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

[SOSS]

North shore traffic is a nightmare however this is only a shorter-term band aide. I'd really like to see some road pricing in place (gantries similar to the Port Mann) and a long-term mass transit solution for moving people. The former can really inject $ into paying the roads that have been built recently and pay for true solutions. Mass transit could include skytrain from Capilano University to Phibbs to Horseshoe Bay via existing railway corridors (more of a transit fantasies idea); additional water-taxi capacity from Vancouver to both North Vancouver and West Vancouver; passenger only ferries from Waterfront to the island etc.

[Pinion]

Build a bridge similar to Port Mann - hell, even half the size - as a third crossing with a skytrain line and they can toll us similar to Port Mann. Otherwise there'd be open revolt. Having the north shore pay for status quo when every other nearby suburb has received shiny new 10 lane bridges, roads, highways and skytrains would be insane. We may have low growth but we've also had almost no upgrades for 50+ years.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Build a bridge similar to Port Mann - hell, even half the size - as a third crossing with a skytrain line and they can toll us similar to Port Mann. Otherwise there'd be open revolt. Having the north shore pay for status quo when every other nearby suburb has received shiny new 10 lane bridges, roads, highways and skytrains would be insane. We may have low growth but we've also had almost no upgrades for 50+ years.

You could argue the 99 upgrade benefits the North Shore more than anyone else. You have the access to it and a quick trip to Whistler, while the rest of us need to use existing bridges (that you are complaining about) to even get there.

[spm2013]

...

[SOSS]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Build a bridge similar to Port Mann - hell, even half the size - as a third crossing with a skytrain line and they can toll us similar to Port Mann. Otherwise there'd be open revolt. Having the north shore pay for status quo when every other nearby suburb has received shiny new 10 lane bridges, roads, highways and skytrains would be insane. We may have low growth but we've also had almost no upgrades for 50+ years.

Where would you put a bridge? And roads to and from the bridge?

[spm2013]

...

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by SOSS

Where would you put a bridge? And roads to and from the bridge?

I've always thought a connection (tunnel) from the north end of Main st to Pemberton on the north side would make sense. It would help the ports too since those are critical areas.

Pemberton is starting to get condos though so we need to start soon.

North end of Clark (or a nearby parallel street) to Low Level would've been cool too but they've made Low Level too skinny for that now.

[GMasterAres]

Last I checked 90% of our mass transit = buses and buses drive on these things called roads. Roads need upgrades especially in North Van which has a horrible road system I'd maybe argue the worst in all of metro-Vancouver.

[Pinion]

Back on topic, here's the NS News article:

$50-million traffic fix planned for Mountain Highway interchange



The District of North Vancouver is joining the province and federal government in starting a $50-million project aimed at undoing the traffic quagmire at the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing bridgehead.

Representatives from all three governments met in a North Vancouver traffic loop Wednesday to unveil plans for a new interchange on Highway 1 at Mountain Highway.

Under the conceptual design, Mountain Highway will get a new four-lane overpass, linking it directly with Brooksbank Avenue, plus new on-ramps onto the Cut, northbound and southbound. Mountain Highway will also be home to a new off-ramp from the southbound Cut. That should make for an easy connection to the Fern Street overpass via the widened Keith Road bridge, which the district is currently working on, according to Gavin Joyce, the district's manager of engineering. When completed, the project will have the effect of separating bridge traffic from eastwest traffic, which currently jockey for the same space.

"We think it will be significant," Joyce said. "It's not going to solve all of the problems but we believe 30 per cent of the traffic that's coming down the Cut is actually local traffic and it's trying to get through. If we can get it off (sooner), it's going to make a great deal of impact."

hw1
MLA Jane Thornthwaite, MP Andrew Saxton and District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton examine the new Mountain Highway interchange planned for Highway 1. - Mike Wakefield, North Shore News
The province is putting up the biggest pot of funding, at $23.5 million, which North Vancouver's two Liberal MLAs Naomi Yamamoto and Jane Thornthwaite were on hand to announce Wednesday. North Vancouver Conservative MP Andrew Saxton joined to declare $12.5 million in federal funding for the project and the district is putting up $14 million for its share, including $5 million spent buying the shuttered Keith Lynn alternative secondary from the North Vancouver school board. The school site sits where the new overpass will go.

"When we think about all the things that are important to us, time is probably one of the most important things. This will save people time. What a precious gift to give people on the North Shore," Yamamoto said.

But those hoping for a quicker commute any time soon can ease off the gas. The project's targeted completion date is the spring of 2018. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is aiming to get the technical design work done over 2015.

During that time, engineers will be looking into what types of walking or bicycling infrastructure the new interchange will accommodate and district staff will be "exploring opportunities to replace, enhance or protect affected areas and uses, including trails," according to district spokeswoman Jeanine Bratina.

Redoing the Mountain Highway interchange is the first step in a three-part project that will see the Mount Seymour Parkway and Main Street/Dollarton interchanges redesigned. The total cost is estimated at $140 million.

Wednesday's announcement has been years in the making, said David Davey, a Blueridge resident and retired engineer who volunteered on the working group that helped come up with the design.

"I think it's going to be a great improvement. It's not going to solve all your problems. We still have the highway cutting the municipality into two halves but given all the restraints, it's a great solution," he said.

- See more at: http://www.nsnews.com/news/50-millio...ay-interchange

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by jhausner

Last I checked 90% of our mass transit = buses and buses drive on these things called roads. Roads need upgrades especially in North Van which has a horrible road system I'd maybe argue the worst in all of metro-Vancouver.

I wouldn't argue against the North Van upgrades, but I'll say it again: buses aren't the reason the roads are congested. If you want to speed up the buses, putting a price on road usage in order to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles will work just as well as upgrading the interchange.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

I wouldn't argue against the North Van upgrades, but I'll say it again: buses aren't the reason the roads are congested. If you want to speed up the buses, putting a price on road usage in order to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles will work just as well as upgrading the interchange.

The goal isn't to make people stop driving, it's to make it easier and faster to move goods and people.

[SOSS]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

That is what I would go for, but studies have shown that the harbour is too deep there to make it feasible,
which has precluded that option. Too bad. That would be expensive, but cool and slick!

If the harbour is too deep for a tunnel, a floating tunnel would be feasible. Extending Canada Line to the north shore and connecting it to a line that runs across the north shore municipalities would be the long term fix.

Add passenger only ferries from Vancouver to the islands would also take people off the first, second narrows bridges and upper levels highway.

Road pricing, road pricing, road pricing.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Pinion

The goal isn't to make people stop driving, it's to make it easier and faster to move goods and people.

Nobody's asking them to stop, just to rationalize their trips. It's pretty amazing how much smarter people can be about their driving choices when there's an explicit cost associated with them.

[Metro-One]

Doubt it, there are bus connections already for "passenger only" customers to the existing ferry terminals.

Anyone who takes their car on the ferry is largely doing so because they need to use your car.

Every time I have done so was because I needed to drive, and having a passenger ferry downtown would not change that.

It is likely that 90% of those who would use such a service would be those that already would have been "passenger only" customers already.

That being said, the few times where I was also a "passenger only" customer (I was going directly from the ferry terminal to downtown Victoria, with no extra excursions, so no need for a car) a passenger only service from downtown would be nice, but only to avoid the bus ride to the terminal on the mainland.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

That being said, the few times where I was also a "passenger only" customer (I was going directly from the ferry terminal to downtown Victoria, with no extra excursions, so no need for a car) a passenger only service from downtown would be nice, but only to avoid the bus ride to the terminal on the mainland.

Fully agree. Passenger ferry needs to go downtown-downtown.

However, if the Canada Line gets extended to Tsawassen, and LRT in Victoria makes it up to the terminal, choices would open up.

That's why transit should be planned holistically at the provincial level. But what do I know?

[wrenegade]

I think this thread needs to get a little more on track. We aren't talking about new bridges or skytrain lines (or even a 3rd SeaBus). This is an incremental improvement to the east side of North Van and is important, but the next step would be improving the over-highway connection from Keith Road to Mt. Seymour Pkwy, somewhat in conjunction with improvements to the on/offramps and bus loop at Main Street.

Yes, a large problem is dealing with the merge onto Hwy 1 (both east and west) at Fern/Keith/Mt. Seymour Pkwy, and the actual capacity of the Ironworks, but I would say that an equal problem is getting people over to the other side of the highway who I'm sure would like to avoid the on/offramps as much as possible.

Personally, I think Main street needs to be 2 lanes in either direction underneath the highway at the foot of the bridge. The new Dollarton bridge means the road network on either side could easily accommodate the extra lanes, and this could help clear up the back up on Main Street, potentially bringing traffic down Brooksbank from Keith.

Ideally the 2 Hwy 1 bridges over Lynn Creek would be replaced with a new 5/6 lane bridge. Traffic merging westbound is snarled with the volume of thru-traffic from the Ironworkers, and with the Mountain Hwy offramp AND the truck lane going up the cut, it wouldn't really create another merge point. Certainly not one as bad as it is now. I think the new Mountain Hwy interchange as proposed will have some issues with eastbound traffic getting onto the highway and immediately having to merge before the bridge. As someone else mentioned, traffic comes down the cut quite quickly and this is potentially dangerous. Perhaps there is enough room there, and given the choice (because of costs) between an extra lane west or east bound, I'd take the extra westbound lane.

Has anyone noticed if the District and/or Province has determined that with the new Mountain Hwy interchange design, the current offramp at Fern Street will be completely removed? Obviously traffic exiting to the Mountain Hwy side would be redundant, but not necessarily westbound traffic travelling to Mt. Seymour Pkwy. I'd be a little choked if that were my daily route and I'd now be forced onto Mountain Hwy/Keith and have to deal with the crossing at Lynn Creek AND the overpass to get to the other side. Personally I'd like to see a light-free flyover that connects right into the interchange at Lillooet.

[red-paladin]

I think this thread needs to get a little more on track.

I agree, please keep the topic on the Freeway upgrades

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by moosejaw

Whats the rationale behind only TCH Westbound and Mountain Hwy Northbound only having left turn lanes?

If you are TCH Eastbound and want to go North on Mountain Hwy, then you can get off TCH at Lynn Valley Road and avoid the Cut.

But hopefully they make the intersection of Mountain and Keith wide enough you could do a U-Turn there to make up for the 2 missing movements. Like what is standard practice in a lot of jurisdictions where interchanges/roadways don't allow all movements. The left-turn/u-turn is a way of life in California.

[wrenegade]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

If you are TCH Eastbound and want to go North on Mountain Hwy, then you can get off TCH at Lynn Valley Road and avoid the Cut.

But hopefully they make the intersection of Mountain and Keith wide enough you could do a U-Turn there to make up for the 2 missing movements. Like what is standard practice in a lot of jurisdictions where interchanges/roadways don't allow all movements. The left-turn/u-turn is a way of life in California.

Agreed, Hwy 1 eastbound doesn't really need access going northbound onto Mountain Hwy, but Mountain Hwy south does need an onramp to Hwy 1 going east. Funnelling that traffic onto Keith, then over Lynn Creek, then onto the Fern Street onramp isn't going to help eliminate traffic at all.

[red-paladin]

I moved the off topic posts to Transit Fantasies

Any more off topic posts will be deleted.