Roads/Bridges projects/issues

[lrt's friend]

The City of Ottawa's best plan of attack here should be transit. Use the freeway EA money to boost frequency on CRT lines into Ottawa. THAT will reduce the bottleneck at the split - CRT buses use the Transitway from Blair Station on.

Do you really think that any of the money for the 174 twinning will be available for transit? Not likely! This is the city killing a provincial campaign promise. The province is not going to look on this too kindly. Since 2006, we have been going through a period of non-cooperation on jointly funded projects. This does not bode well for future jointly funded projects including LRT until at least some of the key players are out of office.

[c_speed3108]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/...75c1ec&k=57834

On the 174. Without debating ideologies regarding sprawl, and transit use, etc...

First off this widening is not required at this point. I am quiet familiar with this highway since my parents live very close to it. It is not experiencing major congestion problems like some areas of the 174 further in and the Queensway.

The second problem is that even if it was experiencing congestion problems we run into a flow-rate problem. If two lanes are really in face required from Rockland, then we are going to need a heck of lot more than 2 lanes hading west from Orleans since Orleans >>>> Rockland.


On provincial politicians, but not the local MP. The local MP suggested to the transport minister that the province upload this highway back to the provincial level (and I believe the city was either in support or at least not violently against). The transport minister said no. Therefore, if the province really wants to widen this highway, they should upload it and do it themselves. City of Ottawa taxes should not go to fund this since it is of virtually no benefit to City of Ottawa residents.

----------------------

As for the argument that residents knew it was a two lane road when they moved there...yes but most roads get widened as the areas grow. Also that same argument would kill just about every single infrastructure project! We all knew we only has a transitway....We all knew we had a congested Albert Street. etc.. etc.. etc...

[Deez]

Somewhat topical:

News Story
Province spending $73M on second phase of Highway 7 expansion
By Peter Kovessy, Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Fri, Apr 18, 2008 10:00 AM EST



An Oakville construction company has won a $73.2 million government contract to widen a stretch of Highway 7 outside Ottawa and build four new bridges.

Bot Construction Ltd. will widen the provincial highway from two to four lanes from Jinkinson Road to Ashton Station Road, add a carpool lot at the Dwyer Hill Road interchange area, add new interchanges at Upper Dwyer Hill Road and Ashton Station Road and construct new service roads on both the north and south side of Highway 7.

The construction firm will also build four new bridges at Dwyer Hill Road, Ashton Station Road, the TransCanada Trail crossing and the North Service Road crossing at Lavallee Creek.

Ontario's highway expansion plan calls for the project to start this year and be completed by 2010.

This is the second of three Highway 7 projects in the province's five-year plan. The third project calls for the highway to be widened from two to four lanes between Carleton Place and Ashton Station Road, starting next year.

More than 17,000 commuters and tourists and 1,200 trucks use Highway 7 daily, according to the province.

Nice value...a 4-lane freeway for about 20,000 AADT? Ridiculous.

[Cre47]

They should blame this on the mass-downloading of provincial highways. If Hwy 17 was not downloaded, it would probably have been already widen considering Rockland is larger then Carleton Place. They should blame Mike Harris for this not the city of Ottawa

[lrt's friend]

Ha! Don't get me going about the downloading of the King's Highway system. Beyond all the obvious reasons, it has also negatively affected visitors to Ontario and no doubt tourism to many smaller towns. No longer can the visitor distinguish between main roads and less important local roads by just looking at a road map. Highway 2 with all its historic significance can no longer be easily found on a map. Many highways were partially downloaded no longer connecting destinations, others were both downloaded and renumbered leading to confusion. Then of course we get highways that connect communities and counties downloaded and an expectation that the individual municipalities must pay for major improvements. If one refuses, the project dies. The Harris government turned back the clock on public roads in this province by 100 years.

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

HaThen of course we get highways that connect communities and counties downloaded and an expectation that the individual municipalities must pay for major improvements. If one refuses, the project dies. The Harris government turned back the clock on public roads in this province by 100 years.

Well at least they will now feel the process pain of planning a transit system.

[eemy]

Originally Posted by Deez

Somewhat topical:



Nice value...a 4-lane freeway for about 20,000 AADT? Ridiculous.

You should see the numbers for the 402, 416, and even 417.

http://www.raqsb.mto.gov.onac.ca/tec...umes.nsf/tvweb

[waterloowarrior]

Transport minister confirms four-laning to resume next year
By PETER DeWOLF
Weekender Staff
It’s official.

Work on the next phase of the fourlaning of Highway 17 toward Renfrew will begin next year. Ontario’s Transport Minister Jim Bradley has confirmed the 417 bypass around Arnprior will be complete by
2011.

Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski sought clarification from the minister after funding for the project apparently was granted in the 2008 Ontario budget, to everyone’s surprise. The project had not even been on the province’s five-year plan.

The three-year construction phase will begin in 2009 and be completed in the fall of 2011.

“I congratulate those have worked to make this happen,” said Yakabuski.

Some preparatory work will be done this year, as Arnprior’s water and sewer system, particularly along Baskin Drive will need to be relocated and upgraded. The federal government had allotted some money for that several years ago, as had the town; and it is now hoped the province will also chip in.

The disruptions to traffic will be minimal at least during the first year as construction begins on a new bridge over the tracks and the Madawaska River, just north of the existing bridge.

Once it is complete, traffic will be diverted onto the new structure, while the old bridge is rehabilitated and upgraded. When completed, the existing structure will become the eastbound bridge. Baskin will run under the new expressway, but the only access to 417 from the south end of Baskin will be via a new service road. It will take traffic from the airport and Arnprior Aerospace area and bring it out onto the White Lake Road, eliminating the need for traffic bound for Ottawa or Renfrew to drive into the congested Daniel Street and Baskin Drive area near the Arnprior Shopping Centre.

A full cloverleaf, to be constructed at the White Lake Road and Division Street, will run over the new expressway. The Phase I portion of four laning will return to two lanes between Division and Campbell Drive.

While the announced funding will only complete the first phase, both Phase I and Phase II were recommended for funding by the Ministry of Transportation as sequential projects.

Phase II, to include an interchange at Campbell Drive and Scheel Drive, would be routed under the expressway. The second phase would be far less costly because no major bridge building would be required. It would see the bypass four-laned all the way to just west of Scheel Drive. While no funding has been allocated for the second phase, Queen’s Park has indicated the ministry should move ahead with detailed engineering for the second part. It would have another three to four years to announce funding if they decide to continue construction once Phase I is completed.

“We will keep fighting for it,” said Yakabuski. However, he is pleased to see this portion proceed. “This is a tremendously positive move for all of Renfrew County,” he declared.

The existing traffic lights at the White Lake Road and Baskin Drive along the highway have become a bottleneck for traffic headed into or out of the county. On long weekends, traffic has been at a virtual standstill as far back as Glasgow Station, or well onto the fourlane sections in recent years.

While Yakabuski warned there will be some disruptions in traffic and slowdowns during the construction phase, the end result will be well worth the trouble. He believes the bypass expressway will bring economic benefits to the whole county and thinks it is one of the major obstacles overcome in bringing the expressway all the way to Renfrew in the coming years.

Arnprior Mayor Terry Gibeau welcomed the news during last Monday’s Arnprior council meeting.
peter.dewolf@metroland.com

http://www.runge.net/TempDownload/Do.../rw-080418.pdf

[Rathgrith]

^ Finally. Now I longer need to worry about dying in a head on crash as I drive to Renfrew.

[waterloowarrior]

Cambrian and Greenbank - New Roundabout

Nicolas and Waller
Nicholas Street from Waller Street Ramp to Daly Avenue

• Convert three southbound lanes with a parking lane on the east side to two southbound lanes, one northbound lane with a parking lane on the east side
• Construct a transit lay-by at the northeast quadrant of Waller Street Ramp and Nicholas Street

[waterloowarrior]

fyi the city has had a minor update of its public consultation page... much more readable for transportation projects

[harls]

Saw the signs up on Bank street today for the pending road closure (May 22) between Laurier and Somerset.

Bank Street's going to look great once all this streetscaping is finished.

[AuxTown]

That is the best news I've heard all day! I may not be moving into my new condo for a little bit (about a year to be exact), but the neighbourhood is gonna be looking great for my arrival. A few of the businesses in the recently redone portion of Bank have since (or during) spruced up their storefronts and hopefully this will continue South of Laurier as well. Great news for Centretown!

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

That is the best news I've heard all day! I may not be moving into my new condo for a little bit (about a year to be exact), but the neighbourhood is gonna be looking great for my arrival. A few of the businesses in the recently redone portion of Bank have since (or during) spruced up their storefronts and hopefully this will continue South of Laurier as well. Great news for Centretown!

Man, and I just moved out to West Wellington Village!!



Bank and Somerset is gonna look pretty cool in a year. Too bad I'll be far away in North Bay...

[waterloowarrior]

http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com...6871964675.php

Decades-old Alta Vista Parkway project still on the table
By Roman Zakaluzny, Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Wed, May 14, 2008 4:00 PM EST

With last week's closure of Rideau Street after a century-old water main burst, Ottawa residents and business owners were reminded of the fragile state of downtown traffic patterns.

And transportation was on the minds of members of the city's business advisory committee last week, as committee member Bev Millar asked about the status of the proposed Alta Vista Parkway (also known as the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor).

She wondered aloud if the decades-old (in one form or another) proposal was still on the table.

Vivi Chi, a manager in the transportation and infrastructure planning division at city hall, said it was. An environmental assessment for the parkway was completed in 2005, but an appeal sent it back to the provincial Ministry of the Environment.

Meant as a route to address traffic from the city's south to the core, the new highway would start at Walkley and Conroy roads, running north through existing green space in the Alta Vista neighbourhood.

At the Ottawa Hospital, plans have the parkway veering west, across the Rideau River, ending up at Highway 417 near the Nicholas Street exit.

A letter from the ministry came back to the city in January approving the plan, Ms. Chi told the advisory committee.

Steven Stoddard, an engineer and senior project manager at the city, said only a few small changes were suggested by ministry.

"On design, it's going ahead," he said, adding that councillors set aside funds during this year's capital budget process to help pay for a design study on a connection between Riverside Drive and the Ottawa Hospital.

The "hospital link" project is expected to start in 2010, subject to future budget approvals, and will cost some $65 million.

The committee, a 14-member volunteer group established three years ago, also updated themselves on the city's downtown rapid transit plan, its implications, and its omissions.

Ms. Millar said the rapid transit plan addressed problems in the city's downtown core, perhaps to the detriment of Ottawa's rural areas. While members learned why staff determined that a downtown tunnel and a light-rail train system within the Greenbelt is the best solution to Ottawa's traffic woes, some members were more interested in solutions to traffic snarls along Rideau and King Edward streets as well as the seemingly forgotten Alta Vista project.

Ms. Chi explained the city's rationale in pushing for the fourth of four transit options staff initially presented to councillors, after 2006's plan for a north-south LRT was cancelled.

An improved rapid rail transit network would also increase Ottawa's ability to "retain talent," a key concern of many area businesses, particularly the high-tech industry.

That fourth option includes a downtown tunnel and a light-rail train system eventually stretching north-to-south and east-to-west within Ottawa's Greenbelt.

It, she said, had the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of the four, the highest predicted ridership (the city hopes to have more than 30 per cent of commuters taking public transit), as well as the lowest operating costs.

In the end, the committee voted to endorse the fourth rapid transit alternative as the best option.

---

BE ADVISED

Next steps for Ottawa's transportation master plan:

Public consultations wrapped up May 7

Decision by May 28

May to October: Phasing plan, secondary corridors, costs and roads

September to October: Public consultation

November: Tabling of draft master plan

March 2009: Approval of final transportation master plan

To see the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor exhibit list from the City of Ottawa, visit: http://www.ottawa.ca/public_consult/alta_vista/stage_6/exhibit_en.shtml

[Cre47]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com...6871964675.php

Quite frankly I would prefer to see two more transit corridors in that segment, no need for another artery there that may help traffic problems in the south but it will further deteriorate the problem downtown. Thumbs down for the Parkway, let's built a new transitway there so to connect with Cumberland Transitway and another link towards Conroy.

[waterloowarrior]

Stop the madness of building roads
Ken GrayThe Ottawa Citizen
Friday, May 16, 2008

Don't build another road. Don't build one, not one.

You see, we have enough roads. Most times of the day cars can travel around town easily. Trucks can make deliveries. Businesspeople can roam in search of sales.

No, the congestion problem exists for only a couple of hours every day during the morning and evening commutes. At those two times, you could widen the Queensway from Kanata to downtown or the Split to 25 lanes and it wouldn't be able to handle the volume. And if those roads did happen to flow smoothly, an unlikely prospect, freeways just channel thousands of cars into a downtown grid network, designed in the 19th century, running at more than capacity. Freeways just don't work. Long commutes by car are a time-consuming, frustrating, inefficient, hopeless exercise. Don't people have better things to do?

So, you say, if the municipal government doesn't build roads or widen them, how will people get to work? I have confidence that Ottawa residents will find a way to get to the place where they support themselves, that allows them to buy their food and raise their children. Ottawans will get smarter because they won't have a choice.

For example, selecting a location for a home won't simply be an exercise in getting a good price. People will consider if their dwelling lets them get to work quickly and efficiently. Ottawans will look for homes with uncrowded routes to their jobs or perhaps live close enough to walk or bike. Maybe they'll locate near a rapid-transit line. Right now, Ottawa has thousands of commuters driving to urban jobs from the rural city, perhaps even farther.

They will rethink that if the Queensway or other major routes are even more stuffed with cars at rush hour than they are now.

Furthermore, we quite likely don't need to build more roads, even under the rather lax standard of need Ottawa employs now. For one wonders how long streets will continue to be crowded. This summer CIBC World Markets expects gas to hit $1.50 a litre. CIBC is predicting $2.25 a litre by 2012. Montreal has already seen more than $1.30. That means a fill will soon cost about $112 for a 50-litre tank -- the size of the one in a Toyota Corolla.

That gets your attention. No word yet on how much it will take to top up the SUV but CIBC might extend you a loan to cover the charge.

So don't build any more roads.

Because roads contribute to urban sprawl. You can't have subdivisions in far off places without new or widened roads. And roads, expensive as a capital cost, get even pricier when you must repair them, plow them and rebuild them. For roads are just temporary in this freeze-thaw-fry climate.

And underneath those roads are city pipes that contribute to raising your taxes. Don't build the road or the subdivision in the boonies and there's no need to extend the pipes. Or the bus routes. Or the electricity wires above those roads. Want to slow the increase of your property taxes? Don't build any roads.

If you don't widen the roads, fewer people will move to the outskirts, living in tract housing on valuable farmland -- farmland that is becoming more and more precious as food prices increase. Want to save the rural way of life?

Don't build any roads. Not a one.

It's amusing to hear rugged individualists talk about public transit being government subsidized and expensive. Property taxpayers have been subsidizing drivers for more than a century now -- fixing their roads, building freeways, paving pastures and fields so they can enjoy the freedom of the Sunday drive. Jack Kerouac's character, the icon of the open highway, the personified free spirit of the Beat Generation, was really on a government-sponsored vacation in On The Road, save the sex and drugs.

Then, of course, there is the cost to the environment. Ottawa's particulate and ozone levels are similar to the Toronto area despite the fact this Eastern Ontario city is without heavy industry and has considerably fewer people. Our pollution is directly related to car use.

Perhaps Ottawa has begun to realize the folly of roads. City staff and politicians such as Alta Vista Councillor Peter Hume stood up to the federal and provincial governments as they tried to extend the freeway section of Highway 174 to Rockland. The city didn't want to broaden its urban footprint out into the countryside. All Highway 174 would have done is encourage people to move out along its route in search of cheap housing.

But those new cars would have just piled up at the Split, only just a bit farther along. About four decades late, Ottawa has learned the lesson of the great Toronto Spadina Expressway debate.

We must lose our expensive preoccupation with roads. They are environmentally dirty, obsolete, inefficient, they eat up farmland, they're slow, raise your taxes, and they're pricey to build, plow and repair.
Planners should need a very good reason to pave. Better still, don't build another road. Don't build one, not one.

Ken Gray is the city editorial page editor and a Citizen editorial board member. His column runs on Fridays.
E-mail: kgray@thecitizen.canwest.com

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

right on... the list on the first page of this thread has billions worth in spending that could be spent on more public transit (which would free up road capacity anyways). We need to stop this view that the automobile must be accommodated at all costs... the UK realized this 20 years ago and we still have to in many ways.

[Cre47]

Right on, The 417 widening was a mistake at the start although I would hope that before the Kanata Transitway will be built before will be for transit only and keep the shoulder lane strictly for stalled vehicules. The 3rd lane should be for carpooling lane only. When the buses will run separately, then we can widen the shoulder lane or for transport-trucks only but not for regular traffic.

We can argue about Hwy 7, but maybe dividers would have done the trick ditto for RR 174 and any further twinning of the 17. People just need to be patient behind the precedent motorist. Besides it will save them gas.

[harls]

Originally Posted by harls

Saw the signs up on Bank street today for the pending road closure (May 22) between Laurier and Somerset.

Bank Street's going to look great once all this streetscaping is finished.

Well, I have to correct myself. I was on Bank street yesterday and it was still open past Laurier. The signs that I saw indicating the street closures were mysteriously gone, too. There's still those "new" signs on the traffic light poles, with garbage bags covering the 'do not turn this way' ones... so maybe things are just delayed?

[AuxTown]

An interesting page on the city's website outlining all of the major road and infrastructure projects for this summer and how much they are estimated to cost.

http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/major.../index_en.html

I was down on Bank Street today and I noticed a fenced-in area with construction pilons and signs as well as a big pile of gravel at Bank and Cooper streets. I wonder if this is for the work slated to start at Bank and Somerset any day now?

Phase 3 – Reconstruction St. Patrick Street to Rideau Street

Phase 3 involves the reconstruction of King Edward Avenue from St. Patrick Street to Rideau Street, including:

Installation of a new watermain.
Sewer replacement.
Burial of overhead utilities from Boteler to Rideau Street.
Completion of roadway reconstruction.

Well, if phase 3 is about to start, I don't know what happened with the first two phases. I know it caused a ton of traffic jams and the lane alignment is slightly different, but King Edward still looks like crap. It seems to me that they're still working on the completion of phases 1 and 2.