Calgary Stoney Trail [Ring Road]

[mersar]

They've started work along parts of the route already, mainly on the eastern portion and where they haven't started they will be starting soon since most, if not all, the roads that cross the route have been detoured or closed completely as of last week. The rest they will be closing later this summer.

[YYCguys]

Originally Posted by mersar

They've started work along parts of the route already, mainly on the eastern portion and where they haven't started they will be starting soon since most, if not all, the roads that cross the route have been detoured or closed completely as of last week. The rest they will be closing later this summer.

Barlow Trail north of Country Hills is closing in early July. Boohoo! That's the route I take to/from Airdrie when the Deerfoot is stinkin' conjested! Now what do I do?

Apparantly the Barlow closure north of CHB is turning into a business park.

[SunCoaster]

Stoney Trail NW will make for a great bypass of most of the NW Calgary traffic ... particularly for Edmontonians headed to Banff ... mind you the downside is the bypass will also mean bypassing Pete's Drive In which is an important dietary pitstop when driving from Edmonton to Banff

[polishavenger]

Can anyone explain to me the rationale behind the huge loops with wide turning radius' in these new interchange configuration. Would it not make more sense from a safety and economic perspective to have a more gradual arch to the flyovers?

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by polishavenger

Can anyone explain to me the rationale behind the huge loops with wide turning radius' in these new interchange configuration. Would it not make more sense from a safety and economic perspective to have a more gradual arch to the flyovers?

Polish, I'm not understanding exactly what you are asking.

[mersar]

I think he's referring to the loops such as from Northbound Stoney to 16th Ave NE, and on the Deerfoot interchange where the ramp goes way out to the right, then way past the interchange, then back in again.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by mersar

I think he's referring to the loops such as from Northbound Stoney to 16th Ave NE, and on the Deerfoot interchange where the ramp goes way out to the right, then way past the interchange, then back in again.

The radii are huge to keep the desing speed limit high - for freeway to freeway connection. They do the curves like that for economy of grading - and because retaining walls are expensive to build - they angle the roads away instead of keeping them directly beside the main road because they need to have the room for the slopes.

[polishavenger]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

The radii are huge to keep the desing speed limit high - for freeway to freeway connection. They do the curves like that for economy of grading - and because retaining walls are expensive to build - they angle the roads away instead of keeping them directly beside the main road because they need to have the room for the slopes.

The freeways in the U.S seem to have more intelligent interchanges, with flyovers that retain a gradual curve (the ones in the proposed ring road interchanges are really sharp and reduce speeds), something along the lines of what is being built at Mcknight.

[tarapoto]

I hope they can ban semi trucks from the Deerfoot after the ringroad is complete. It's ridiculous to drive to work during rush hour and get stuck boxed in by four double length trucks in front, behind and beside. It's happened to me several times

[mersar]

Won't happen. Deerfoot is a provincial highway, and is intended to be used as the main north-south truck route, something the ring road will not change. Restricting trucks to some extent from using 16th avenue though is more realistic to happen.

Originally Posted by polishavenger

The freeways in the U.S seem to have more intelligent interchanges, with flyovers that retain a gradual curve (the ones in the proposed ring road interchanges are really sharp and reduce speeds), something along the lines of what is being built at Mcknight.

Yep, which is why I don't get those new interchanges, although I suspect that the design they are using was chosen more for cost (cheaper to build a single tiered bridge, then a two tiered bridge with the upper level at twice the height). I can understand that design being used for the 16th avenue one since they are only building 1/2 the interchange right now and the rest later, at which point lanes get re-arrange anyways, but not for a full interchange like the Deerfoot one.

[The Chemist]

The Deerfoot-Stoney interchange doesn't look too problematic to me - the flyovers look like they aren't too sharply curved. Of course, there are a couple of cloverleaf loops which could be a problem, though.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by The Chemist

The Deerfoot-Stoney interchange doesn't look too problematic to me - the flyovers look like they aren't too sharply curved. Of course, there are a couple of cloverleaf loops which could be a problem, though.

The cloverleaf loops shouldn't be a problem, those are the two "left turns" with the least traffic, plus they are still well separated from the main traffic flow.

The flyovers are probobly designed so you don't have to slow down.

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

The cloverleaf loops shouldn't be a problem, those are the two "left turns" with the least traffic, plus they are still well separated from the main traffic flow.

The flyovers are probobly designed so you don't have to slow down.

That may be true, but anybody who drives in Calgary just knows that most idiots will still slow down to a snail's pace anyway.

[Riise]

Originally Posted by lubicon

That may be true, but anybody who drives in Calgary just knows that most idiots will still slow down to a snail's pace anyway.

And those stupid suggested speed limit signs don't help either!

[polishavenger]

everyone keeps saying how the flyovers are designed so traffic doesnt have to slow down. This is the exact opposite of what will happen when these interchanges are built. Has anyone driven the deerfoot barlow trail interchange? Try not slowing down when exiting off deerfoot onto north bound barlow. That ramp is horribly sharp, and that is the same design used on the ring road.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by polishavenger

everyone keeps saying how the flyovers are designed so traffic doesnt have to slow down. This is the exact opposite of what will happen when these interchanges are built. Has anyone driven the deerfoot barlow trail interchange? Try not slowing down when exiting off deerfoot onto north bound barlow. That ramp is horribly sharp, and that is the same design used on the ring road.

Barlow isn't a freeway though, it's speed limit isn't 100 anyway, so you are going to have to slow down sooner or later either way. I don't have any actual numbers, but I'd imagine that the radii or the ring road flyover ramps are greater then the Deerfoot/Barlow one.

[polishavenger]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

Barlow isn't a freeway though, it's speed limit isn't 100 anyway, so you are going to have to slow down sooner or later either way. I don't have any actual numbers, but I'd imagine that the radii or the ring road flyover ramps are greater then the Deerfoot/Barlow one.

I think people are missing my point. The barlow/deerfoot interchange looks like it utilizes basically the same curve as the proposed ring road interchanges, which has a very pronounced and sharp curve. Many of the major freeway intersections in the United States utilize a significantly more gradual curve, which anectotally seem to take up less space, and provide a gentler transition from one road way to the next.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by polishavenger

I think people are missing my point. The barlow/deerfoot interchange looks like it utilizes basically the same curve as the proposed ring road interchanges, which has a very pronounced and sharp curve. Many of the major freeway intersections in the United States utilize a significantly more gradual curve, which anectotally seem to take up less space, and provide a gentler transition from one road way to the next.

No, I get exactly what you are saying. I'd be surprised if the ring road loops were as sharp as the barlow one, since barlow isn't a freeway. But I don't have any exact numbers or anything, so I could be wrong.

The ramp wouldn't have to take up much more space to make a huge difference. At barlow, they used up all the room that was available.

[korzym]

just north of 16th:

[mersar]

Thanks for the updates, good to see the progress thats already been made!