Centrepointe's urban makeover - Taller, denser, busier With Algonquin College expanding across Woodroffe Avenue - and the Baseline transitway station destined to be rebuilt as a transfer point between buses and light-rail trains - Centrepointe's suburban sea of parking lots, empty fields and low rises is set to become a lot more urban. Patrick Dare takes a look at the $185-million plan Ottawa Citizen Friday, November 21, 2008 OTTAWA - The city's plan for taller and denser construction around Ottawa's transit system includes a significant test case: the Centrepointe commercial district around the Baseline transitway station. Under the city's latest transit plan, Baseline is to become an even more significant transit hub than it already is, across Woodroffe Avenue from Algonquin College. It's to become a transfer point between trains and buses, built into a major expansion of the college, and to serve a new city archives building, Ben Franklin Place and existing and planned commercial and residential buildings nearby. The biggest change is that the city is planning to dig underground to handle the mix of increased bus, pedestrian and commuter-rail traffic intersecting at the station. The project is complicated and expensive, estimated to cost $185 million when finished around 2015. But the councillor for the area, Rick Chiarelli, and officials from Algonquin College next door, say the station would be a smooth transfer point for western transit riders, spur further development in the immediate vicinity of the station, create a focal point for Centrepointe and get thousands of additional riders onto the city's transit system. The project won approval from a joint meeting of the transportation and transit committees this week and now goes to city council for approval. The new station would be the point at which the electric light-rail vehicles coming from downtown reach the end of the line, so that's where many riders would transfer to buses. It would also be integrated into two new Algonquin College buildings, the $65-million Centre for Construction Trades and Building Sciences and the $35-million Health Sciences Education Facility. The station project immediately requires moving the bus-transit station, shifting pipes and sewers and doing excavations, which would cost a total $23.6 million. The rest of the project, including a $98.5-million busway and tunnel, would be built in future stages. The time pressure on this project is due to the fact that Algonquin College plans to have its trades building ready by September of 2011 and the city's archives building is supposed to be ready by the same time. The college's building is to be constructed on land occupied by the current transit station, so the station has to come down. By going underground, the city would be building the transit system right into the college, which has a full-time student population of 15,000. The main campus buildings would be linked via a pedestrian overpass over Woodroffe Avenue to the new trades building and the health science building that's to be built in the future. People from the college, or arriving via transit, would be able to walk into a piazza and then on to nearby buildings in Centrepointe, which include the Centrepointe Theatre and Centrepointe Library, the city archives building, the City of Ottawa's large office tower, stores and residences. Part of the plan is that a parking garage would be built and the huge surface parking lots at Centrepointe developed with buildings of some height, to create more of an employment area - turning a suburban part of the city into something more urban. Without going underground, the whole area would become a noisy, sprawling intersection of buses and trains, with rails and busway separating the college buildings from the Centrepointe community, says Mike Rushton, director of physical resources at Algonquin. He says the College-Baseline site is a natural fit for taller buildings that meet the city's goal of intense development. But he says that building has to be integrated into the neighbourhood and the greenspace planned over the tunnel at Baseline would help that integration. There was some negative reaction to this project at City Hall on Wednesday as councillors heard from the public about the city's transportation master plan, which includes the station. Klaus Beltzner, who lives in Manotick, said the city should simply keep building commuter rail to Barrhaven, rather than constructing such an expensive transfer station. He said that if the city is going to go underground at Baseline there will be demands for underground service along the Ottawa River Parkway, as well, and the whole thing will become too expensive. "It's a huge amount of money," said David Jeanes, of public-transit lobby group Transport 2000. He said that the city has in the past overbuilt some transit stations, such as Lincoln Fields. He said this has the potential to become a white elephant if the rail system is in fact extended beyond Baseline - as it might be someday to serve the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital, which may be moved to Woodroffe Avenue and Hunt Club Road. If rail were extended, there'd be no need for such a large transfer station. Reaction at Centrepointe has been positive, says Mr. Chiarelli. He says people are pleased that the community may get a more substantial town centre, but with some greenspace. He notes that it isn't often that neighbours are cheering on development, but that's what's happening here. Councillor Alex Cullen, who chairs city council's transit committee, says the project is large, complex and more expensive than anticipated. But he says the city must protect the transit corridor and help Algonquin get its trades building going as quickly as possible. |
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http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/cit...s/image025.jpg But wait, it gets better... they're going to build a new Archives down the road at Tallwood/Meadowlands, where there will be another bi-level station. And guess what that station will have? A bus ramp! Yes, that's right! A space-consuming, land-sterilizing bus ramp right next to the new Archives building! Nevermind the fact that the Transitway will have de facto ramps at Norice just down the way AND also at Baseline. |
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It is like we have a highly successful example of LRT implementation, namely Calgary, and we ignore how they achieve success. Spend money to build track, not on elaborate stations. Are we building an elaborate transfer station at Baseline so that we will never extend LRT beyond that point? For the price tag involved, it seems that way. Am I also correct that we will be eliminating the only Park n Ride lot on the proposed east-west route? I look at Calgary's C-Train, and note that everything is planned so that track can be extended in the future, and many of the suburban stations have adjacent Park n Ride lots. One further question, how are we accomodating both LRT and buses travelling through to Lincoln Fields? Am I not correct that the Baseline-Lincoln Fields section will handle both trains and buses, in order to reduce transfers in the westend? Or has this changed again? |
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The over-head walkway over Woodroffe is a separate cost. Although the Council offered $5M gross, the contract that Staff wrote up simply states that the City is responsible for building and maintenance of the pedestrian bridges. There is no cost cap, and there could be up to four bridges if Algonquin builds all of its buildings. Quote:
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Notice that there is NO provision for running both trains and buses through the tunnel. It looks as if there is to be no bus link from Baseline to Lincoln Fields, according to this plan. Besides, if there is a station within the tunnel, do you want all those diesel buses going through it? The rails will eventually replace the two outside bus lanes and the two inner lanes will be converted into the central platform. The only access to this central platform will be vertically to the courtyard above or vertically into the College Station. People will need to walk outdoors from the stairs/escalator/elevator in the courtyard to the buildings. Once the City builds more bridges, the connections will be to these. How will the rail conversion be done? The buses will need to be removed from the tunnel and run on the surface. There is nowhere for the buses to run. Maybe they could come up the ramps at College, loop out through the traffic along Woodroffe and come in Navaho to the ramps down to the Transitway again. OH, WAIT! There are no ramps from Navaho. There is currently no conversion plan as far as I know. Also, by 2031, the prediction is that Baseline/College Station will be a 10,000 passenger per hour facility. The station will require 6 bus bays and 12 lay-up bays: I just don’t see that capacity in the presented design. Maybe the ramps could be widened so that they act as lay-up spaces as well. Quote:
Yes, the Park & Ride (P&R) will be gone from 2013 until a shared Algonquin/P&R multi-story parkade is built. For me, this is just a bad plan. It is not well thought out. The cost tables gives a good indication of how little work has been put into this plan. |
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I do find it odd that the final link from Pinecrest to the S-W Transitway has been pushed off until Phase 2 by Staff. Without that link, the buses are forced out Queensview into traffic. Wilkinson has offered the suggestion that that missing link should be moved up into Phase 1, Increment 1. This, of course, will increase the $1.7B price of Inc. 1 which has already been declared as too expensive. There is little chance that there will be a train running to Bayshore. I, like you, think that it would be the best idea, but everything that is being built now precludes it in the short term. Based on the $20M price, it sounds like a narrow train tunnel. It will be interesting to see some actual design of the station at the Queensway. (I have always been curious as to why there is a Queensway station since there must be better places to capture walk-up riders. People can't walk along the Queensway.) |
Just an update on costs: During 2008, $68.5M was approved by Council for first phase construction. This is the stuff that needs to be done ASAP so that Algonquin can have their land. I believe this involves the building of a temporary Station just west of the existing Station, complete with new ramps to the existing Transitway, as well as digging a trench, complete with SWM pipes under it, and building one structure to continue Navaho over the trench.
The Draft 2009 Transit Capital Budget lists no 2009 funding request for this project but lists $183M in the 2010 forecast. This is the money which will be needed to finish the Bus Transitway portion of this project; No rail facilities will be in place once this money runs out. The rail conversion will come later, as far as I know. So, from the $20M original cost estimated for a Station, it jumped to $185M for a new bi-level transfer Station, and now it looks as if it is up to $251.5M. Yes, that is over 1/4 BILLION dollars! (For reference, Terry Fox + the big P&R was $11M; and each mined station, 30 metres under ground, in the downtown is estimated at $70M.) Plus, there will be unspecified costs for rail conversion. To be fair, that money covers the entire 1.6Km stretch from Norice to Baseline Road. However, the Norice to Baseline Transitway portion is considered as a "Shovel Ready" project and part of the $612M request which was submitted for partial funding by upper levels of governments. The price attached to that project was $30M. This would be the ramp from Norice, Trenching, the new structure at Tallwood, and presumably the SWM lines under the Transitway. I expect that the SWM pipes would need to wait for the section under the Baseline Station to be useful, and that there would simply be ramps up to the surface Baseline Station for now. So the Station isn't really $251.5M, it is 'ONLY' $221.5M. Much better. MRC has the contract to develop this 1.6Km section of the Transitway, including the new Baseline Station. Do you think there will be any public consultation or open house before it starts? |
It looks like I'm the only one concerned about a 36% increase in the cost of an already overly expensive station.
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No, you aren't. They could have done the LRT station at grade in that weird parky thing (more grass!) that they're going to have above the tunnel. They could even have gone all out on it and spent maybe $25M for a really really nice at-grade station and we'd still be way ahead - not to mention saving on station operating costs and saving time on all this up-and-down pedestrian travel. And this after the VE Study for the West Transitway to 'save' on building a tunnel through Pinecrest Creek park by making the route longer and taking out an entire street of housing. It just boggles the mind. Elsewhere the EA is on for cutting a bus trench through the Hospital corridor and other design studies are on for cutting bus trenches through the Cumberland corridor. There's just too much craziness to absorb. |
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I found the same thing at the DOTT meeting last night. The answer I got to several questions was "That was outside our area." This was for questions about conversion of the S-E Transitway and taking rail to Westboro. It became a mantra of "We tried to not preclude anything else." Good Golly. We need someone who has a big picture vision that can co-ordinate things on a grand scale. Someone who knows what is happening globally. And has a sense of what is supposed to be happening. |
I'm starting to find some of the reasons that the new Baseline Station is priced so high. It turns out that the trench is to handle both trains and buses in its final form, and it is to be 30 metres in width! This makes this project effectively a 30m long bridge which is 300 metres wide! That's 9,000 square metres of decking!
http://REade.fileave.com/BaselineSta...ch-Profile.jpg In the above sketch, you can see the bus lane on the outside (blue). It is to be a full width lane (4m) plus a shoulder for disabled buses (3.5m). Inside that, there is 3 metres of rail lane (red) and then a 9 metre centre platform. There will be no side exits. All access will be via stairs/escalators/elevators from the above courtyard to the centre platform and those will only be used once the train is running. The Algonquin buildings on either side will be less than a metre away from this structure. (They will not share the walls.) Underneath the trench will be the storm water management pipes. The bus ramps from the Southwest Transitway to the new bus station at College are to be double wide to provide the required 12 bus lay-up spaces. Similar to the ramps at Westboro and Tunneys, buses the ramps from College should allow buses to go and come from either direction of the Transitway. Except, in htis case, there will be ramps on both sides of the Transitway, providing a loop without the need for an additional bridge. Apparently, because Algonquin will be building in the area, they have agreed that they will build the trench and cover it, along with the Navaho and College bridges - but the City will still pay. They will actually be building the Navaho extension first since there has been a change in their building's design. Their services access area has been moved from College Ave. to Navaho. This allows the College area to be more pedestrian friendly, without service vehicles cutting through. This will be the main pedestrian route to the station. Although, once Algonquin has built all of their buildings, most of the pedestrians should be on the overhead bridges. |
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It just keeps ballooning out of control. Shoulders? Why? If a bus is disabled in the bus lane other buses can, well, use the rail lane to pass it when there's no train present. That would knock off 7 of 30 metres. We need a suitable epithet for this thing. I called it a "grass-covered buried concrete monument" the other day but that's too verbose. Anyway the story of this begins back in 2006 for the plan for Centrepointe culminating in a plan released in the fall of 2007 with a scheme for an at-grade station (albeit BRT): http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa...s/image006.jpg http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa...(Complete).htm If you read the above document there is lots of references to an open at-grade station (back in 2006, so still all-BRT) being better from a security point of view as well as cost. Anyway, as you can see, there would be room in the parking lot to the south for a bus station if the main portion between the buildings was converted to LRT and I'm sure there are other arrangements that would work as well*. At any rate, such a notion (at-grade) is what made it into the background documents in April 2008 based on the then estimate of $20M. What happened next I don't know precisely (Richard might know better?) but by mid June there was a short timeline notice RFP for the functional design of the station, with the contract to start in July 2008 and be completed by October 2008 (who knew the City of Ottawa could move so fast!? An RFP readied in ~2 months, contract let, and design ready three months later!). The terms of reference for the design study called for a grade-separated facility with rail below and, from what I can tell, local buses above in the long term with an interim set-up of Transitway buses below and local above. I guess sometime during the design study the idea of buses anywhere at grade within the immediate vicinity of the pedestrian walkway and Building Sciences Building got nixed, which is how we got to the diagram that Richard provided earlier: http://reade.fileave.com/BaselineSta...Transition.jpg There was inevitably going to be some changes from the original due to the simple fact that the original was based on the assumption in 2006 that BRT would be there forever without LRT on the Transitway, but the terms of reference for the design study did not need to specify that LRT would be below grade and the buses above grade - and even that got changed in the end to push transit out of the way below grade (LRT) or south (buses). My guess is that Algonquin College didn't want an at-grade transfer facility on their doorstep and the grade-separation-obsessed Transitway designers were only too happy to oblige with a project that is ballooning out of control. *My own idea would be for an island platform, with stairs, escalators and elevators coming down from the pedestrian overpass. To the east would be two sets of rail tracks and to the west a pair of northbound-only bus lanes (one for stopping, one for passing). This would allow cross-platform transfers, which is the most efficient form of transferring there is. Buses would head north past the end of the platform and cross over the tracks to leave the station (mainly to the south along Woodroffe). The platform would be long enough to hold two trains and the easternmost of the two tracks would allow one train (likely incoming) to pass one already at the station and go through a switch to come in behind (south) of the other train. Once LRT is extended further south the station could be reconfigured a bit (mainly to get rail on both sides of the island). The best part is that the current island platform would only need to have been shifted westwards by a dozen metres (enlarge it to the west, then contract it on the east, replacing the red pipes while they're at it) and we wouldn't need any temporary or temporary temporary stations. |
I stand corrected - The announced estimated cost of the new Baseline Station is only $207M. So a mere 12% over the $185M estimate, or 935% over the $20M estimate.
Does anyone have a good feel as to how the local bus routes will be changed? Currently, the 86, 57, 111, 116, 117, 157, 178, and 178 come from the south, along Woodroffe, so they might be fine, but what of the 118, 873, 55, 156, and 174 which come from the north, along Woodroffe or on Navaho? Without access from Navaho to the new tunnel, they will all have to use Woodroffe. That stretch of Woodroffe between the college buildings will get even more congested. |
Algonquin College prepares to build new construction-related training facility
KORKY KOROLUK correspondent OTTAWA With the final bit of funding in place, everything is go for a new building to house training programs for construction trades and building sciences at Algonquin College. The last $35 million in the funding package has been received from the federal government. That means that work can proceed this autumn on the $104-million project. When it opens in September, 2011, it will, for the first time, house all of the college’s construction-related programs under one roof. Slightly more than 1,700 full-time students are enrolled in the programs at present. The new building will have a capacity of about 2,500 students. It will also accommodate programs catering to evening and part-time students. The building will be 142,000 square feet, and will be a showcase and teaching laboratory for best practices in sustainable construction. It will also mean that all of the college’s construction-related programs will be operate as part of a single faculty for the first time — the faculty of technology and trades. Claude Brulé is executive dean of the faculty, and he said in a recent interview that at least four new programs will be available when the new building opens. One of them will be a new degree program. At the moment, the college offers a bachelor’s degree in interior design. But Brulé said a new program will offer a bachelor’s degree in applied technology in building science. Other programs that are being proposed are construction project management, professional kitchen and bath design, and residential and commercial estimating. If all of them go ahead, it will bring the school’s offering up to 23 construction-related programs. Included among them are apprenticeship programs in cabinet making, carpentry, construction and maintenance electrician, plumbing, refrigeration and air conditioning systems mechanic, residential and ICI air conditioning mechanic (common core), and sheet metal work. The local construction industry has been active in raising funds for the new buildings, and consults closely with the college to ensure that the programs offered are the programs needed. The need is clear. At a brief ceremony at which the federal cheque was presented, college president Robert Gillett said that when “Ontario and the country emerge from this recession, we know there will be a shortage of skilled tradespeople.” “We know that more than half of Ontario’s skilled trades workers will likely retire in the next 15 years. It is imperative for projects like this to be supported, and we’re grateful to the federal government and our other partners for helping to train the net generation of tradespeople.” He said that the federal funding represents “a welcome example of how governments and the private sector can work together to build a stronger future.” “This funding would not have been . . . possible without the previous funding by the province of Ontario, the strong partnership between Algonquin and the city of Ottawa, and the passionate support of the construction industry and its workers in eastern Ontario” Two-thirds of the project’s $104-million cost is meant to fund the construction trades centre. The rest is to fund further campus expansion. But before work on the new building can start, a project due to start next month, will shift the Baseline Transitway station to the west to make room for the new building on the western part of the campus. |
I see the City is now advertising in the paper that the Baseline Station is to be moved 40m west. There is no reference to an Open House or Presentation. I know there is a Web Page http://ottawa.ca/residents/major_pro.../index_en.html, but it is not even mentioned in the notice.
I guess I'll have to contact Elizabeth.Murphy@Ottawa.ca for information. |
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That's because it's a 'Schedule A/A+' project under the Municipal Class EA. That means it's in a class of pre-approved projects and no public consultation is required, though A+ requires notification. |
News Story
City issues tender call for $6.4M temporary Baseline station By Peter Kovessy, Ottawa Business Journal Staff Wed, Apr 29, 2009 3:00 PM EST Algonquin prequalifies three firms for new college building Algonquin College has selected three construction firms to bid on its new $50-million construction and trades building, just as the city has distributed tenders for the interim Baseline Transitway station. The two projects are being closely co-ordinated because the new college building will be built on the site of the current transit station. Algonquin selected EllisDon, PCL and Pomerleau to proceed to the request for proposals stage for its new building, said Mike Rushton, the college's physical resources director. He says the companies that responded to the college's request for qualifications were evaluated on their previous experience and the teams they would be assembling for the design and construction of the facility. Mr. Rushton declined to say how many companies responded to the RFQ. Along with the facility itself, the successful proponent will build a pedestrian bridge joining the east and Centrepointe campuses, as well as transit infrastructure. "It is important that those two facilities are built in such a way that they are integrated and they function successfully together," said Mr. Rushton. He said he anticipates the RFP being issued to the shortlisted firms later this spring, with the final design-build proponent selected by the end of the summer or in early fall. Construction would start shortly thereafter, he said. The city would like to have the Baseline Transitway station relocated prior to Algonquin starting its work, said Bruce Mason, the city's manager of design and construction services for west Ottawa. Tender documents have been posted on the Ottawa Construction Association's website, with a closing date of May 7. Mr. Mason said the proposed start date of construction is May 19, right after the long weekend. City council budgeted $6.35 million last November for the temporary station, which will have 200-metre side platforms for transit vehicles travelling in either direction, as opposed to the centre platform at the current Baseline station, which buses are forced to circle around. The city had earlier hired McCormick Rankin Corp. for engineering design work, as well as a land preservation study, according to city documents. The long-term vision is to build a new transit transfer station to the south that will connect the city's light-rail line to the bus rapid transit network. --- WHO'S INVOLVED Companies prequalified to bid on the Algonquin College Centre for Construction Trades and Building Sciences: EllisDon Corp. PCL Pomerleau Source: Algonquin College Bidders for the Baseline Transitway station relocation (as of April 24) Black & McDonald Ltd. Dalcon Enterprises Inc. Doran Contractors Ltd. George W. Drummond Ltd. Goldie Mohr Ltd. Hanson Pipe & Products Canada Inc. Karson Kartage & Konstruction Ltd. Lafarge Paving & Construction Ltd. M-Con Products Inc. R.W. Tomlinson Ltd. Robert Excavating Torus Construction Ltd. Source: Ottawa Construction Association |
They've started clearing land for the new temporary Baseline station.
I took some photos but they don't really do it justice. http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/7639/66623875.jpg http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/6342/10380564.jpg P.S. - first post! :cheers: |
Thanks for the pics Admiral - especially on a first post!
I've been meaning to head over there myself and see what they're up to. The first picture shows the path being blocked off... have they provided an alternate route for pathway users to get to wherever pathway users would have been able to get to before, or is this just another of those "who cares about pedestrians and cyclists?" jobs where they just shut things down with no alternative provided (I'm looking at you, NCC on LeBreton and you, MTO in the west Greenbelt)? |
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Unfortunately, as it stands, when the temporary station is complete there will be no way to get from the walkway at the north end to the bike path that continues north without crossing new transitway streets. I'm pretty sure work is being done to come up with a solution but... I'm just the student! Hope this helps. PS First post! |
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