Highway One Improvements: North Vancouver / Ironworkers Memorial Approach | Completed

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by Klazu

DailyHive is quoting people waiting 2.5 hours to get on the bridge.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/iron...ic-north-shore

It's possible, perhaps, but the guy who claimed a 2.5 hour wait also said that he normally leaves at 3 PM to "beat the traffic". That doesn't sound accurate for IWM backups.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

It's possible, perhaps, but the guy who claimed a 2.5 hour wait also said that he normally leaves at 3 PM to "beat the traffic". That doesn't sound accurate for IWM backups.

That experience is totally consistent with my expectation that the onramps would shift some of the congestion from Highway 1 to the local street grid. The next logical development will see drivers from Lower Lonsdale drive up to the Highway 1 / Lonsdale interchange to avoid the traffic on the local streets.

It may be that better synchronization of the ramp traffic lights with the light at Main and Mountain Hwy will smooth things out somewhat, but I wouldn't expect miracles.

I have a feeling that the biggest benefit of this project may be that it underscores the need for another fixed crossing (possibly rapid transit) and provides motivation to get it funded.

[Alex Mackinnon]

It will probably take a few weeks for the trip paths to redistribute. Sounds like entering the highway further up will now be faster than merging on right at the bridge.

More people will realize this, then the congestion will redistribute.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

That experience is totally consistent with my expectation that the onramps would shift some of the congestion from Highway 1 to the local street grid. The next logical development will see drivers from Lower Lonsdale drive up to the Highway 1 / Lonsdale interchange to avoid the traffic on the local streets.

It may be that better synchronization of the ramp traffic lights with the light at Main and Mountain Hwy will smooth things out somewhat, but I wouldn't expect miracles.

I have a feeling that the biggest benefit of this project may be that it underscores the need for another fixed crossing (possibly rapid transit) and provides motivation to get it funded.

People in Lower Lonsdale are probably better off going up Grand Blvd and the Lynn Valley onramp since Lonsdale is pretty stop and go.

[Cypherus]

Sensors are not in place in conjunction with the usual growing pains of drivers when faced with a new system. For instance, the first week the tolls were removed from the Port Mann Bridge, it was chaos with more than once accident. As expected, the bridge now is operating as intended as people adjusted and re-oriented their driving habits.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Cypherus

Sensors are not in place in conjunction with the usual growing pains of drivers when faced with a new system.

It doesn't seem logical to me that they'd activate the traffic signals without having the sensors (by which I assume we're talking about the inductive loops that sense the presence of the car) in place. Those are buried under the pavement, you'd install those during the paving process, along with the conduit to hook them up.

It may well be that they're still fine-tuning the operation of everything, or that they holding back on more nuanced operation of the signals until they've put the finishing touches on everything and can get rid of all the construction slow zone restrictions which might mess that stuff up. But I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be because the sensors aren't ready yet.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

It doesn't seem logical to me that they'd activate the traffic signals without having the sensors (by which I assume we're talking about the inductive loops that sense the presence of the car) in place. Those are buried under the pavement, you'd install those during the paving process, along with the conduit to hook them up.

It may well be that they're still fine-tuning the operation of everything, or that they holding back on more nuanced operation of the signals until they've put the finishing touches on everything and can get rid of all the construction slow zone restrictions which might mess that stuff up. But I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be because the sensors aren't ready yet.

They are talking about sensors approaching the on-ramps. All the sensors on the new section were already installed.

[esup21]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

They are talking about sensors approaching the on-ramps. All the sensors on the new section were already installed.

Yes, there are stop-bar detectors at each of the signals which operate similarly to any intersection detector we know - the call a green signal and extend it based on demand, until they either reach a max green or detect no more vehicles. The system will also have two queue detectors placed upstream on the Dollarton Loop, and these will extend the max green to a new max value if they detect a queue for a certain duration. It is my understanding that the latter detectors haven't been installed yet, hence the signal cannot detect the queues on Dollarton yet.

[officedweller]

In the US, I've seen on-ramp lights that are turned off outside of rush hour.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

In the US, I've seen on-ramp lights that are turned off outside of rush hour.

I'm pretty sure it would be dangerous to have cars merging without lights at this ramp. If anything Main Street will always have a green at off-hours which will switch to Dollarton when any cars show up.

[esup21]

Originally Posted by officedweller

In the US, I've seen on-ramp lights that are turned off outside of rush hour.

Ramp meters do go off at off-peak times because the ramp operation does not depend on the ramp meters. The new ramp signals must be on all the time because there is no safer way to merge the Main and Dollarton ramps before they merge onto the bridge, without creating a safety hazard of slow-merging traffic.

[Jimbo604]

Went onto the bridge via the two through lanes during a busy time this week and it was SO much better than previous. Just as everyone suspected the Dollarton on-ramp was seriously impacting efficiency. Not to mention safety.

[jollyburger]

It seems like Burnaby was having problems around Grandview with all the North Shore cars dumping across. That will be interesting to watch.

[Mininari]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

It seems like Burnaby was having problems around Grandview with all the North Shore cars dumping across. That will be interesting to watch.

So is it now time to build that C/D system between Grandview and Douglas Rd that the original PMH1 project had in its original Environmental Certification Assessment drawings?

[esup21]

Originally Posted by Mininari

So is it now time to build that C/D system between Grandview and Douglas Rd that the original PMH1 project had in its original Environmental Certification Assessment drawings?

Interesting. Are there any links out there for this old design?

[Mininari]

Originally Posted by esup21

Interesting. Are there any links out there for this old design?

Here is us talking about it about 11 years ago...
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/arc...0582-p-16.html

Unfortunately, many of the links from back then no longer seem to go anywhere. I recall seeing it in the original release of the EIA alignment pdf files that went for certification. The scope reductions in actual construction came later, which gave us what we have today.

[jollyburger]

I think these are the files for that assessment?

https://projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/p/588...&currentPage=1

4A - Reference Concept Drawings - Figure 4A-3 - Boundary/Grandview/Willingdon Interchanges

[Mininari]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

I think these are the files for that assessment?

https://projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/p/588...&currentPage=1

4A - Reference Concept Drawings - Figure 4A-3 - Boundary/Grandview/Willingdon Interchanges

Hey, they are still up!
And the 'Wayburne' concept drawing pdf.

Thanks for finding that!

Yeah, that C/D system concept isn't all that long, but it would probably help the various traffic movements in this area, especially if we're seeing an increase in through-put from the Second Narrows now.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

oh wow. and there would have been an extra general purpose lane all the way to Sprott St as well...

[Jimbo604]

DriveBC

So two lanes coming onto bridge from Main Street.