Calgary Stoney Trail [Ring Road]

[DoubleK]

Can't imagine that they would hydro-mulch until the fall. Some of those slopes are pretty steep and they will need to put some textile down to keep it in place.

[Stang]

So the lights at Stoney and Nose Hill Drive are gone as of this morning, finally making Stoney free-flowing traffic until the current end point in the SE. Although it is nice to see the traffic lights removed, the area will be slow for quite some time while the interchange is built. But progress is progress!

[tmjr]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

Can't imagine that they would hydro-mulch until the fall. Some of those slopes are pretty steep and they will need to put some textile down to keep it in place.

Will they be doing some landscaping first? A lot of the area looks like piles of gravel from when the temporary intersection was in place...

[5seconds]

New post up. Part 2 of my 'History of the Road' series: 1974-1976. I didn't mention when I posed my first part last month, 1956-1970, so that's there too.

http://http://calgaryringroad.wordpress.com/

As always, if there is anything that anyone catches that shouldn't be there, I would be happy to hear about it. Thanks! (Also, I have the entire 1974 report if anyone wants a PDF copy of it)

[freeweed]

Stoney-Crowchild is nowhere near complete, if the summer-long speed restrictions on Crowchild are any indication.

Yes, it's utility and transit work - but there will be final landscaping done long after that is done.

I'm shocked - shocked - that Nose Hill is free flow. They must have been working like mad the past 2-3 weeks to make that happen. Unless there has been a severe cut-off of certain traffic patterns. Either way, I'm happy as all hell - Banff next weekend (finally!).

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Stoney-Crowchild is nowhere near complete, if the summer-long speed restrictions on Crowchild are any indication.

Yes, it's utility and transit work - but there will be final landscaping done long after that is done.

I'm shocked - shocked - that Nose Hill is free flow. They must have been working like mad the past 2-3 weeks to make that happen. Unless there has been a severe cut-off of certain traffic patterns. Either way, I'm happy as all hell - Banff next weekend (finally!).

The only movements now are for through traffic on Stoney, or right in/right out off of an onto Stoney. You cannot cross Stoney anymore on NoseHill Drive, nor make any left hand turn movements in any direction.

[shevallo]

Originally Posted by lubicon

The only movements now are for through traffic on Stoney, or right in/right out off of an onto Stoney. You cannot cross Stoney anymore on NoseHill Drive, nor make any left hand turn movements in any direction.

I took a drive through there a couple of nights ago and I have to say this is the kind of creative thinking that engineers should be using for establishing detours where possible.

At the bottom of Tuscany Hill (by Home Depot) they've constructed a roundabout and extended that road down past the Soccer Dome to Bearspaw Dam Road. So, if you are travelling south on Stoney Trail and want Nose Hill Drive East, you exit onto Nose Hill West and continue around the round about and head south to Bearspaw Dam Road East. Then turn left onto 87th Street North, then right onto Nose Hill Drive East.

The same for travelling Stoney North and wanting Nose Hill Drive West. You exit onto Nose Hill East, right on 87th, right on Tuscany Hill. I admit it's a bit of an inconvenience for Tuscany / Scenic Acres folk, but brilliant if you ask me. In fact, I hope even after they open the interchange, they keep the currently-labelled temporary road in place as an alternative route.

[freeweed]

Got to drive through it finally. Incredibly impressed at the creativity with these detours. Traffic moves easily (well, 95% of the traffic) and a few people drive a couple of extra minutes. THIS is how all roadwork should be done.

I'm also shocked that they don't have the speed dropped to 50. There are pylons at the side of the road! Don't they know that pylons = 7x24 danger?? Just look at Crowchild & Stoney! You have to slow everyone down to 50 for months, or it's unsafe!

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Got to drive through it finally. Incredibly impressed at the creativity with these detours. Traffic moves easily (well, 95% of the traffic) and a few people drive a couple of extra minutes. THIS is how all roadwork should be done.

I'm also shocked that they don't have the speed dropped to 50. There are pylons at the side of the road! Don't they know that pylons = 7x24 danger?? Just look at Crowchild & Stoney! You have to slow everyone down to 50 for months, or it's unsafe!

Frankly I am surprised at this as well, given the track record in the area. However I did notice that they extended the construction zone on NB Stoney to just after the Tuscany exit (it used to be just before the exit). Now They can nail all the Tuscany speeders who accelerate up to 85 after passing through the area.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by freeweed

I'm also shocked that they don't have the speed dropped to 50. There are pylons at the side of the road! Don't they know that pylons = 7x24 danger?? Just look at Crowchild & Stoney! You have to slow everyone down to 50 for months, or it's unsafe!

I know what you're getting at, but I thought Crowchild was as slow as it was because of all the median work for the LRT, not necessarily anything else.

The worst construction ever, though, was Highway 1 near Hope, BC...they were paving (nothing else) and had the speed limit lowered to 60km/h for 10km, even when no one was working. Most frustrating thing ever.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

I know what you're getting at, but I thought Crowchild was as slow as it was because of all the median work for the LRT, not necessarily anything else.

Eastbound, yup, it's LRT work - and that I get. They've made some changes to how the road operates and I can see a reason for the slowdown. Plus there's often actual work going on.

But there's a section WB right when you turn off to go NB on Stoney. 90% of the time there is no one working there, and no actual changes to the roadway (barriers moved, etc). It's just pylons on the shoulder to mark out some utility work happening on the berm off to the side, which is never actually happening when I drive by. Yet they leave the 50 sign up all day long. It's been this way for weeks if not months now.

I'm all for slowing down if it's a legit safety concern for drivers, and especially if people are working (duh). But having traffic slow down for literally no reason just pisses me off. I think the contractor (or whomever puts up these signs) should be fined every time they leave them up after they're finished working, if there's no actual hazard in the area.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by freeweed

But there's a section WB right when you turn off to go NB on Stoney. 90% of the time there is no one working there, and no actual changes to the roadway (barriers moved, etc). It's just pylons on the shoulder to mark out some utility work happening on the berm off to the side, which is never actually happening when I drive by. Yet they leave the 50 sign up all day long. It's been this way for weeks if not months now.

I believe that's where they're putting a LRT substation...which they're taking their sweet time on I bet. I imagine if you asked someone at the City, they would tell you that leaving it there means that people can't use the old "I didn't know the speed limit was lowered" excuse as much. It's stupid, but they get complaints either way.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

I believe that's where they're putting a LRT substation...which they're taking their sweet time on I bet. I imagine if you asked someone at the City, they would tell you that leaving it there means that people can't use the old "I didn't know the speed limit was lowered" excuse as much. It's stupid, but they get complaints either way.

I dunno if there's room for a substation there. It just looked like they tore apart a berm, trenched in some utility lines, and are covering it up now. Although I suppose it could be for the station in the future...

Oddly enough, SOMEONE must read SSP. Literally the day I posted my rant about the 50 zone, it was gone that evening.

[Cage]

Originally Posted by freeweed

I dunno if there's room for a substation there. It just looked like they tore apart a berm, trenched in some utility lines, and are covering it up now. Although I suppose it could be for the station in the future...

Oddly enough, SOMEONE must read SSP. Literally the day I posted my rant about the 50 zone, it was gone that evening.

Whatever was happeniong in that section is completely finished. The crews dug down about ten meters, placed a gravel ramp to the bottom of the hole, then covered everything back up. ust be a purpose for their excavation efforts.

The big problem I had with the 50km gin was the two 80km signs wihtin 100 meters, one before and one after.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Cage

Whatever was happeniong in that section is completely finished. The crews dug down about ten meters, placed a gravel ramp to the bottom of the hole, then covered everything back up. ust be a purpose for their excavation efforts.

You missed a step. They laid some sort of conduit with over a dozen very wide cables, concreted it over, and then graveled that. Power, telecom, I don't know - but it could lead credence to a transit substation.

The big problem I had with the 50km gin was the two 80km signs wihtin 100 meters, one before and one after.

I *think* the intention was that the 50km was only for the NB ramp - makes sense, as the construction was only near the ramp - but you'd think a sign that said "50km on ramp" wouldn't be that bloody difficult. I never did see a single person pulled over so it may not have done much anyway. Most people did the usual 70/80 through there. Which of course leads to another gripe, NO ONE seems to understand that those long on-ramps are designed so that you can actually speed up to merge with the 100 traffic. I'm inevitably going under 90 as we meet the traffic from Stoney.

[Full Mountain]

Originally Posted by freeweed

You missed a step. They laid some sort of conduit with over a dozen very wide cables, concreted it over, and then graveled that. Power, telecom, I don't know - but it could lead credence to a transit substation.



I *think* the intention was that the 50km was only for the NB ramp - makes sense, as the construction was only near the ramp - but you'd think a sign that said "50km on ramp" wouldn't be that bloody difficult. I never did see a single person pulled over so it may not have done much anyway. Most people did the usual 70/80 through there. Which of course leads to another gripe, NO ONE seems to understand that those long on-ramps are designed so that you can actually speed up to merge with the 100 traffic. I'm inevitably going under 90 as we meet the traffic from Stoney.

This is my single biggest complaint with drivers (a close second is tailgating)

[Ferreth]

Originally Posted by Full Mountain

This is my single biggest complaint with drivers (a close second is tailgating)

Merging sucks in Calgary, worst I have seen in Canada. It seems half the people think that going 10 km/hr under the traffic is the safest way to merge. In reality, it just slows down traffic, leaving even less room for me to merge in behind. It doesn't help that many people in Calgary seem to have the "pole position" mentality of driving, where anything in front of of them must be prevented at all costs - which leads to tailgating.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Ferreth

It doesn't help that many people in Calgary seem to have the "pole position" mentality of driving, where anything in front of of them must be prevented at all costs - which leads to tailgating.

I developed this mentality as a result of what we were just talking about. I find that statistically, by doing the speed limit (or a whopping 5 over), I'm well ahead of 95% of the traffic in this city. But if I'm behind anyone, I'm ALWAYS stuck going slower than is necessary until several minutes later when it finally occurs to people to accelerate to the speed limit. So, I make a point to get out front (safely).

Tailgating in Calgary (and elsewhere) would be much reduced if people would simply follow the rules of the road - slower traffic keep right.

[suburbia]

What is the time-line for Stoney Trail to extend South of 16th Ave N in the NW?

[MalcolmTucker]

It is part of the SW Ring Road Project.