Calgary Roads

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

36th Street should be ongoing by now, as should the McCall Way/Barlow roundabout. If not...more delays I guess.

They are both well underway.

[Mazrim]

Good to know, thanks. I saw the plans for the roundabout...it's gonna look funny with all the clearance problems they have being so close to a runway.

[mersar]

Frinkprof was out doing surveying work on the roundabout the other day from what he said on the weekend at the meetup.

[YYCguys]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

36th Street should be ongoing by now, as should the McCall Way/Barlow roundabout. If not...more delays I guess.

Roundabout? Or intersection?

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by YYCguys

Roundabout? Or intersection?

Roundabout. Barlow trail will curve to the west and have a roundabout with McCall way instead of curving to the east.

[frinkprof]

Both are well underway.

Earthworks is done on the McCall/Barlow re-alignment, concrete work just getting started.

36th Street connector has most of its concrete done, gravelling is just getting underway.

[YYCguys]

Interesting that there's going to be a roundabout. Wouldn't a stop sign for McCall bound motorists suffice?

[Mazrim]

I believe the traffic projections would have put McCall and Barlow with similar volumes, so a roundabout is the best way to handle that. Stop signs are not efficient when you can install a roundabout.

[mersar]

Was just looking through APC, and it appears that the city finally awarded the Metis from 64th to 96th contract on Oct 13 (Standard General got it). Someone else had mentioned that it had been tendered a long time ago for completion this fall, obviously they retendered it

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by mersar

Was just looking through APC, and it appears that the city finally awarded the Metis from 64th to 96th contract on Oct 13 (Standard General got it). Someone else had mentioned that it had been tendered a long time ago for completion this fall, obviously they retendered it

It was written in the tender that there was a $100,000 bonus to get two lanes of Metis open by nov 30, but, I think the expropriation notices on the Herald a week or two ago show why the project wasn't awarded right away. There were 4 properties for which parts of them were needed to the project. Now it's getting too close to winter for any construction to start, earth moving can't happen with the possibility of freezing.

36th street is going to be crazy in the time between Barlow closing and Metis opening. The repaying and line painting that's been done will help, but that road was already busy enough, never mind it being the only road other than Deerfoot and Stoney to travel N/S in the NE.

The connector of 60th street to the unused 96th/Stoney interchange was tendered earlier in summer as well, and I haven't seen any work at all on that one either.

[mersar]

Also looking at the agenda for the LPT committee meeting this week, a proposal for attempting to resolve the issues at CHB/Royal Birch is on the table. They've decided the traffic circle is a non-option, and instead want to extend the left turn lanes further back and install more intelligent traffic sensors there. Difference being a the traffic circle idea was about $3.2M, the turn lane modifications are about $140,000.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by mersar

Also looking at the agenda for the LPT committee meeting this week, a proposal for attempting to resolve the issues at CHB/Royal Birch is on the table. They've decided the traffic circle is a non-option, and instead want to extend the left turn lanes further back and install more intelligent traffic sensors there. Difference being a the traffic circle idea was about $3.2M, the turn lane modifications are about $140,000.

It makes sense from a cost perspective. The extended left turn (this is WB CHB to SB Royal Birch, if it's not bleedingly obvious) is an absolute must, especially during rush hour. Traffic coming off SB Stoney often cannot merge properly - and certainly not to then turn left into Royal Oak - because of how backed up the road gets. There's plenty of room for longer turning lanes. Makes me wonder why the hell it wasn't done in the first place.

But yeah, the lynchpin here is better sensoring. We don't do very much of this in Canada but for such a lop-sided intersection such as this, where traffic patterns are going to change yet again in a couple of years, in ways no one can predict because who knows what's actually going to be built in the business park... I'm crossing my fingers.

As much as I'd have loved a traffic circle, I wasn't looking forward to the daily car crashes.

[SmokWawelski]

The left turns are good news. I also noticed that they are making a bay for the bus right by the condominium. It was absolutely awful when the bus made the left hand turn from CHB into Royal Oak only to stop....and stop all traffic behind it trying to get into the neighbourhood. Unfortunately this intersection is going to get worse and worse with time

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by SmokWawelski

The left turns are good news. I also noticed that they are making a bay for the bus right by the condominium. It was absolutely awful when the bus made the left hand turn from CHB into Royal Oak only to stop....and stop all traffic behind it trying to get into the neighbourhood. Unfortunately this intersection is going to get worse and worse with time

OK, a bus bay - we've been wondering WTF has been going on there. A brilliant (and freaking obvious) idea.

Of course, they should just have left the bus stop around the corner, but common sense and road planning in this city don't always align.

[SmokWawelski]

I feel sorry for the owners or renters of the condo units overlooking this bus bay. First they saw the street widen then they widened it again, now the city has taken more chunk of the land for the bus bay. Next thing you know, they will put up a bus shelter right next to the balconies It sure will be difficult to sell any of those condos in the future.

[freeweed]

Really? If anything having a bus stop literally at your front door should be a selling feature. I know I was a bit miffed when the original route went right by my house, but then CT re-routed it. Not that the extra walk is a bad thing most days...

To be honest, when you buy a condo on a major intersection you kind of have to expect things like this. Besides, those condos weren't exactly sold on a high-price basis, if you know what I mean. If anything I'd be 10x angrier about the fugly McDonald's house built next door.

[freeweed]

Apparently the Hwy2/CIM interchange is open.

Plus, the City has committed to plowing all residential streets every time we get 2.5 cm of snow. Call me a radical, but doesn't that seem just a tad excessive? My frigging Acura can make it over 2.5cm of snow. Who has problems driving in this? Why can't we just use our heads - residential streets are fine, until we get freak storms or huge accumulations (like last year). Then, no shit, plow. Otherwise? Why waste the money?

Oh, and supposedly the City has realized that using large gravel is 1) less efficient as the rocks don't stick, and 2) insanely costly for motorists. Why exactly did this take so long to figure out? I lived in Calgary for precisely 3 months before realizing that the gravel here is way too big. Did someone discover a small gravel quarry or something?

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Apparently the Hwy2/CIM interchange is open.

Plus, the City has committed to plowing all residential streets every time we get 2.5 cm of snow. Call me a radical, but doesn't that seem just a tad excessive? My frigging Acura can make it over 2.5cm of snow. Who has problems driving in this? Why can't we just use our heads - residential streets are fine, until we get freak storms or huge accumulations (like last year). Then, no shit, plow. Otherwise? Why waste the money?

Oh, and supposedly the City has realized that using large gravel is 1) less efficient as the rocks don't stick, and 2) insanely costly for motorists. Why exactly did this take so long to figure out? I lived in Calgary for precisely 3 months before realizing that the gravel here is way too big. Did someone discover a small gravel quarry or something?

Well, although 2.5 might seem silly, if it is indeed everytime we *get* 2.5, then that means that four 2cm falls in a row wouldn't get plowed, so once they do plow due to 2.5 there might 10 cm on the ground already, if one is to take that literally.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

Well, although 2.5 might seem silly, if it is indeed everytime we *get* 2.5, then that means that four 2cm falls in a row wouldn't get plowed, so once they do plow due to 2.5 there might 10 cm on the ground already, if one is to take that literally.

Well yeah, presuming the snow never melts here. Which has only happened once in my experience.

Like I hinted at, I'd be much happier if they spent the money based on actual accumulation, not just panic every time an inch falls.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Plus, the City has committed to plowing all residential streets every time we get 2.5 cm of snow. Call me a radical, but doesn't that seem just a tad excessive? My frigging Acura can make it over 2.5cm of snow. ?

Every time there is an inch of snow is quite excessive. Thank goodness it will never happen every time there's only an inch of snow.