Highway One Improvements: North Vancouver / Ironworkers Memorial Approach | Completed

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

They already need a 3rd crossing and the clock is ticking for a Lion's Gate proposal.

The city only has about 20 years max left on the Stanley Park Causeway before they will be forced to find an alternative route. As much as Christy would like to force the city to keep the Causeway, it can't as Stanley is a City park so they have no authority. The Parks Board has reaffirmed it's position that the Causeway goes when the original contract expires and there will be no extensions as there shouldn't be because they did give the City an entire century to come up with an alternative.

The Parks Board has said that the only compromise they are willing to give is to continue to allow transit buses to use the corridor which seems quite reasonable.

This supposed agreement about closing the causeway was already debunked. It won't happen without a new third crossing. From Gregor

Robertson’s office issued a statement saying: "This agreement involving the Province is from 15 years ago and was contingent on a new crossing being built, which never happened. The Mayor does not support a closure of the Lions Gate Bridge."

http://www.theprovince.com/Absurd+Ci...718/story.html

Vision lost control of the parks board due to nonsense like this. And the new crossing better be at least eight lanes if they ever go through with it.

[The_Henry_Man]

Originally Posted by Alex Mackinnon

How do you do this without double decking the bridge or replacing the entire thing?

At that point you're better off with a third crossing.

I don't if this is true or not but I've heard or seen somewhere in this forum that the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge is designed to be able to ultimately accommodate 8 lanes in total from today's 6?

[cleowin]

I forgot to add that a 10 Lane bridge be used, replacing the existing structure. Could be placed Adjacent to the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by cleowin

I forgot to add that a 10 Lane bridge be used, replacing the existing structure. Could be placed Adjacent to the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.

Yes, very possibly.
Also, it might connect going up knight St - Clark Drive, and across.
On the other side is the new, improved, low-level road in Nvan.
With further engineering, this might be a good, not-too-disruptive terminus for the Knight St. Bridge crossing.

Anyway, something's gonna go "pop" if they don't get onto a third crossing.
{My dream is of a 2+2-2+2-lane traffic tunnel >> the number of traffic tubes being efficacious in directing traffic to desired off-ramps and on-ramps, >> with space for rrt in the middle. But that's all it is: a dream]

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

The city only has about 20 years max left on the Stanley Park Causeway before they will be forced to find an alternative route.

You're dreaming if you think the Vancouver Parks Board can shut down the Lion's Gate Bridge all by itself if no alternative is available. I'm pro-transit and even I think that's ludicrous.

[BCPhil]

I honestly don't get the point of spending that much money on the North Shore. The only place on the North Shore where homes are priced lower than the metro average is around Lonsdale because the ease of access to the Seabus and city zoning encourages condo construction.

And even that hasn't spurred transit ridership growth. The North Shore is one of the only areas experiencing a decrease of bus ridership while service has increased, resulting in higher cost per passenger. The North Shore is the only region getting more expensive per passenger boarding (Vancouver/UBC cost went up as well, but service was introduced to reduce overcrowding and it is still the most cost efficient sector). Even South Delta/Ladner's ridership is increasing and the cost decreasing.

There were 34.5 million bus boardings South of Fraser (not counting South Delta) while there were 14.7 million on the North Shore. There are 3 untolled crossings to the SoF, and all of them back up worse than the North Shore crossings. Housing prices SoF are more affordable and there is more room for growth and densification. The North Shore has some of the highest home prices and is backed up against mountains and the watershed.

Seriously, to vastly improve the region overall, where should money be invested to encourage growth and make housing more affordable? When the second narrows is at end of life, then it will be replaced, but the Pattullo is already past end of life, and the GMT is just as old and smaller and more important to international trade.

All the Second Narrows needs are improvements around the north end of the bridge. Most of the problems are caused because visitors have no idea what exit they need and slam on the breaks causing the "red wave" or worse, fenderbenders that back up to Hastings. And going onto the bridge is a freeforall with all the different onramps. There needs to be better controlled access with fewer and longer merge lanes.

[st7860]

A newer crossing of some sort would be nice but at least in the short term more frequent buses across either of the two existing bridges would be helpful.

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by st7860

A newer crossing of some sort would be nice but at least in the short term more frequent buses across either of the two existing bridges would be helpful.

It's a shame TransLink has no money for that.

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

You're dreaming if you think the Vancouver Parks Board can shut down the Lion's Gate Bridge all by itself if no alternative is available. I'm pro-transit and even I think that's ludicrous.

The Parks Board has no control over the bridge itself but has 100% control over the Causeway. It is not in the domain of City Hall council. One of the main rasons why cities have clear lines between Parks Boards and City Hall is to prevent politics and development pressures from jeoparding the integrity of City Parks.

As far as I know the Park Board has never said that can't tunnel under the current causeway they simply want the cars out of the Stanley. It's not like the city has case to be made for pushing back the deadline until they have an alternative..............they've has a 100 years to come up with one. Poor planning on the city's part does not constitute an emergency on the Parks Board part.

I'm sure if construction is underway then the Parks Board will have no problem with a couple year delay but I think the city is dreaming in technicolour if it thinks the Parks Board is going to sign a new lease for a major extension of the current lease.

If the city has no plan or project in place it only has itself to blame. The Parks Board has held up it's part of the agreement for a century so the city has no legal or moral authority to complain about the closing of the Causeway.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

The Parks Board has no control over the bridge itself but has 100% control over the Causeway. It is not in the domain of City Hall council.

Who cares? A stroke of the pen by the Provincial government would make the whole thing moot. With the right circumstances and spin it would be the Province coming to the rescue of the ordinary people in their struggle against the Vancouver ivory tower types. And threatening to close one of the only two routes to North Vancouver would certainly play right into it.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

I honestly don't get the point of spending that much money on the North Shore.

The article that re-ignited this discussion said that it was mainly contractors and other workers coming from the eastern valley that have caused the recent traffic issues. This is supported by the fact that the worst traffic jams are eastbound between 4pm and 6pm. So rather than thinking it's for those rich snobs on the north shore, realize any expansion will help your beloved SoF tribe, and the region as a whole.

And I don't think anyone's saying this is more important than Patullo etc. We're just saying its a bad enough stretch that it needs to be fixed like the rest of hwy 1 through the metro.

[WarrenC12]

The contractor thing sounds like a temporary problem, or at least one that only crops up when the real estate market is on fire.

I'm of the opinion that this is a problem that can be solved through streamlining access and on/off ramps to the highway and the bridge. Something that could in in the range of $200-$300M in spending, rather than a new ~$1B+ crossing.

[cleowin]

The bottleneck issues are definitely because of the intense and complicated interchange network north of the bridge, as well as the reality that there is an intense level of traffic trying to merge onto the 6 lane bridge. a 10 lane bridge would solve all these problems, especially with a 4th local lane that serves as a North Van Commuter lane to prevent long-distance users from being trapped with local commuters. This is why I essentially proposed an HOV lane to give car-pools an option, as well as creating a 4th lane between Westview and Fern Street just before the bridge to eliminate the use of local traffic using the general through lanes. This could be further done with a C/D system eventually allowing for a 10 lane highway from Capilano > Second Narrows

[Pinion]

Overhead digital signs have been added to Ironworkers with no fanfare or explanation as to why

[adrianroam95]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Overhead digital signs have been added to Ironworkers with no fanfare or explanation as to why

Those are not electronic signs. They are regular directional highway signs, refreshed with the Clearview typeface and updated design consistent with new MoT standards. As I recall, the signage facing southbound traffic simply indicates that the left two lanes continue onto Highway 1 while the right lane exits to McGill St and E. Hastings St.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by adrianroam95

Those are not electronic signs. They are regular directional highway signs, refreshed with the Clearview typeface and updated design consistent with new MoT standards. As I recall, the signage facing southbound traffic simply indicates that the left two lanes continue onto Highway 1 while the right lane exits to McGill St and E. Hastings St.

Thanks, I was just regurgitating what people on twitter were saying. There was no signage at all last time I last drove over.

[GMasterAres]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

One of the main rasons why cities have clear lines between Parks Boards and City Hall is to prevent politics and development pressures from jeoparding the integrity of City Parks.

Vancouver is the only city in the region that has a parks board separate from council and city hall. Only city just an FYI. And all the other cities that don't have parks board which is all the rest, don't seem to have any problem protecting the integrity of their City Parks.

[Klazu]

Different view on Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.

• Video Link

[osirisboy]

That was hard to watch. I don't even like walking over bridges!

[Pinion]

Ugh, my employer is just about to throw up some cranes and I'm terrified of these guys showing up when I'm the only one at work. Because somehow it's my fault if the construction guys don't put up adequate fences/protection.