The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[mmmatt]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

Drove by that new apartment building on Robinson. They've started putting up the walls on the main floor. Its only going to be four floors (I think), but it'll definitely add a lot of density to that end of downtown. It's great to see the gradual redevelopment of the St George area creeping down towards the King St end.

Yeah its really awesome...St. George has come a long way in the last few years and is poised to keep getting better...I just hope they get rid of the hideous power lines and put in proper street lamps...that would improve the look of the street 1000%

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by mmmatt

Yeah its really awesome...St. George has come a long way in the last few years and is poised to keep getting better...I just hope they get rid of the hideous power lines and put in proper street lamps...that would improve the look of the street 1000%

The best use for St. George Street in the future would be for it to become downtown Moncton's new "Main" Street.

What I mean by this is for St. George to become the hub for downtown living. It should be lined by medium rise mixed use building averaging 4-7 stories tall, with stores, restaurants, pubs and commercial offices on the bottom 1-2 floors and apartments and condos on the upper floors. The infill between St.George and Main Street should be similar, but also preserving some traditional residential character as well.

Main Street itself, and the core area between Main and Assomption should concentrate on larger commercial buildings, hotels, the events centre and the more substantial developments that truly define a city, like the new courthouse. Large public spaces should also be included in the core area as well as several larger signature apartment/condo complexes.

We should consider ourselves fortunate here in Moncton that we have the large area between Main and Assomption available for urban renewal. If properly done, our future core area could really be very impressive and could serve as a magnet for future growth and development.

When I look at downtown now, I see so many opportunities that it's almost distracting. There is no other city in the region that has such an accessible core area with so much potential. The key for unlocking this area for growth is the proposed arena/events centre. We can not let this opportunity slip by!!

[MonctonRad]

Horsman Road has now reopened for traffic. The reconstruction of this road is now about 50-60% done (personal estimate).

Talk about taking a country lane and bringing it kicking and screaming into the 21st century!!!

Curbs and gutters have been installed. The north end of the road has been divided where it will intersect the new roundabout at Ryan Street. The south end of the road is going to be four lanes where it meets the newly signalized intersection with Berry Mills Road and the new entrance to the Moncton Industrial Park expansion.

Meanwhile, construction is progressing quickly on the new Tim Horton's/Shell Service Station complex on the northeast corner of Horsman/Berry Mills. I presume it will be similar to the Timmies/Shell combo developments in the Dieppe Industrial Park and the Caledonia Industrial Park.

Anybody whose been away from the neighbourhood for the last year wouldn't believe their eyes!

[C_Boy]

Just noticed a while ago they were paving Mapleton (Northbound lanes on the far right) I'm guessing shortly they will divert all the traffic onto the new side of the overpass then will strip and redo the pave on the old side. All the rebar is ready for the barrier on that side as well. I can't see why they are saying October for completion date...it makes no sense.

[riverviewdood]

Just found these forums a couple of weeks ago...

I heard a rumor that the Wal-Mart in champlain might be moving to the new Dieppe development and become a Super Wal-Mart... and that the land around champlain might be sinking...

[mylesmalley]

Welcome, Riverviewdood!

Champlain Place was built on a marsh. I've been told that the terrain it's on is the the main reason why the mall is only a single floor. The mall may indeed be sinking a bit, but I doubt it's bad enough to be a concern. Cadillac Fairview has poured millions into the mall to refresh it on the inside, and there is a fairly large extension going on next to where FutureShop used to be. That much money being spent would indicate to me that they don't see the mall being in any danger.

There have been all kinds of rumours about Wal*Mart. The company doesn't seem to like being in malls, so they tend to try to build standalone stores like the one on Plaza Blvd. That said, I think they're probably there to stay at Champlain at least for a while. There have been rumours that they want to build a Sam's Club type store to compete with Costco that would go somewhere in Dieppe. The most recent rumour is that they plan on building a massive distribution facility in the Scoudouc Industrial Park once the new interchange is built off of Route 15.

What will happen? Hard to say!

[MonctonRad]

Transport museum receives funding
Published Friday August 13th, 2010

Province pitches in to allow public fundraising campaign for Transportation Discovery Centre
by greg weston
times & transcript staff

FREDERICTON - A museum commemorating Moncton's heritage as a transportation hub is now one step closer to realization after the provincial government contributed $1 million towards construction costs.

The Transportation Discovery Centre, the planned expansion and modernization of the current Moncton Museum site on Mountain Road, will take an interactive approach to impart the city's rail, road, air and shipping history to visitors and locals alike.

The plan for the centre blossomed out of an idea in the late 1990s to build a railway museum marking the city's key role in that field.

"There's been lots of letters and lots of meetings since then," says Greg Murphy of the CN Pensioners' Association.

But with a total price tag of $7.6 million, getting the project off the ground has been a long time coming.

Now that the province has added its share to the $3.7 million from the city and $500,000 from the federal government, Murphy says a fundraising committee can begin its efforts to raise another $2.5 million from the private sector and general public.

"We didn't want to go public until we had a commitment from the province and the federal government," he says.

"We wanted to get it started about a year ago, but then there was the downturn in the economy and it wasn't a good time to ask corporations and foundations to make donations."

Local Government Minister and Moncton East MLA Chris Collins says the province wanted to make sure the region's transportation past was preserved.

"It's been a very, very important part of Moncton's development. We're the hub of the Maritimes, so what better place to put a transportation discovery museum," he says.

"It will be a tremendous asset to the city of Moncton and it gives another reason for tourists, it gives a great educational tool for area youth and it also grounds our history to the heart of our community."

Mayor George LeBlanc agrees that Moncton needs to have such a facility to commemorate its past.

"Having starting out with shipbuilding, then getting into CN and transportation through the trucking industry and, now, our airport, it's always been an important part of Moncton," he says.

"It will also be an interactive centre for young people, including an education element as well. Put all that together, we hope it will be an attraction and a learning centre for downtown Moncton."




An old model of the proposed Moncton Museum expansion, photo courtesy of mmmatt

[drewber]

When I took this picture i thought it might come out a little clearer...note for next time i won't take it at 10pm..lol....anyways its a shot of the off-ramp by McNaughton High School(on the opposite side of the road coming onto St.George. Looks like the straightened it out...going to be interesting when its completed.

[mylesmalley]

I noticed that earlier today as well. They've pretty drastically redesigned that ramp. They've only got two weeks before school starts. I hope they can pull it off in time!

[drewber]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

I noticed that earlier today as well. They've pretty drastically redesigned that ramp. They've only got two weeks before school starts. I hope they can pull it off in time!

Three weeks isn't it? Cause labour day falls late this year on the 6th

[MonctonRad]

I had a chance to look at the Millenium Blvd. reconstruction project on the weekend........that's going to be another country lane brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century!

The entire length of the road from Killam to the entrance to the CN Sportplex/Four Ice Centre is being rebuilt. It will be three lanes wide, curbed and guttered with a seperate walking/biking trail on the north side of the roadway. The entrance to the Sportsplex (Russ Howard Drive) is being completely redone.

This will end up being a very attractive street.......which is only fitting as it is essentially a parkway lying between Centennial Park and the CN Sportsplex lands.

When everything is all said and done, the drive from Horsman to Berry Mills to Millenium to Vaughn Harvey will be an attractive alternative to Mountain Road in reaching downtown from the northwest end.

[pierremoncton]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

It will be three lanes wide, curbed and guttered with a seperate walking/biking trail on the north side of the roadway.

I'm glad to see that Moncton and Dieppe are thinking of cyclists, but I would much prefer that they did NOT use shared paths (especially on just one side of the road). It's dangerous for pedestrians, but even moreso for cyclists because it becomes awkward and counterintuitive when riding in the opposite direction, going across intersections or turning at them, and getting into or out of the paths.

Bikes belong on the road. Drivers are not going to get used to cyclists if they're relegated to the equivalent of sidewalks. It's unsafe for me and inconsistent for all. I'd rather ride on the street than on those paths. Others will simply choose to not ride at all.

I admit that I haven't seen the work on Millennium yet, but I don't expect much. I'm disgruntled. The city and the province have the opportunity to do things right and they choose otherwise. Has anyone tried crossing the Gunningsville Bridge from Vaughan Harvey? What a stupid, dangerous mess that is.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

I'm disgruntled. The city and the province have the opportunity to do things right and they choose otherwise. Has anyone tried crossing the Gunningsville Bridge from Vaughan Harvey? What a stupid, dangerous mess that is.

Are you referring to the fact that the bike lane lies between the straight ahead traffic lane and the right turning traffic lane? That does seem a little bizarre but I guess that it is done elsewhere.....

Apparently there will be a major report tabled at city council meeting tonight about improved bike lanes and trails in Moncton. I guess they even want to put in a bike lane on Mountain Road.........I don't know how they will ever do that! Mountain Road has to maintain four traffic lanes.

[pierremoncton]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Are you referring to the fact that the bike lane lies between the straight ahead traffic lane and the right turning traffic lane? That does seem a little bizarre but I guess that it is done elsewhere.....

On the bridge specifically, this is what I mean if heading South from Vaughan Harvey onto Gunningsville Blvd -- the city blames the province on this one:

Apparently there will be a major report tabled at city council meeting tonight about improved bike lanes and trails in Moncton. I guess they even want to put in a bike lane on Mountain Road.........I don't know how they will ever do that! Mountain Road has to maintain four traffic lanes.

I don't expect Moncton to become a cycling hotspot. Like most of North America, it's destined to be a car city. At one point, I would have liked to see bike lanes on Mountain Rd, but I don't even know if there's a point to it right now. When the city decided to put bike lanes on Shediac Rd, it was quickly shot down by residents, even though traffic there is mild compared to Mountain Rd. Their best bet may be to work on the trail network, though I'd definitely support always at least planning the space for bike lanes in new developments. Those who really want to ride on Mountain Rd can do so in the street, on the sidewalk or, better yet, in the street against traffic without a helmet.

[rocyn]

Has anyone heard an estimate of when Ryan might reopen?

[mylesmalley]

There were a couple of planners on the Dan Alstrand show a little while back talking about putting bike lanes on roads. They said obviously Mountain was a top priority, but the problem there is entirely safety. There are so many streets and businesses with driveways, and so little land there to widen the road for proper bike lanes. If I recall, the solution they were looking for was to create alternative biking corridors and trails that still allowed for access to that part of town, but kept cyclists off Mountain.

[MonctonGoldenFlames]

maybe a median can be created to get cyclists away from the curb traffic. it would almost be a freeway-like bike lane, where the cyclist can only interact with traffic at important intersections.

[mylesmalley]

Three new affordable housing developments announced. A 50 unit building near St Augstine's church, and two 28 unit buildings on Fleet St. The latter two I'm especially pleased about because it means more infill downtown, and some of those decrepit houses likely being torn down.

[pierremoncton]

On the subject: Moncton eyes better bike, pedestrian system

Article: http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/article/1179181

Six years from now, each and every Moncton resident should be able to leave the house in the morning and get to work or school without a car.

[...]

The new strategy proposes a system of trails, roadside pathways, bike lanes and shared streets to connect residential areas to shopping districts and the downtown core. Main streets such as Mountain, Shediac, Salisbury and Gorge Roads will have bike lanes constructed. These will become the major "arteries" of the city's active transportation infrastructure, explained Scott.

[...]

"By the end of this plan we'll have over 100 kilometres of trail done," he said. "We believe that if we create it, people will use it."

Some streets, such as Mountain Road, may take more time to complete, he added. Mountain Road poses a challenge because it is already highly built-up and has heavy car traffic. Creating a bike lane or path would require an extra few metres of space on each side of the road, Scott explained.

In other news: the apartment building on Lewisville is due to open "this Summer". All 2-bedroom "luxury" units with 4 stainless steel appliances and fireplace. I'm afraid to know how much they go for.

There's also a new building (I presume apartments) going up on Beech St.

And the light's back on top of the Aliant Tower. It looks better than it did before.

[ithree]

On my way home from work this afternoon I noticed that the area around the old Irving at the corner of Mtn. and Wheeler was fenced in. Does anyone know what the plans are for that corner?