Quote:
Originally Posted by eternallyme
Regarding the Airport Parkway and Lester Road, that is a real challenge. The big problem, IMO, is solving the upstream issue. Bronson Avenue cannot be widened, and a narrowing would be desirable (but impossible in the current situation). That means the solution is separating the Airport Parkway from Bronson Avenue. My recommendation:
|
Expensive! While I'm still somewhat new to Ottawa. This plan would require a large amount of money. Considering they are already planning on improving the Bronson off-ramp & removing the building straight across. Connecting straight to Chamberlain.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eternallyme
* Reconstruct Booth Street and Rochester Street as a one-way couplet, with 2 lanes on each north of Raymond and 4 lanes on each south. As a business area, the residential impact would be lower.
* To prevent cut-through traffic in residential areas, Booth Street would be discontinuous to all traffic except for cyclists and pedestrians at Albert Street (access closed off).
* Remove the 417 ramps at Bronson and shift them to Booth and Rochester, using Orangeville Street and Raymond Street as accesses.
|
All this does is shift existing traffic to those streets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eternallyme
* South of Carling Avenue, a vehicular tunnel with 6 lanes (3 in each bore) beneath Dow's Lake would connect Booth/Rochester to the Airport Parkway (now Bronson Avenue) north of Sunnyside Avenue. Trucks would be prohibited, as they are now on the Airport Parkway.
|
Any tunnel would likely have to start before Carling Ave, as I believe that's all NCC land to the south. You are also talking about a tunnel with a diameter of around 15m min Probably even largest for 3 lanes. (To compare, Seattle's Viaduct Tunnel is 2 lanes each direction stacked, TBM is 17.5m diameter.)
With this proposed tunnel to be likely half the length of Seattle's (approximate) Just taking half that cost and it's $2.1 billion. Money not well spent since they could probably expropriate all properties between the canal & Gladstone, and build a better road and interchange.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eternallyme
* An interchange (most likely a diamond or SPUI) would be built at Sunnyside Avenue, and the pedestrian crossing to the south would become an overpass. In general, the design would be a wide urban boulevard from the 417 to Carling and a freeway south of Carling.
* Once that is done, then twin the Airport Parkway.
|
The thing is twinning Airport Parkway can be done currently with really minimal impacts to what's going on at Bronson, especially southbound. Everyone who takes it currently is still going to take it. It just makes it a faster/smoother commute between Heron & Lester. A proper traffic study would be needed for the Northbound, but I suspect it's no different. There will be slow downs during rush hour. Mostly relating to either congestion of bus stops.
My 10 year suggestion would be for the City to grab property on either side of the road when there is redevelopment to improve bus bays and turning lanes.
Modifications to the Bronson off-ramp a including a fly over connecting straight to Chamberlain Ave. Make the existing location off-ramp a right-only, & after the proposed fly-over to Chamberlain Ave another off-ramp for Northbound Traffic. This at least moves traffic lights further apart & creates safer movements.