Sandy Hill Truck Tunnel

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Yippers. Try explaining this kind of damage to your truck to your boss. Not fun.

It kind of sucks to say this but they are likely less attentive to pedestrians because of the expectation that they will move out of the way. A bollard won't jump out of the way of a turning truck.

My understanding from skimming articles on these incidents over the years is none of the pedestrians were hit on the sidewalk. Mostly they were J-walking at the time. I don't ever recall seeing a driver charged.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

My understanding from skimming articles on these incidents over the years is none of the pedestrians were hit on the sidewalk. Mostly they were J-walking at the time. I don't ever recall seeing a driver charged.

I totally believe you but it's also extremely common to see trucks going onto the sidewalks in the Rideau-King Edward area, and pedestrians hustling out of the way.

[Kitchissippi]

I witnessed a truck crushing the side of a parked car ion Cumberland once. It snarled traffic for a good while.

[rocketphish]

City, province start study on downtown truck tunnel

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: August 26, 2014, Last Updated: August 26, 2014 10:31 AM EDT

The city and province are going to split the cost of a $750,000 study to examine a possible tunnel in the downtown core to address the problem of heavy inter-provincial truck traffic.

The city said Tuesday that Parsons, a well-known international engineering consulting firm, has been hired for the job, which is expected to take 18 months.

The news was praised by several local politicians, including Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury, Mayor Jim Watson and MPP Madeleine Meilleur.

“I am committed to finding a real solution to the heavy truck problem in Ottawa; it has gone on for too long. What we need is a sustainable solution,” Meilleur, MPP for Ottawa-Vanier, said in a statement.

Last November, the city unanimously approved Ottawa’s transportation master plan, which will serve as the blueprint for transportations investments in Ottawa for the next two decades.

It was during that discussion that council approved initiating a feasibility study for a downtown tunnel that would establish an alternate connection between Highway 417 and the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge for trucks and vehicles that travel through the downtown area without stopping.

The city says a subsequent environmental assessment, including extensive public consultation, will occue if the study determines that the tunnel project is feasible.

According to the King Edward Task Force, which has long agitated for a solution to the problem, 67 pedestrians were injured on King Edward between 2005 and 2010, with deaths due to motor vehicles occurring in 1997, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

More to come.

mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...n-truck-tunnel

[J.OT13]

After decades of mediocrity in City building, we've really stepped it up over the past 8 years. The Convention Centre, the ORT, Lansdowne, the fully grade separated and extended version of the ORT phase II and now were taking a serious look into a permanent solution to our truck problem. Things are looking good!

[hwy418]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

After decades of mediocrity in City building, we've really stepped it up over the past 8 years. The Convention Centre, the ORT, Lansdowne, the fully grade separated and extended version of the ORT phase II and now were taking a serious look into a permanent solution to our truck problem. Things are looking good!

Agreed - notice these are all P3s.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

After decades of mediocrity in City building, we've really stepped it up over the past 8 years. The Convention Centre, the ORT, Lansdowne, the fully grade separated and extended version of the ORT phase II and now were taking a serious look into a permanent solution to our truck problem. Things are looking good!

Now if only there were more green open public space!

[Urbanarchit]

This is related to the truck tunnel, but Rideau-Vanier candidate Marc Aubin has created a new plan for Waller and Rideau to make it safer. It involves bike lanes, pedestrian buffers, and reducing Waller to one-way.

[1overcosc]

^ Me likes. I'm moving into Sandy Hill on Monday and I've been thinking Aubin for my vote for quite some time. Fleury needs to be punished for his anti-student tirade.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by defishel

This is related to the truck tunnel, but Rideau-Vanier candidate Marc Aubin has created a new plan for Waller and Rideau to make it safer. It involves bike lanes, pedestrian buffers, and reducing Waller to one-way.

Nice, but I think Rideau would only work as 2 lanes if they relocated the Quebec busway (or got rid of the cars, but I think that has already been tried).

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

City, province start study on downtown truck tunnel

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: August 26, 2014, Last Updated: August 26, 2014 10:31 AM EDT


http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...n-truck-tunnel

I understand the politics behind this (allows Wynne/Watson cover for the idiotic decision to cancel planning for a new bridge and gives Watson another announceable before the 60 day window closes), but this is probably a huge waste of time. Road tunnels through urban areas are prohibitively expensive, which is why they hardly ever get built (Toronto goes through the let's bury the Gardiner study every few years) and the likelyhood that anyone will come up with the money in a few years is pretty low.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by defishel

This is related to the truck tunnel, but Rideau-Vanier candidate Marc Aubin has created a new plan for Waller and Rideau to make it safer. It involves bike lanes, pedestrian buffers, and reducing Waller to one-way.

It looks nice, but contrary to what the article says, it looks like Waller woudl be one-way southbound (i.e. towards the 417), not northbound.

Without the tunnel, how would northbound trucks reach Rideau? Via Besserer & Cumberland?

[Mikeed]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I understand the politics behind this (allows Wynne/Watson cover for the idiotic decision to cancel planning for a new bridge and gives Watson another announceable before the 60 day window closes), but this is probably a huge waste of time. Road tunnels through urban areas are prohibitively expensive, which is why they hardly ever get built (Toronto goes through the let's bury the Gardiner study every few years) and the likelyhood that anyone will come up with the money in a few years is pretty low.

The last study- circa 2001?- estimated a tunnel connecting Highway 5/Macdonald-Cartier bridge to Highway 417 at "prohibitively expensive" at 300 million dollars.

Which, if falling completely under the tax base of the city it would be, but, this is a interprovincial route connecting two highways (provincial domains)- so the Feds/Ontario, and to a less extent Quebec- should be on the table for building this tunnel.

The Macdonald-Cartier bridge was constructed in 1965 when the planners still wanted to demo most of lowertown/Sandy Hill to plow a sunken highway to connect the 5 & 417; the sunken highway is off the table but the traffic remains and this planning blunder *kills* citizens year by year.

Unfortunately- the changes made to the LRT (shortening the tunnel near uOttawa) might have made construction of a tunnel impossible. I've long maintained that local traffic directed to the "core" should be routed over Mackenzie King Bridge and Albert/Slater corridors. This is a stunning gateway to the city that is underutilized.

[waterloowarrior]

Marc Aubin said removing the northbound lane on Waller Street will make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists as interprovincial trucks that usually take that route will be forced to take Nicholas to the Queensway, instead of the tricky left turn onto Waller

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by Mikeed

Unfortunately- the changes made to the LRT (shortening the tunnel near uOttawa) might have made construction of a tunnel impossible.

What do you mean by that?? I would have thought that a shorter LRT tunnel would make it easier to connect to Nicholas SB (i.e. by not having to tunnel even deeper under a uOttawa LRT Station)...

[Mikeed]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

What do you mean by that?? I would have thought that a shorter LRT tunnel would make it easier to connect to Nicholas SB (i.e. by not having to tunnel even deeper under a uOttawa LRT Station)...

So I'm no traffic designer but I made this in 5 mins.

The point is having the LRT tunnel entrance "downstream" in the transitway ROW rather than in Waller - changes made by the Watson team in 2011- would have given designers more corridors to reroute traffic and would get the LRT tunnel to it's depths quicker- now it might, in it's descent, get in the way of the tunnel.

A tunnel which should be for all through traffic as an interprovincial route rather than just a truck tunnel.

[1overcosc]

Only $300M? That's actually quite affordable if we get federal & provincial help. Heck, we could even finance that entirely with municipal dollars if push comes to shove. We're already planning on spending about $2B of municipal dollars on transportation infrastructure over the next 15 years.

I was expecting the tunnel to be something like a billion dollars, which would make it challenging.

Full speed ahead!

[1overcosc]

.

[Mikeed]

Granted that was in 2001 dollars, so probably more like 450m.

But I'm actually in favour - if it means getting a high quality tunnel for ALL INTERPROVINCIAL THROUGH TRAFFIC ORIGINATING FROM TWO PROVINCIAL HIGHWAYS - not just trucks- of making a P3 deal with Rideau Transit Group (SNC-Lavalin & others) Build, Maintain, Operate for a term of ~ 20/30 years w/ tolls if it means greatly reducing risk/costs to the city.

As again, I see this primarily as an interprovincial route and a long term solution to the mess made in the 60s.

Tolls collected via the made in Canada technology used on the 407 - i.e. transponders/cams

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Mikeed

Granted that was in 2001 dollars, so probably more like 450m.

But I'm actually in favour - if it means getting a high quality tunnel for ALL INTERPROVINCIAL THROUGH TRAFFIC ORIGINATING FROM TWO PROVINCIAL HIGHWAYS - not just trucks- of making a P3 deal with Rideau Transit Group (SNC-Lavalin & others) Build, Maintain, Operate for a term of ~ 20/30 years w/ tolls if it means greatly reducing risk/costs to the city.

As again, I see this primarily as an interprovincial route and a long term solution to the mess made in the 60s.

Tolls collected via the made in Canada technology used on the 407 - i.e. transponders/cams

How could a tunnel capture all Inter-provincial traffic? Even if there was no toll it couldn't do that. With a toll very few cars will be taking the tunnel and even trucks will be tempted to avoid it and claim they are transporting hazardous goods.

I think it is a much better idea than a bridge but don't see the math working for a toll bridge.