[St. John's] Transport development (Highways, Airport, and Public Transit)

[rthomasd]

Well, it appears that they hadn't bought all the land needed for phase 3 when construction started. Also it appears that the Feds weren't happy with their access at the Experimental Farm.

They did the roadbed as far as they could, but why did it stop just short of Brookfield when they could have gone on all the way to Howlett?

So, the plan for Phase 3 may still be in flux. They could save money on an overpass at the Experimental Farm by taking Brookfield Rd and rerouting traffic along the blue dotted line in the annotated map above. I expect the Province will try to limit further spending on this highway by limiting the overpass construction.

[goodgrowth]

Originally Posted by rthomasd

Well, it appears that they hadn't bought all the land needed for phase 3 when construction started. Also it appears that the Feds weren't happy with their access at the Experimental Farm.

They did the roadbed as far as they could, but why did it stop just short of Brookfield when they could have gone on all the way to Howlett?

So, the plan for Phase 3 may still be in flux. They could save money on an overpass at the Experimental Farm by taking Brookfield Rd and rerouting traffic along the blue dotted line in the annotated map above. I expect the Province will try to limit further spending on this highway by limiting the overpass construction.

Well I assumed they stopped because they weren't going to work on it until phase 2 was completed.

The research farm looks like it would need an overpass one way or the other. I don't really see what the issue is with the existing plan is. Looks like it provides access to both the highway and Brookfield road and the access road itself avoids most of the farmland so what's the deal?

The dotted blue line I shown was more for the business on the south side of the highway but even then it looks like they could access through Pearltown Rd. So again I'm not really sure what the issue with the existing plan is.

[rthomasd]

I don't know that there were any phases when the road started. In Jan 2010, Telegram reporter Steve Bartlett wrote that "the province intends to do clearing, grubbing and some sub-grade work in 2010, with the remainder of the sub-grade contracts happening in 2011, and 2012. If everything goes smoothly, the highway - connecting Outer Ring, Kenmount and Pitts Memorial Dr - is set to open in the latter part of 2012" . The grubbing, clearing and roadbed work was done very quickly but ended at Brookfield Rd without a reason given for the stoppage.

[Offshore1]

Originally Posted by goodgrowth

There should be a lot less work for phase 3. Less overpasses/ramping/roundabouts and the topography of that area seems like it would be a lot easier to build roads than phase 2 (hell a significant chunk is just being built on an existing part of Brookfield Rd).

From what I can tell there would only need to be two overpasses:

Not sure about the overpasses, but a roundabout at the junction of the TGH extension / Goulds Bypass / Pitts Ramps would be the way to go.
It's hard to make a left turn from the west bound off ramp to Goulds Bypass as it is and it'll only worsen once the extension to TGH is done.

Sure would be nice to see finalized route.

[rthomasd]

At what point will the Gov give up on the City's Blackmarsh Rd project and open the TGH ?

They are still doing curb and sidewalk work and no sign of paving on the Blackmarsh Rd re-direct.

There's easily a week's work left and it looks like winter has arrived. Weather doesn't look good for
the next week or so with another dump of snow on the weekend and low temps.

[wmemeadusjr]

Originally Posted by rthomasd

At what point will the Gov give up on the City's Blackmarsh Rd project and open the TGH ?

They are still doing curb and sidewalk work and no sign of paving on the Blackmarsh Rd re-direct.

There's easily a week's work left and it looks like winter has arrived. Weather doesn't look good for
the next week or so with another dump of snow on the weekend and low temps.

As usual, most of the work didn't seem to start until after the Labour Day weekend. I've seen very little work going on in May, June, July and August in the last several years. It seems that September, October and November are now our big roadwork months. Now they are scrambling to finish up. Yesterday for example, in the wind, snow and rain, no less, crews were pouring sidewalks on Kenmount Road.

[Offshore1]

Originally Posted by rthomasd

At what point will the Gov give up on the City's Blackmarsh Rd project and open the TGH ?

They are still doing curb and sidewalk work and no sign of paving on the Blackmarsh Rd re-direct.

There's easily a week's work left and it looks like winter has arrived. Weather doesn't look good for
the next week or so with another dump of snow on the weekend and low temps.

Looking back through this thread it looks like it was early June before any noticeable work began on the TGH this year.
I'll say it once again, if only work could begin earlier they wouldn't be dealing with lousy weather in late fall like they are now.
This goes for all construction - not just the TGH. Why can't they get going around the 1st of May? Surely that'd be preferable than trying to work in November weather. More daylight, more efficient since night construction is almost unheard of here and possibly less costly - less overruns?

[jjavman]

Originally Posted by rthomasd

At what point will the Gov give up on the City's Blackmarsh Rd project and open the TGH ?

They are still doing curb and sidewalk work and no sign of paving on the Blackmarsh Rd re-direct.

Not sure that Blackmarsh re-direct has any bearing on TGH opening? Access is available now off the roundabout.

I assumed the delay was completion of guardrailing, which they are still actively working on. Also, some ramp entry signs weren't completed as of a couple days ago. At the beginning of this week they were working on guardrails at the (almost) 90 deg bend before Blackmarsh underpass. Also some guardrail work on the former portion just North of Kenmount.

Once contracted work is finished, the DOT has to inspect and sign off that details are fulfilled. If the route were opened, any deficiencies would then be harder to remedy.

[rthomasd]

I don't believe you can legally access the TGH from the roundabout. The on-ramps are blocked.
Yes, guardrailing is absolutely necessary and should be done before opening.

The Blackmarsh re-direct will allow easy access to Columbus Drive via Capt Whelan, so it's an important project. Don't know why the City waited till mid-Sept to call tenders for it. That work could easily have been done during the summer, the money came from a hold-back from development of the Westfield Condo project.

[jjavman]

Originally Posted by rthomasd

I don't believe you can legally access the TGH from the roundabout.

Correct. My point was simply it is completed, allowing access from Blackmarsh. i.e. Not holding up the opening.

In the last few days, they have placed concrete barriers blocking the ramps,
after people started using the route after hours. They were mostly left open for the last month.

Speaking of barriers; they have deposited a row of them along the centre line portion of the Southbound lanes which proceed around the turn just before Blackmarsh underpass. No clue what this would be for at this point in time, unless it is just a pickup area for said barricades?

[rthomasd]

They've moved the barriers at the Blackmarch Rd overpass now to block one of the lanes leading to the overpass. Perhaps they are about to do some work on the under area of the overpass, repairs perhaps?

In the meantime, they just started some work on the TGH Topsail Rd intersection, looks like a new right-hand lane.
City says the Blackmarsh Rd re-direct should be finished Nov 21st. Barriers have been removed from the Hamlyn Rd / Capt Whelan intersection and traffic lights have been installed,
but not yet activated.

It's a really rough ride in that whole area.

[613_YYT]

The 5 year provincial road plan survey is still active (although is said it would be taken down on the 16th) so don't wait to submit.

https://www.engagenl.ca/content/prov...ojects-2019-20

I'll also suggest that you add comments on how the provincial government needs an active transportation and regional transit plan. This could include proper, safe bikes lanes or bus only/car pool lanes. There is federal money available to fund those types of projects.

[rthomasd]

Originally Posted by rthomasd

They've moved the barriers at the Blackmarch Rd overpass now to block one of the lanes leading to the overpass. Perhaps they are about to do some work on the under area of the overpass, repairs perhaps?

In the meantime, they just started some work on the TGH Topsail Rd intersection, looks like a new right-hand lane.
City says the Blackmarsh Rd re-direct should be finished Nov 21st. Barriers have been removed from the Hamlyn Rd / Capt Whelan intersection and traffic lights have been installed,
but not yet activated.

It's a really rough ride in that whole area.

Still a rough ride through there.

The traffic lights at Blackmarsh / Capt Whelan are ON but blinking.

The City has now closed Blackmarsh Rd till Dec 7th.

Will the Gov't continue to delay opening TGH until this work is finished ???

[jeddy1989]

WestJet cancels direct flight from St. John's to Dublin

This is terrible...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...lled-1.4915936

[statbass]

Originally Posted by jeddy1989

WestJet cancels direct flight from St. John's to Dublin

This is terrible...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...lled-1.4915936

That is terrible, this is the second canceled international flight this year at YYT. Westjet canceled the seasonal flight to Gatwick last winter. It seems like a never-ending revolving door of adding and canceling international flights. I guess the only culture we like to see is that of southern Florida... uh-oh!

[613_YYT]

Originally Posted by jeddy1989

WestJet cancels direct flight from St. John's to Dublin

This is terrible...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...lled-1.4915936

Unfortunately the uptake wasn't there and it just wasn't profitable. Even if a lot of people boarded at YYT the flight still originated in Calgary or Edmonton.

Here is some background about how their aging 767 fleet was plagued with delays and cancellations that ultimately led to the Gatwick flight being cut. Probably similar to the Dublin service.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/wes...elms-1.4131987

Hopefully they will be able to restore some service once they receive the 787. Then again, 787's are smaller and have the range to fly direct from YYC-LHR.

[jeddy1989]

Disappointment On Both Sides Of Atlantic After Dublin Flight Cancellation

Disappointment continues to mount on both sides of the pond in the wake of Westjet’s decision to eliminate its seasonal daily non-stop direct service between St. John’s and Dublin, Ireland. Kieran Cronin has written an open letter to WestJet and set up a Facebook page to hear from people.

Cronin, the Deputy Librarian at the Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies, Waterford Institute of Technology, got some numbers from the Central Statistics Office in Ireland on the weekend, and found passenger volumes have been growing steadily since WestJet launched the service in 2014.

He says 22,045 passengers left Dublin for St. John’s in 2017, up from 14,433 direct passengers in 2014.

He says it’s an important air connection and he doesn’t believe that the airline had much correspondence or communication with people on the ground.

http://vocm.com/news/disappointment-...-cancellation/

St. John’s Fights For Dublin Flight, While Others Look Elsewhere

St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen isn’t ready to accept WestJet’s decision to terminate the direct flight between St. John’s and Dublin, Ireland, so he’s reaching out to company executives.

Mayor Breen says representatives at WestJet have responded to his request for a meeting but there is no date yet for the get-together. He sees the cancellation of the seasonal flight as a disappointment – and a surprising one at that.

Breen, pointing to the newly-built convention centre that he wants to see in full use, says the move will have an impact on sports tourism.

The mayor is optimistic that passenger volumes would have continued to increase. A Facebook page created by a librarian at the Centre for Newfoundland Studies in Waterford, Ireland says statistics he has seen show an increase to 22,000 passengers last year from 14,000 when the flight was launched in 2014.

Breen worries about not having a connection to Europe as the oil and gas industry matures in the province. He believes the need for a direct connection will only increase as Newfoundland continues to work toward the Atlantic Ocean Supercluster plan.

Look Across the Pond for Airlines, says Murphy
George Murphy, former politician and a cab driver who also crunches gas price numbers as the Consumer Group for Fair Gas Prices, has suggested that it’s time to court Aer Lingus, an Irish airline that has already expressed a desire to expand its service to North America.

Murphy weighed in on the issue on the Newfoundland Ireland Direct Connection Facebook page.

He says the company put out a request for proposals to open up more trans-Atlantic routes and that’s something that could, or should, be explored.

He wants to know if St. John’s or other NL airports received the RFP.

http://vocm.com/news/st-johns-fights...ook-elsewhere/

[jjavman]

This little blurb in the Telegram

https://www.thetelegram.com/news/loc...ighway-263271/

[J_Murphy]

Nevermind, removed my comment as I misunderstood the statement in the story.

[Horsell]

Originally Posted by J_Murphy

Maybe I'm missing something, but why won't you be able to access the highway if you are going eastbound on Kenmount. Says in this article you will have to access via Kelsey. Will that be temporary or permanent?

You are not missing something, that's the way it is going to be because there was nowhere they could have (without expropriation of some property) to put a proper ramp from Kenmount (heading East) to TGH (heading Northwest. There is a similar problem in the east end where you have to go through Stavanger Dr.

I can see drivers making a left turn off Kenmount onto the TGH ramp (difficult turn however) down by the Capital Hotel to avoid going through Kelsey Dr.