Winnipeg City Transit/Rapid Transit

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by Bdog

1ajs, not only are you running these here forums - but, you're running the city subconciously too!

no i just bring idea though i honestly don't know if they had actualy been talking about it for yrs or not i do remember the transit union filing law suits over some ventalation issues causing lung cancer 7yrs ago? witch could have more to do with it

[Kinguni]

It's been planned for years and it's needed for 3 reasons: so there's somewhere to park buses when the north barn is closed for a year for renovations, to provide extra capacity to expand service and to have a facility which can handle articulated buses. Originally planned for construction in 2013 or 2014 it's been bumped up, mostly due to the deteriorating condition of north garage. North garage handle around 125 buses, so the new garage will take that on, and once north garage is renovated, they will then be able to expand service.

[1ajs]

figured it was on the books long over due to silly.. plus the city has a nice track of land called domion bridge they could use.........

[Riverman]

I don't think the Dominion Bridge site will be used for some time, I understand it's pretty contaminated.

[Biff]

I heard on the radio this morning that the City is spending money on a study to build a pedestrian bridge from the UofM to St Vital. I believe this is a good idea. This is not related to the proposal a couple of years ago to build a gondola system to the UofM, this is an actual study.

.....they are also studying what to do with the Arlington St Bridge - decommission the bridge and tear down with no replacement and improve the McPhillips St underpass (which needs to be done regardless) or tear it down and build a modern replacement.

I personally feel they should keep a link there.

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by Riverman

I don't think the Dominion Bridge site will be used for some time, I understand it's pretty contaminated.

I would guess that the city couldn't give it away. Very costly for anyone to do anything with it. I just don't see a lot of upside to the location. It's a decent industrial location, but nobody is going to front the costs to be in that part of town. Unfortunately. It will be our small plot of 'Little Hamilton on the Prairies' for the foreseeable future, in my opinion.

[flatlander]

Originally Posted by j.online

Expansion coming to Winnipeg Transit
CJOB News Team reporting
2/28/2011

Ridership continues to climb on Winnipeg Transit buses, outpacing the city's growth.

It means more buses on the streets in the years to come beginning with a major expansion to Transit's main Osborne Street headquarters this spring.

Transit director Dave Wardrop tells CJOB once the new garage is built more buses and routes will be added.

A new transit corridor from Main Street to Jubilee Avenue will open in the fall of 2012.

Wardrop says the Fort Rouge maintenance facility will also expand and there will be a major renovation to the 80-year-old Main Street Transit garage.

Anybody know if the expansion will be just on existing lands or new lands? There's a vacant piece of land in front of the office building that needs some love. Not necessarily a garage mind you.

[roccerfeller]

Originally Posted by Biff

I heard on the radio this morning that the City is spending money on a study to build a pedestrian bridge from the UofM to St Vital. I believe this is a good idea. This is not related to the proposal a couple of years ago to build a gondola system to the UofM, this is an actual study.

.....they are also studying what to do with the Arlington St Bridge - decommission the bridge and tear down with no replacement and improve the McPhillips St underpass (which needs to be done regardless) or tear it down and build a modern replacement.

I personally feel they should keep a link there.

this is awesome

they need that bridge, imo its long overdue

[Riverman]

A bus ride to the U of M from just across the river is a long affair. A bridge would be very beneficial to S. St. Vital.

[h0twired]

It would be neat if bridges like the Arlington Bridge, Louise Bridge and proposed bridge from St.V to the U of M could be used for transit and ped/bike only.

It would reduce the maintenance required and create a potentially attractive traffic free route for buses and cyclists.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Riverman

A bus ride to the U of M from just across the river is a long affair. A bridge would be very beneficial to S. St. Vital.

I used to walk to the U of M every day from St. Vital ... wish there'd been a nice bridge then. In the dead of winter the trek across the Fort Garry Bridge sidewalk and its surrounding windswept wastelands made me feel like Scott of the Antarctic.

Of course it used to be there was not even the Fort Garry Bridge and you had to go up to Jubilee or down to the Perimeter to get to the U of M (it made for an incredibly long ride on the 'Unibus' ... anyone else remember the Unibus?)

[The Jabroni]

Originally Posted by h0twired

It would be neat if bridges like the Arlington Bridge, Louise Bridge and proposed bridge from St.V to the U of M could be used for transit and ped/bike only.

It would reduce the maintenance required and create a potentially attractive traffic free route for buses and cyclists.

For Arlington Bridge, it would be nice, but there are reasons why buses don't use that bridge, mainly because it's steep on both sides of the bridge.

I'm not sure if tearing down the bridge would be the right call. Yes, it is understandable that it is old, and has its fair share of various problems over the years, but severing Arlington St for the long term would be annoying for those who frequent the bridge. It's either those people will have to take the Salter Bridge or the McPhillips underpass.

Speaking on the latter, that underpass should be worked on as well, but I think the higher priority underpass on that same CPR line is the one on Main Street. That one needs to be worked on big time, because every time I drive under that thing, I get nervous, especially when looking at the concrete columns that support that underpass.

[1ajs]

the main st bridge is a steel structure covered in a concreat finish they did a bunch of work on the top of it during the summer prolly bunch more to be done but cpr owns the bridge and it falls under the railways act the city has no juristiction

as for the arlington bridge it should be fixed up not torn down its will cut the north end off even more then it is if removed............ its a gem if they close it do something like the highline park in ny with it

[Andy6]

Are they going to consider reviving the Sherbrook-McGregor overpass idea, I wonder?

In the mid-to-late 1970s, Sherbrook-McGregor was probably the #1 "infrastructure" issue in civic politics (next to the Trizec parking garage, maybe). Eventually it was shelved, but maybe it would make more sense now than rebuilding Arlington.

It would be a shame to lose Arlington -- it is a fantastic example of a golden age of engineering and railway history as well.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by Andy6

Are they going to consider reviving the Sherbrook-McGregor overpass idea, I wonder?

Quite brilliant, I remember that. It would make sense from a perspective of connecting arteries.

Originally Posted by Andy6

It would be a shame to lose Arlington -- it is a fantastic example of a golden age of engineering and railway history as well.

The railway has clearance issues with the bridge, it has to go. I agree about it's beauty though. I love the old bridges.

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by Riverman

Quite brilliant, I remember that. It would make sense from a perspective of connecting arteries.

The railway has clearance issues with the bridge, it has to go. I agree about it's beauty though. I love the old bridges.

Speaking of the old Sherbrook-Mcgregor bridge proposal, I was looking over the old WATS Winnipeg freeway plans the other day... Really interesting stuff in there (would have fundamentally altered the way our city grew in the past half century), and a lot of neighbourhoods would have been completely bisected...

Potential freeways included:
Out to Tcona, south of Nairn
Through the north-end (between Mcgregor and Mckenzie, and south over the tracks)
One that essentially follows the same path as the South-west BRT corridor
One following the CP yards then around the airport
One near Wilkes (essentially like the Sterling Lyon, but all the way to Jubilee)

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by flatlander

Anybody know if the expansion will be just on existing lands or new lands? There's a vacant piece of land in front of the office building that needs some love. Not necessarily a garage mind you.

Transit owns that lot out front. Imagine it will be turned into parking. Maintenance shop expansion will likely be added to the rear of the current maintenance facility. The new storage facility is to be built on land the City acquired along the BRT line between Brandon Ave. and Arnold Ave.

[flatlander]

Riverman, what sort of clearance issues?

Kinguni, are you sure it's not owned by imperial oil?

[1ajs]

doesn't anyone think its funny that the building at arlington and logan was only demolished a month or so ago and their now talking about demolishing the arlington bridge to replace it?

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by flatlander

Kinguni, are you sure it's not owned by imperial oil?

Yes. The city acquired it a couple of years ago, same time they were expropriating other property for rapid transit.