Hamilton's B-Line LRT construction

[Crapht]

I’ve thought it would be appropriate for Aberdeen to extend over the 403 and merge with the on/off ramps approaching Main st at Columbia College. I know it’s a complete rework but it makes sense to me.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Crapht

I’ve thought it would be appropriate for Aberdeen to extend over the 403 and merge with the on/off ramps approaching Main st at Columbia College. I know it’s a complete rework but it makes sense to me.

That would make a lot of sense. I've wondered in the past why that was not done when the 403 was built in the 1960s. Maybe the two sets of ramps were built in different phases? Aberdeen was the end point of phase 2.

The history is noted here: https://www.thekingshighway.ca/Highway403.htm and there is this original map on the 403 photos page https://www.thekingshighway.ca/PHOTOS/Hwy403photos.htm



Larger version:

[Beedok]

Also, King and Main will probably both turn into a construction mess in the near future with the LRT going between both bridges. So you probably need all the bridges operating to keep Westdale from being too cut off.

[Crapht]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

That would make a lot of sense. I've wondered in the past why that was not done when the 403 was built in the 1960s. Maybe the two sets of ramps were built in different phases? Aberdeen was the end point of phase 2.

The history is noted here: https://www.thekingshighway.ca/Highway403.htm and there is this original map on the 403 photos page https://www.thekingshighway.ca/PHOTOS/Hwy403photos.htm



Larger version:

With King and Main both being one-ways and Longwood being the only other option to cross the 403 by car in the lower city is it any wonder my favourite route is the waterfront trail from Cootes to Bayfront by bike? Hamilton is going to be a mess during construction of the LRT and conversion of Main to two-way. Those who drive this route regularly will not be happy.

The more I think about it though, Aberdeen does not need more traffic funnelled from Main st west. Aberdeen needs a rework as well. It’s dangerous in many areas.

[SteelTown]

Procurement process for LRT to start later this year, construction in 2024
LRT project director says the city will work to refine design to include Complete Street planning

Major construction work on the Hamilton light-rail transit (LRT) will begin in just under two years, the city's LRT project director announced Monday, as councillors were given an update on the project and the impact it's expected to have on the community.

Director of the LRT with the city, Abdul Waheed Shaikh, provided the summary during an LRT sub-committee meeting, saying work on the project is underway by the city, and the plan is to go for tender next year.

"In terms of [the] overall big Metrolinx project, the plan is to start the procurement process sometime end of this year," Shaikh said.

"In terms of major construction, they are planning to do it in 2024. So, before 2024 there will be some early works by the City of Hamilton, and there will be some early works by other third party utilities."

The procurement process is expected to last one year, Shaikh said.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamil...BYRzChPAJKNOJc

[TheRitsman]

https://blog.metrolinx.com/2022/07/2...-hamilton-lrt/

New video shows how Metrolinx is building the Hamilton LRT

Design and preliminary works are ramping up on the Hamilton light rail transit (LRT) line to get everything ready for when construction starts.

But what exactly is involved in the construction of a modern light rail transit line?

The video below takes you through the steps required to transform the roadway from the existing state — designed primarily to move cars — into a modern transit corridor.

[LikeHamilton]

Not Hamilton but a look at the future of what may be.

Kitchener LRT

Mill Street plan would transform area around LRT station with six towers, up to 1,500 units

The centrepiece of the site is the proposed Station Plaza, a roughly 12,000-square foot public space near the south end of the LRT platform that could include a fountain, skating rink or public art.

https://www.therecord.com/news/water...=rec_web_ymbii

By Brent Davis | The Record| Mon., Aug. 29, 2022

[johnnyhamont]

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

Not Hamilton but a look at the future of what may be.

Mill Street plan would transform area around LRT station with six towers, up to 1,500 units

Also, 2,400 units in 12 towers in a separate development across the street:

Revised plan for Schneiders site in Kitchener includes 12 new buildings, 2,400 rental apartments
If approved, the development called The Metz would have buildings ranging from six to 38 storeys tall



https://www.therecord.com/news/water...partments.html

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

Not Hamilton but a look at the future of what may be.

Kitchener LRT

Mill Street plan would transform area around LRT station with six towers, up to 1,500 units



https://www.therecord.com/news/water...=rec_web_ymbii

By Brent Davis | The Record| Mon., Aug. 29, 2022

This is a much better design and layout than the development proposed down the road on Courtland (The Metz) which looks to be suburban Mississauga style condo development where everyone is expected to drive and all the condos are surrounded by grass.

That industrial area around the Charles stop is ripe for redevelopment into an urban community though. Plus it's got a great little brewery off the walking/cycling trail!

[Hawrylyshyn]

Hamilton would never approve that.

"Too dense", "doesn't fit the character of the neighborhood"

[mikevbar1]

Originally Posted by Hawrylyshyn

Hamilton would never approve that.

"Too dense", "doesn't fit the character of the neighborhood"

Not to shock anyone, but Hamilton is not quite as NIMBY as we like to think. It is so much worse elsewhere in Ontario, particularly places we like to compare with. They hold huge sway in places like KW, Burlington, Oakville, and especially Toronto (the godfather of NIMBYism). I have noticed very little noise anymore regarding the intensification of our city, relatively speaking. I believe it is thanks to half-competent policies and planners navigating around the shit our politicians make them deal with. Even then, we are quite progressive on the intensification front. Our city's hiccups are more deeply rooted in the local economy, politics and shady businessmen rather than a deeply-flawed policy framework as seen elsewhere.

And before anyone mentions the challenges projects like Television City faced in Durand (NIMBY headquarters) last I checked, it is getting built. KW is also a very different place with weaker urban bones than Hamilton, anyway. Resorting to megacomplexes like that Isn't a sign of an already-great city, its the sign of a place that is trying to grow up without upsetting actual NIMBYs.

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by mikevbar1

Not to shock anyone, but Hamilton is not quite as NIMBY as we like to think. It is so much worse elsewhere in Ontario, particularly places we like to compare with. They hold huge sway in places like KW, Burlington, Oakville, and especially Toronto (the godfather of NIMBYism). I have noticed very little noise anymore regarding the intensification of our city, relatively speaking. I believe it is thanks to half-competent policies and planners navigating around the shit our politicians make them deal with. Even then, we are quite progressive on the intensification front. Our city's hiccups are more deeply rooted in the local economy, politics and shady businessmen rather than a deeply-flawed policy framework as seen elsewhere.

And before anyone mentions the challenges projects like Television City faced in Durand (NIMBY headquarters) last I checked, it is getting built. KW is also a very different place with weaker urban bones than Hamilton, anyway. Resorting to megacomplexes like that Isn't a sign of an already-great city, its the sign of a place that is trying to grow up without upsetting actual NIMBYs.

I actually agree. If you look at places like the Brock U redevelopment, there was pushback, but the city basically ignored it and approved it. Along King St there has been basically no pushback on midrise redevelopment.

Toronto sees push back on 4 storey buildings in places where there are already an entire street of 4 storey buildings. Makes no sense. Mid-rises here basically see zero pushback, and highrise only gets pushback when reaching extrême heights, otherwise there is minor pushback that the city ignores.

[Innsertnamehere]

Hamilton is definitely far from the worst, especially in the old city, which is generally happy to get any level of investment.

Areas like Ancaster and Stoney Creek see a lot more NIMBYism though. I mean Ancaster's 3-storey height limit is sort of ridiculous and is staunchly defended in the area.

Compared to Burlington though, yea, Hamilton is a developers paradise. Burlington is home to quite possibly the most NIMBY council in the country though, I don't think they have actually approved a single development application in their entire 4-year term (every single application goes to the OLT). And they keep directing staff to fight every application in the downtown at the OLT, and they keep losing over and over again on the same arguments.

Ontario is largely unique in that developers have a way to bypass NIMBYism through the OLT. It's an expensive process but it's what allows projects like Television City to happen, and allows basically every single development application in Burlington to happen.

[TheHonestMaple]

Has there been any news on this in the past several months. Feels like things are happening so slowly

[matt602]

They only just finished the last demolitions 6 months ago so I think things are in the boring construction tender phase until well into next year. Might be some minor utility relocations and survey work until then.

[SteelTown]

Somewhat related news....

https://twitter.com/WerkHCN/status/1595799756147724288

"Nick Winters, director Ham's water, says in 2023 budget, there will be $10m for unforeseen infrastructure work due to the LRT project that is expected to begin next year."

[SFUVancouver]

As a relatively new Hamiltonian, I'm confused at how there is so little current information about the LRT project. Moreover, I'm equally confused at how so much out of date information is still presented on the official City project website without disclaimers or commentary. E.g. the detailed system CAD mapping of a previous iteration of the line that included the spur up James Street North is still presented as 'detailed' mapping as part of the records and documents section of the website. Likewise, the Metrolinx/Gov of ON webpages have seemingly purged the 2020 business case report upon which the approved project is based.

Coming from the Metro Vancouver context, where there would be a fully-staffed, full-time project office with a dedicated website, often a physical storefront public-facing project office, and active social media presence for a new funded line of this magnitude, it's just sort of bizarre how for the Hamilton LRT there's basically a zoomed out map, a press release, a video about right of way utility relocation, and a message from the former Mayor, and that's it.

So, what I was looking for was a detailed map (an updated version of the Public Information Centre 2: https://www.hamilton.ca/sites/defaul...c2-mapping.pdf) for the approved project.

[TheRitsman]

We will be getting a full office early next year. We are still really early stages. The RFP still hasn't gone out. Once the RFP is complete it will have regular updates just like any other project.

[Hawrylyshyn]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

As a relatively new Hamiltonian, I'm confused at how there is so little current information about the LRT project. Moreover, I'm equally confused at how so much out of date information is still presented on the official City project website without disclaimers or commentary. E.g. the detailed system CAD mapping of a previous iteration of the line that included the spur up James Street North is still presented as 'detailed' mapping as part of the records and documents section of the website. Likewise, the Metrolinx/Gov of ON webpages have seemingly purged the 2020 business case report upon which the approved project is based.

Coming from the Metro Vancouver context, where there would be a fully-staffed, full-time project office with a dedicated website, often a physical storefront public-facing project office, and active social media presence for a new funded line of this magnitude. So it's just sort of bizarre how for the Hamilton LRT there's basically a zoomed out map, a press release, a video about right of way utility relocation, and a message from the former Mayor, and that's it.

So, what I was looking for was a detailed map (an updated version of the Public Information Centre 2: https://www.hamilton.ca/sites/defaul...c2-mapping.pdf) for the approved project.

Stay long enough, you'll realize this is generally the level of mediocrity our city operates at

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by TheRitsman

We will be getting a full office early next year. We are still really early stages. The RFP still hasn't gone out. Once the RFP is complete it will have regular updates just like any other project.

Well that's gratifying to hear. I do appreciate that it's early days and detailed design will come some time later, considering tendering for the project itself (not the preparatory corridor sanitization) hasn't occurred.

It isn't pressing, just curiosity and befuddlement at how little info there is for such a large project.

Originally Posted by Hawrylyshyn

Stay long enough, you'll realize this is generally the level of mediocrity our city operates at

Oh dear... It's even odd to me that HSR doesn't even have its own website. It's just another page on the City's website. Translink in Vancouver is a totally different animal, certainly, but the stand-alone identity and full-fledged web-presence is what I have been acculturated to expect with respect to a transit operator in a large Canadian city.