Roads/Bridges projects/issues

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by roger1818

The problem with Hunt Club isn't the proximity of the houses, its that it is a cycling spine route on the TMP. Since the two biggest threats to cyclists are intersections and speed (in that order), if they really wanted to make it safer for cyclists, they would close off the minor intersections to cars (rerouting them to the major intersections) and install continuous, barricaded bike lanes between the intersections.

If you close off intersections, you allow for greater vehicular speeds.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

If you close off intersections, you allow for greater vehicular speeds.

A practically invisible intersection doesn't siginficantly limit the vehicular speed. Besides, we aren't talking about a city street here, we are talking about what is effectively a minor highway.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by roger1818

A practically invisible intersection doesn't siginficantly limit the vehicular speed. Besides, we aren't talking about a city street here, we are talking about what is effectively a minor highway.

Perhaps, but a non-existent one certainly allows speed to be maintained or increased.

And if you don't want it to be a minor highway, don't close off intersections and make the geometry more highway-like.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

And if you don't want it to be a minor highway, don't close off intersections and make the geometry more highway-like.

That's the question. Do we want Hunt Club to be a minor highway? It is one of the few east west corridors south of the city. Maybe a better option would be to redevelop the residential land that is negatively affected by it being a minor highway. It might be easier than redeveloping everything that is making it into a minor highway. And if you did that, where would all the traffic go if they can't use Hunt Club?

[capital_urbanite]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Looking at Google maps using satelite, 3D and street views, I don't see any houses between Bank and Hwthorne on Hunt Club. There are houses that back onto Hunt Club with a continuous fence or wall between intersections, but to me, that doesn't count. There are houses that back onto the 417, and we aren't proposing a speed reduction on it because of them. Maybe they need a better sound proof barrier, but that to me isn't justification for a speed reduction. I am assuming this is what you are meaning by a an enclave on the south side? I can see why residents there wouldn't like the traffic on Hunt Club, but it is an arterial road and has been for a long time, so most of them must have known it when they moved there.

Noise and vibration are issues for residents along East Hunt Club especially with the opening of the queensway access which has increased truck traffic (and the accompanying noise and vibration) significantly. HOWEVER, the major issue is pedestrian and cyclist safety which residents living next to the Queensway don't have to contend with. Like others here have said, the city needs to decide whether this is residential street or a highway.

This brings us to Allumettières...

I am curious about this re-engineering on Boulevard des Allumettières. It seems to me to be an Areterial with a speed limit of 70 km/h.

...which is indeed an arterial, cross-town route. However, sections of it were changed to narrow the boulevard and introduce traffic calming measures as well as several roundabouts to make it pedestrian friendly and quieter for surrounding residents. So yes, you can drive at 70 or even 90 in some sections, but in other sections you'll find it difficult to drive faster than 50.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by capital_urbanite

Noise and vibration are issues for residents along East Hunt Club especially with the opening of the queensway access which has increased truck traffic (and the accompanying noise and vibration) significantly.

I'd like to know what my friend Mr. Seismometer has to say about this supposed "vibration" problem.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by roger1818

I am curious about this re-engineering on Boulevard des Allumettières. It seems to me to be an Areterial with a speed limit of 70 km/h.
.

Allumettières has never been re-engineered. It is the way it was built. And that was not that long ago.

It varies in "character" along its length. Only a short portion is a 70 kmh arterial. Between the bridge at Lac des Fées and the Plateau. West of there it's more like a highway with traffic lights every 2-3 km.

The other stretch through the urbanized area of Hull is 50 kmh with either traffic lights or roundabouts. The latter are all along the newer section. The older section from the Alexandra Bridge to the A-50 (former Boul. St-Laurent) has traffic lights.

The 50 kmh stretch is for lack of a better term more of an urban boulevard.

[acottawa]

Interest article on Canada' road salt addiction.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/ca...ions-in-damage

The awesome price we pay for road de-icing: Melting cars, collapsing bridges, billions in damage

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Interest article on Canada' road salt addiction.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/ca...ions-in-damage

The awesome price we pay for road de-icing: Melting cars, collapsing bridges, billions in damage

The amount of salt in the Bayview Transitway bridge that got pulled out and is now being replaced was nothing short of astonishing.

Same, about 16 years ago, when they surgically repaired the Sappers Bridge at Confederation Square. The old concrete was just riddled through with salt, salt, salt, and salt-corroded metal.

A good pair of winter boots does not last more than one year for me.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

The amount of salt in the Bayview Transitway bridge that got pulled out and is now being replaced was nothing short of astonishing.

It's interesting to note that RTG made the voluntary decision, at their own expense, to tear down and rebuild that bridge for the LRT. They didn't have to, and the city didn't pay for it. RTG must have crunched the numbers and determined the cost of repairs and rehabilitation to that bridge over the 30 years RTG is obligated to maintain it actually exceeded the cost of replacing it now... a pretty damning statement considering that when LRT construction started that bridge was only about 20 years old. RTG made the exact same choice for the bridge over uOttawa station, as well.

It's also yet another financial factor against BRT. Thanks to the fact that rails don't need salting, the lifespan of LRT infrastructure is much longer. If that had been properly factored into the cost models when the city build the Transitways in the first place...

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

It's interesting to note that RTG made the voluntary decision, at their own expense, to tear down and rebuild that bridge for the LRT. They didn't have to, and the city didn't pay for it. RTG must have crunched the numbers and determined the cost of repairs and rehabilitation to that bridge over the 30 years RTG is obligated to maintain it actually exceeded the cost of replacing it now... a pretty damning statement considering that when LRT construction started that bridge was only about 20 years old.

I didn't think there was ever a doubt the Bayview bridge was going to be demolished and replaced. The station and the bridge are one and the same, it would have been a headache to retrofit the old bridge to hold up the station structure and compromise things like stair, escalator and elevator location. The old bridge had a slight camber as most road bridges do which would have been weird for platforms. The new span is also slightly lower, minimizing the vertical distance between the Confederation Trillium line transfers, and shaves a bit off an unnecessary grade.

This was another station that was screaming for a centre platform, though, Puzzles me why they didn't go the extra effort.

[Richard Eade]

Absolutely correct. The CPR Bridge (since the Bayview Bridge is the one over Bayview Road) was always going to be replaced by RTG. It was only in the very early stages of planning that some consultants thought that it might be possible to simply add width to the existing structure. RTG knew the state of the structure before it made its bid. The same goes for the Transitway Bridge over the Rideau River; which RTG had to do a lot of rehabilitating of. The only structure that has been added to the list of ones that were already going to be replaced is the Mann Avenue Bridge. And that is additional funding, above and beyond the $2.13B; with part of that added money coming from the Federal Government’s latest round of Infrastructure Funding.

As for why the CRP Bridge was not replaced with a wide structure that would allow a central platformed Bayview Station; the answer, I believe, is that the Transitway viaduct west of that structure is only two lanes and would need to be widened to get the tracks far enough apart to put a platform between them. That was an additional expense that was not required – even if it would have been nice.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

It's interesting to note that RTG made the voluntary decision, at their own expense, to tear down and rebuild that bridge for the LRT. They didn't have to, and the city didn't pay for it. RTG must have crunched the numbers and determined the cost of repairs and rehabilitation to that bridge over the 30 years RTG is obligated to maintain it actually exceeded the cost of replacing it now... a pretty damning statement considering that when LRT construction started that bridge was only about 20 years old. RTG made the exact same choice for the bridge over uOttawa station, as well.

I think I saw them doing some probing of the Bayview bridge many long eons ago, so that had some good idea that it was rotting from the inside out.

You have to wonder how bad a state all the sprawl-supporting infrastructure, the various overpasses and so forth, are in... and how much it's going to cost to repair or replace all of those structures in the coming decades. Multiply that by the fact Ottawa is just 1/36th-ish of Canada and yikes.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

You have to wonder how bad a state all the sprawl-supporting infrastructure, the various overpasses and so forth, are in... and how much it's going to cost to repair or replace all of those structures in the coming decades. Multiply that by the fact Ottawa is just 1/36th-ish of Canada and yikes.

They have been replacing them pretty consistently for the last decade or so. Much of the Queensway has been done, downtown bridges are done, most of the interprovincial bridges are done, central transitway is being done. The NCC doesn't seem to be doing much, I wonder what condition theirs are in.

It is kind of pathetic though. Many Roman bridges are still standing.

[rocketphish]

I'm working here! NYC garbage truck to be tested as snow plow

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 13, 2017 | Last Updated: January 13, 2017 5:37 PM EST



A New York City garbage truck outfitted with a plow blade will rumble down Ottawa streets as a test of its snow-clearing capabilities during a Canadian winter.

The city last year indicated it would try creative ways for moving snow off the roads, including a pilot project using a garbage truck.

Coun. Keith Egli, chair of council’s transportation committee, said the truck should arrive in Ottawa within weeks after the city finalizes the arrangement with New York. There will be a short training period with staff.

Ottawa public works staff have a lot to learn from their counterparts in New York, which has been using garbage trucks as plows for years. Chicago also hitches shovels onto garbage trucks during major snowfalls.

New York agreed to lend the plow-equipped garbage truck to the City of Ottawa, according to staff here in the nation’s capital.

“The vehicle will not be collecting waste,” road services director Luc Gagne said. “The city is borrowing it for snow-clearing testing only.”

A second pilot project involves repurposing 12 tractors in the City of Ottawa’s parks department for snow clearing.

“We’re going to use them in heavy snow situations,” Egli said.

Egli noted the bizarre winter so far, with major snow storms, ice pellets, rain as well as days of significant snow melt.

“I think staff have done a really good job so far,” Egli said. “It’s been quite challenging.”

The unusual weather will likely have budget implications for public works.

The final numbers for the 2016 winter maintenance budget aren’t available yet, Egli said.

jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...d-as-snow-plow

[TransitZilla]

Prince of Wales Dr
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/planni...-february-2017

Project description

The City of Ottawa is undertaking the preliminary and detailed design for a number of intersection improvements along the Prince of Wales Drive corridor in order to improve traffic flow for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. The project also involves the full width rehabilitation of the roadway along Prince of Wales Drive, from Hunt Club Road to approximately 480m north of Strandherd Drive. The locations of the proposed intersection improvements are as follows:

Hunt Club Road at Riverside Drive (East Leg of intersection): extension of existing westbound left-hand turn lane from Hunt Club onto Riverside Drive
Prince of Wales Drive, Northbound between Hunt Club and Wellsmere Court
Prince of Wales Drive, between Deakin Street and Hunt Club, including the Deakin intersection
Prince of Wales Drive, between Blazer Avenue and Deakin Street
Prince of Wales Drive at Merivale Road intersection
Amberwood and Prince of Wales intersection: new signalised intersection
Project timing

Design assignment completion: early-Winter 2017
Construction start: Spring 2017
Construction completion: Fall 2017

Budget

Design and inspection services: $1.095 M (estimate)
Construction: $ 12.0 M (estimate)

[DarthVader_1961]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

I'm working here! NYC garbage truck to be tested as snow plow

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 13, 2017 | Last Updated: January 13, 2017 5:37 PM EST



A New York City garbage truck outfitted with a plow blade will rumble down Ottawa streets as a test of its snow-clearing capabilities during a Canadian winter.

The city last year indicated it would try creative ways for moving snow off the roads, including a pilot project using a garbage truck.

Coun. Keith Egli, chair of council’s transportation committee, said the truck should arrive in Ottawa within weeks after the city finalizes the arrangement with New York. There will be a short training period with staff.

Ottawa public works staff have a lot to learn from their counterparts in New York, which has been using garbage trucks as plows for years. Chicago also hitches shovels onto garbage trucks during major snowfalls.

New York agreed to lend the plow-equipped garbage truck to the City of Ottawa, according to staff here in the nation’s capital.

“The vehicle will not be collecting waste,” road services director Luc Gagne said. “The city is borrowing it for snow-clearing testing only.”

A second pilot project involves repurposing 12 tractors in the City of Ottawa’s parks department for snow clearing.

“We’re going to use them in heavy snow situations,” Egli said.

Egli noted the bizarre winter so far, with major snow storms, ice pellets, rain as well as days of significant snow melt.

“I think staff have done a really good job so far,” Egli said. “It’s been quite challenging.”

The unusual weather will likely have budget implications for public works.

The final numbers for the 2016 winter maintenance budget aren’t available yet, Egli said.

jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...d-as-snow-plow

Whats the problem they are trying to solve with this test?

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by DarthVader_1961

Whats the problem they are trying to solve with this test?

I think the goal is that if we put plows on all the garbage trucks, the garbage trucks can plow the streets at the same time they're doing their weekly pickups. Provides some extra plowing for minimal extra cost.

[1overcosc]

It's interesting to note that most climate scientists have predicted that in southern Ontario climate change will not just make it warmer, it will make it wetter as well. In the winter, that translates to relatively mild temperatures with more melting events, but also more snowfall overall. This year's "unusual" winter might become a lot more "usual" in the coming decades.

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

Prince of Wales Dr
http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/planni...-february-2017

some images from the 2011 EA here
http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/cit...Wales%20EA.htm