, that move was a mistake, and that probably there should have been 2 municipalities created, one urban, and one rural (or those rural parts hived off to the existing counties bordering the old Halifax County).

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

When I was a little kid, the city of Halifax ended at what was then called Dutch Village Road (now Joseph Howe Dr, which back then only ran under that name from Bayers Rd to the Bedford Overpass, with the stretch from Bayers to the Armdale Rotary being DVR). That's why the old and rather handsome Halifax County Administration building was built on the "county" side of DVR.

Is that building gone? I have a vague recollection of it but don't see it in Google Maps. While poking around there I did notice some townhouses at Craigmore Dr and Joseph Howe. There are so many developments like that that it's impossible to keep track of them.

I think that area has a lot of potential. It's got some interesting scenery and elevation, some old offices and commercial, lots of infill happening, and huge potential for new construction at Ashburn and on the shopping mall parking lots. In the event that a rapid transit system is built, I could see a stop going around Dutch Village Rd.

[someone123]

Most aspects of large public works are less temporary than they seem. The work itself started a few years after it was originally planned (in the latest round of planning with earlier rounds not panning out at all).

Update video:

• Video Link

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by someone123

Is that building gone?

Unless I'm mistaken, it's here: https://goo.gl/maps/VL79MpbNwew2eqTg9

Edit: Confirmed here: https://halifaxbloggers.ca/noticedin...2/04/howe-now/

He states that perhaps the cladding was changed from the original, and I remember it having a different look (but same shape) back in the 1980s, but I haven't been able to find any photos of the older configuration yet.

[someone123]

Interesting, thanks. I thought it might be that one but it does look like it had some kind of 80's/90's/2000's reno. I remember some of those renos feeling "modern" (more shiny walls of windows) but now a lot of old retro charm is gone.

Not super important but when people quote city figures from a long time ago they missed where a lot of people lived. Even in 1900 there were people living in areas like Armdale and Rockingham (which had a train stop), and by WWII there was significant development off the peninsula. Earlier in the 1800's I think the city bounds may have been even smaller geographically.

Wikipedia has a nice table of old populations that include the city and county. This area hit 100,000 in 1931 or so. And was 97,228 in 1921 so I think the region might have been around 100k already by the time of the explosion.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by someone123

Interesting, thanks. I thought it might be that one but it does look like it had some kind of 80's/90's/2000's reno. I remember some of those renos feeling "modern" (more shiny walls of windows) but now a lot of old retro charm is gone.

I occasionally had business in that building in the late '80s/early '90s. Even then the interiors seemed to be very mid-century but in a good way. Perhaps dated if compared to what would have been new in 1990 but not bad in themselves. I quite liked it as it seemed bright, airy and well-designed. I seem to remember a lot of terrazzo floors, stained woodwork and brushed metal inside. I do not believe the front facade was the same as it now is. I remember for a while CGI was an occupant before the IWK took it over for whatever they do there now.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Unless I'm mistaken, it's here: https://goo.gl/maps/VL79MpbNwew2eqTg9

Edit: Confirmed here: https://halifaxbloggers.ca/noticedin...2/04/howe-now/

He states that perhaps the cladding was changed from the original, and I remember it having a different look (but same shape) back in the 1980s, but I haven't been able to find any photos of the older configuration yet.

You were correct with the first option. The old county building and now CGI.
Your second option is the original Maritime Life Building now leased by our beloved Halifax Herald.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Empire

You were correct with the first option. The old county building and now CGI.
Your second option is the original Maritime Life Building now leased by our beloved Halifax Herald.

Second verse, same as the first!

Near the bottom of Joe Howe is the former County of Halifax Municipal Building (built c1960 ) that was no longer required after amalgamation in 1996. I think the shape of the building has remained the same, but the cladding has perhaps been updated?

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I had forgotten to respond to this when you originally posted it. Whether that statement is true or not depends upon what time period you are talking about.

Well, let's be clear. I said "amalgamation", which means 1996. The absorption by the City of Halifax of the so-called western suburbs in 1969 has always, and accurately, been referred to as "annexation". Apart from that, our memories are identical - I guess we're probably approximately the same age.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I occasionally had business in that building in the late '80s/early '90s. Even then the interiors seemed to be very mid-century but in a good way. Perhaps dated if compared to what would have been new in 1990 but not bad in themselves. I quite liked it as it seemed bright, airy and well-designed. I seem to remember a lot of terrazzo floors, stained woodwork and brushed metal inside.

I had a lot of business there in '92 and '93 and remember it well. I couldn't agree more with your observations.

[Hali87]

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