Quote:
Originally Posted by ByeByeBaby
Where did the City admit they underestimated what was needed on CHB? I don't remember hearing this.
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I don't recall if I read it or heard it on the news but I believe the interchange at Beddington/CHB was needed years ahead of schedule because they underestimated the traffic volume. Considering the young age of the CHB roadway - needing to upgrade it to 6 lanes in sections, not long after it was already upgraded, shows that it wasn't adequately thought out. Even in the NW section, around say Superstore, there can be some pretty silly traffic jams even on the weekend - traffic jams that won't be getting smaller as the city grows. Traffic jams that could have been avoided with a wider roadway built when there was nothing there but cows and gophers. The area will likely never need an interchange, but it could already use another lane, or at least some long merge and exit lanes.
You see here for example the city mentioning widening CHB to 6 lanes, which isn't even possible further down the road (without buying houses - will we ever learn? lol).
Stoney, like Deerfoot, will someday become maddeningly crowded and need an upgrade. And we all know that road upgrades often happen decades after they are needed. CHB will be the obvious alternative route when people start avoiding Stoney like they avoid Deerfoot.
From the City of Calgary website:
http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation...-Widening.aspx
http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation...er_jan2006.pdf
It's hard to imagine sometimes how the city has grown. I can remember when Crowchild Trail north was 2 lanes by the university (lol - I mean the busy parts that aren't still 2 lanes). But someone was thinking ahead when they left room for both an LRT line and multi-lane roadway in the far northern sections. They even have some room for trees and a bikepath on the hill if that ever makes sense. Perhaps the didn't think about a city of 3-5 million which I'm sure Calgary will ultimately become, but it was better thought out than usual.
In any case I do my part and rarely use CHB now that Stoney NE is open. I only turn onto CHB as it leaves the city when going to Drumheller. Not that I couldn't take CHB all the way, but it's just such a joy to drive Stoney and it has been so painful to take CHB.