Roads/Bridges projects/issues

[waterloowarrior]

Jockvale-Longfields link on target for August opening
Posted Aug 12, 2010
BY STEPH WILLEMS
http://www.emcbarrhaven.ca/20100812/...August+opening

Barrhaven EMC

EMC News - Long periods of hot, dry weather might not be the best conditions for your home's lawn, but it's ideal for road construction.

The favourable conditions have benefited the many road infrastructure projects underway in Barrhaven this year, as a result, the 4-lane Longfields Dr. extension from Marketplace Ave. to Jockvale Rd. is on course to be opened to motorists this month.

While not as high profile as other projects occurring in the area - including the Strandherd Dr. extension and the Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge - the Jockvale-Longfields link is nonetheless an important infrastructure upgrade that will improve traffic flow and help the South Nepean Town Centre take shape south of the current Riocan Marketplace.

"Things are on track - we've paved a good portion of it already, and the streetlights are up," said Randy Dempsey, project engineer with the city's infrastructure services department.

At the Barrhaven Spring Open House in April, Mr. Dempsey told residents and the EMC that the link would be open - barring any unforeseen circumstances or inclement weather - by August of this year.

Some paving is still left to do in the area where the two roads link just north of the Jockvale Rd. bridge, and Hydro Ottawa is working on providing power to the streetlights and traffic signals.

There are three intersections along the route that warrant the installation of traffic signals. Mr. Dempsey said there will definitely be one at Marketplace Ave. when Longfields opens, and perhaps another at Chapman Mills Dr., which is scheduled to be a major east-west road in the town centre. However, he said he is unsure of whether there will be a signal at the intersection at Paul Metivier Dr, which will be another entry point to Longfields now that Bren Maur Rd. is closed to traffic.

The opening of the Jockvale-Longfields link will represent the completion of phase one of the overall project. This winter, construction is expected to start on a new Jockvale Rd. bridge to be located just to the west of the current dilapidated structure. The roadway will also be realigned further to the west to make the transition into Longfields Dr. easier and less abrupt.

While phase one of the project will still allow northbound motorists to turn left onto Jockvale to get to Greenbank Rd, phase 2, once complete, will see the elimination of the stretch of Jockvale north of the bridge. The new bridge will provide residents with the cycling and pedestrian facilities that the current narrow bridge lacks.

"The plan is to go with a late tender this year," said Mr. Dempsey, explaining that the project will reach full completion in the 2011 calendar year.

[waterloowarrior]

http://www.peterborohwy7studies.ca/index.htm

The Ministry of Transportation is conducting a multi-modal, strategic transportation study of the Peterborough Area and of the Highway 7 Corridor from Peterborough to Carleton Place. The purpose is to provide a long-term perspective on the movement of people and goods in these areas, and to assess the current and future transportation system needs and issues.





These studies will include:

Traffic engineering to collect traffic data and travel patterns in the study areas using an Origin-Destination Survey to be conducted in July/August, 2010;
Public consultation including stakeholder sessions, newsletters and public meetings held within each of the study areas; and
Transportation systems planning to establish transportation goals, objectives, outlooks, needs and forecasts

[McC]

Little bit of good news regarding the onglong Bronson debacle:
http://westsideaction.wordpress.com/...ing-on-a-diet/

[Cre47]

They have installed cameras on Hazeldean on Stittsville at Huntmar and Carp, so to follow the construction progress there.

You can also watch the construction on Limebank at Leitrim as well as on St-Joseph and Jeanne d'Arc for the roundabout

[DarkArconio]

The lastest Ontario Highway construction program has been published, you can find it here:

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pub...on/index.shtml

Something interesting I noticed is that the Ottawa bypass study has disappeared from the plans since the 08-12 plan. The extension of the 417 from Arnprior to Renfrew has however been added to the future projects list, so we can probably expect work to begin on that in ~5 years.

Looking at the map, it seems all major queensway upgrades planned are slated to start this year, while the hunt club interchange will start 2011.

[Cre47]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Kanata HOV Lanes (2x speed).. sorry for the shakycam

• Video Link

Well that's nothing compared to the ones on A-25 near Laval. Apparently only 130 vehicules or so a day are using the carpool lane which requires a minimum of 3 people per vehicle. Though there are thinking on lowing the minimum of occupents to 2 per vehicle.

By the way TVA/LCN are doing a series of reports on congestion in the province of Quebec (especially Montreal where apparently congestion starts at 5 AM on A-15 on the North Shore such as Blainville, Mirabel and Boisbriand) but I bet there will be no mention about the problems in Gatineau which are far worse then in Quebec City even though Gatineau's population is about half of Quebec City (that is though excluding it's suburbs such as Levis, Charney, Saint-Nicolas, Stoneham, etc.). No mention about our Malfunction Junction (A-5/A-50) - but I've notice lately that eastbound A-50 during the PM peak seems to be much slower on the Draveurs Bridge (which usually flows much better then during the AM peak). Maybe the all the construction along Maloney has something to do with it, but it is the 2 left lanes that are slow. So I guess now it is slow eastbound until La Gappe because cameras never show slowdowns at La Verendrye during the afternoon. But when it takes 45-55 minutes from Slater to the Lac-des-Fees area near the Hull Hospital, most days you know that Gatineau has a severe congestion problem since the Portage Bridge/Maisonneuve to/near Wellington congestion is mostly due to the Malfunction Junction.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Cre47

but I bet there will be no mention about the problems in Gatineau which are far worse then in Quebec City even though Gatineau's population is about half of Quebec City

Gatineau has significant traffic problems for a city of 250,000 but it is certainly not "far worse" than Quebec City's.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by DarkArconio

The lastest Ontario Highway construction program has been published, you can find it here:

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pub...on/index.shtml

Something interesting I noticed is that the Ottawa bypass study has disappeared from the plans since the 08-12 plan. The extension of the 417 from Arnprior to Renfrew has however been added to the future projects list, so we can probably expect work to begin on that in ~5 years.

Looking at the map, it seems all major queensway upgrades planned are slated to start this year, while the hunt club interchange will start 2011.

Much more sensible IMO. The 417 extension is a MUCH higher priority IMO than an Ottawa bypass, which quite frankly would be of little benefit.

[Cre47]

A reporter for TVA made the test yesterday and it took over two hours to go from the Highway 366 exit to the War Museum. That is about a 15-20 km drive.

Not sure if all the people getting out at Montee Paiement trying to avoid the congestion are aware of the construction on Maloney Boulevard at Greber. I've been told it is a nightmare on this road. Not sure if you are gaining much via Maloney or Greber. Though I don't drive so I can't do the test. Though traffic is dense/slow on Maloney even on weekends at les Promenades, not to mention that there is construction between Main and Labrosse with two lanes closed therefore having stop and go traffic to near Saint-Louis.

And anyways, the afternoon problems are enough of a test for me. I start early enough in the morning to avoid the mess on the bridges - though not that bad except Champlain - and by the way they've told the construction on Chaudiere is virtually done, but this bridge is almost always under roadwork.

[Cre47]

By the way Riverside Drive and Carling Avenue have once again made the top 20 Worst Roads List, Riverside being at 14 and Carling at 20.

Rideau and King Edward deserves much more to be in the top 20 then Riverside and Carling. Congestion, truck traffic and poor conditions for cyclists are a much bigger problem then cracks and potholes considering, these two issues have being cited a lot as problems on Riverside and Carling.

The bigger problem on Carling is the 417 exit which is poorly configured with the off ramps traffic trying to merge onto Carling. Cycling space is quite variable on the road, with some areas being narrower then other parts though most of the road has six lanes and west of Nortel there is a paved shoulder. There was also mention in the past about heavy traffic in the two-lane section and that god awful railroad overpass near Shirley's Bay.

Riverside also have some narrow cycling space but there is a bike path beside for a good chunk of the road until Heron. Of course there is construction between Billings Bridge and Hog's Back so that should be enough that we will not see Riverside on the worst roads list. Besides, the section south of Hunt Club has been twinned recently as well as part of the Limebank project.

And for people's interest, the perennial worst road, Steeles Avenue has dropped to number 11

Interestingly, Highway 417 is ranked as the 14th best road in Ontario.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Cre47

A reporter for TVA made the test yesterday and it took over two hours to go from the Highway 366 exit to the War Museum. That is about a 15-20 km drive.

His "test" had to have been on a particularly hellish morning because there is no way this is the typical commute time from Lorrain (route 366) to downtown Ottawa.

I'd say the average one-way commute time from people living in that area who work in central Ottawa is about an hour in fall-winter-spring, and about 30-40 minutes in the summer.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Cre47

Not sure if all the people getting out at Montee Paiement trying to avoid the congestion are aware of the construction on Maloney Boulevard at Greber. I've been told it is a nightmare on this road. Not sure if you are gaining much via Maloney or Greber.

I go through Maloney/Gréber twice a day at least (on buses) and we have never been delayed going through there. It doesn't look too bad for cars either.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by Cre47

By the way Riverside Drive and Carling Avenue have once again made the top 20 Worst Roads List, Riverside being at 14 and Carling at 20.

Rideau and King Edward deserves much more to be in the top 20 then Riverside and Carling. Congestion, truck traffic and poor conditions for cyclists are a much bigger problem then cracks and potholes considering, these two issues have being cited a lot as problems on Riverside and Carling.

The bigger problem on Carling is the 417 exit which is poorly configured with the off ramps traffic trying to merge onto Carling. Cycling space is quite variable on the road, with some areas being narrower then other parts though most of the road has six lanes and west of Nortel there is a paved shoulder. There was also mention in the past about heavy traffic in the two-lane section and that god awful railroad overpass near Shirley's Bay.

Riverside also have some narrow cycling space but there is a bike path beside for a good chunk of the road until Heron. Of course there is construction between Billings Bridge and Hog's Back so that should be enough that we will not see Riverside on the worst roads list. Besides, the section south of Hunt Club has been twinned recently as well as part of the Limebank project.

And for people's interest, the perennial worst road, Steeles Avenue has dropped to number 11

Interestingly, Highway 417 is ranked as the 14th best road in Ontario.

There really isn't much that can be done at 417/Carling though as it is split by Kirkwood and the alignment forces left-side exits. The 417 ramps should have better speed control though to force cars down to 60 km/h by the end of them. Another thing I would do is ban left turns in all directions at both intersections of Carling and Kirkwood, and reconfigure Saigon Street and add a new ramp just beyond the 417EB ramp to allow for left turns (similar to Bank/Riverside) and all left turns must be done by utilizing such and a preceding or following right turn. It still wouldn't be perfect for cyclists, but the situation would be better with less lane-switching.

That railway bridge has to go though!!! It definitely needs to be replaced, it seems to be in bad structural shape as it is. A modern concrete bridge (similar to nearby Moodie Drive) would be much better there, even if Carling is not widened. Alternatively, are there any talks of abandoning that stretch of railway? It has little potential for commuter rail as the main branch breaks off just before Carling.

The biggest problem on Riverside is the Riverside/Heron intersection. However, given the traffic volumes there (way too high for a roundabout, and not enough room for a grade-separated interchange), only a creative solution (I think a continuous-flow intersection is the answer) would work there.

[DubberDom]

Here are teh future study areas beyond 2014... notice something???


I though Dalton was from Ottawa? We get absolutely ZERO... NOTHING!

[DarkArconio]

We got 600 million for light rail, and if you look at the expansion projects over the next 4 years, we've got around 1/4 or 1/3 of everything on the list. The only other thing that was on for Ottawa before was the bypass study, but there's a hell of a lot of politics involved there, and the MTO probably sees the queensway expansion to mostly 8 lanes as sufficient in the short-medium term.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by DarkArconio

We got 600 million for light rail, and if you look at the expansion projects over the next 4 years, we've got around 1/4 or 1/3 of everything on the list. The only other thing that was on for Ottawa before was the bypass study, but there's a hell of a lot of politics involved there, and the MTO probably sees the queensway expansion to mostly 8 lanes as sufficient in the short-medium term.

That's not in the cards either!!! Dalton should move to Toronto and run in a riding there. Most of the seats in Eastern Ontario will likely go Conservative anyway in 2011 (and many of them by Tea Party conservatives).

Did the province commit $600M though? I thought it was the feds that did.

[Ottawan]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

That's not in the cards either!!! Dalton should move to Toronto and run in a riding there. Most of the seats in Eastern Ontario will likely go Conservative anyway in 2011 (and many of them by Tea Party conservatives).

Did the province commit $600M though? I thought it was the feds that did.

The province committed their $600M first, but it was by them committing $600M instead of the requested (and by the standard funding formula expected) $700M that set the precedent followed by the Feds in similarly committing $100M less than requested. It is worth pointing out that this is less money per capita than has been promised for projects in Toronto, and in Kitchener-Waterloo.

[Richard Eade]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

....The biggest problem on Riverside is the Riverside/Heron intersection. However, given the traffic volumes there (way too high for a roundabout, and not enough room for a grade-separated interchange), only a creative solution (I think a continuous-flow intersection is the answer) would work there.

I realize that you said "grade-separated interchange", but what about creating a bi-level intersection by grade separating the straight-through lanes of Riverside. There is a hill (really an overpass bridging the O-Train) to the north and lots of distance to the south for ramps. If there were no turns allowed, then the two roads would be totally separate.

Now add the ascending and descending free-flow ramps which permit the right-turn movements between the roads, and things should still flow very well with no stopping needed (theoretically anyway - except for the people who stop at YIELD signs).

OK, now comes the bi-level intersection part of this plan; add the left-turn lanes on ramps to the other road. That is, the left turn lanes from north-bound Riverside would descend to a traffic signal at Heron; and the left-turn lane from west-bound Heron would ascend on a ramp to a traffic signal on Riverside.

The final product should look something like this:



where the lighter colour areas are elevated.

There would now be only two phases for the signals on each level, straight and left-turn; the third phase allowing cross traffic is eliminated. Since the wait time at the intersections is greatly reduced, the through-put should increase.

As a side benefit, it would be possible to restore left-turns from the other two directions without slowing down the traffic through-put since they would share the turning phase.

This bi-level intersection idea has roughly the same footprint as the at-grade intersection currently there. (Right-turn ramps might add a bit of area if they are piled earth.)

An added benefit is that cyclists and pedestrians crossing the intersection only need to cross the one or two left-turn lanes, since the cross traffic is on a different level. (The right-turn ramps still need to be crossed as well but they are common to the current configuration.)

Another alternative would be to leave the intersection and right-turn ramps at grade and move the left-turn lanes up to an elevated intersection. Again, in this case the traffic signals are reduced to two phases. The signal phases would be synchronized so that the vehicles turning will descend onto the lanes for which traffic is stopped below. This synchronization makes the right merge easier but it ties the two levels together so if there are a lot of turning vehicles, the straight-through vehicles will need to wait longer; which doesn’t happen with the first bi-level intersection idea. It is probable that this second idea will have lower traffic through-put than the first idea. This second alternative appeals to me less because of that signaling and because the elevated ramps are now curving which makes them more expensive. It is possible, though, that just elevating the turning ramps could be cheaper than elevating all lanes of Riverside and associated ramps.

[DubberDom]

Originally Posted by Ottawan

The province committed their $600M first, but it was by them committing $600M instead of the requested (and by the standard funding formula expected) $700M that set the precedent followed by the Feds in similarly committing $100M less than requested. It is worth pointing out that this is less money per capita than has been promised for projects in Toronto, and in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Absolutely correct, the TTC's Yonge-University-Spadina line extension to Vaughan has received $670M in funding, with a matching contribution from the Feds, and the balance of $2Billion will also be covered by the MoveOntario 2020 program which is funded by???? The Province of Ontario (2/3rds)... to the Tune of $17.5 Billion on 52 transit projects in the GTA

Can anybody remind us what we got again???

[waterloowarrior]