Highway 107 Upgrades (Burnside Expressway) | U/C

[kph06]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The ROW would be undeveloped land so I seriously doubt a high valuation of it would be upheld in a court, if it went that far. It's not like you are expropriating a money-making asset.

This simply sounds like undue influence and coercion by a very well-connected company.

The land is the money making asset - the quarry is huge business and was probably the smartest move the company made in their early years. Additionally, the closer you get to it with a road, blasting setbacks encroach on more productive ground.

[Dmajackson]

Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal has updated the webpage for this project with the diagram shown on the last page.

I zoomed into to the Bedford area and was pleasantly surprised to see a new Collector/Express system for Highway 102 inbound between Exits 4C (Glendale) and 4B (Highway 101). Traffic heading from Hwy 102 SB to Highway 101 will have to exit at Glendale and use the new collector system. Highway 107 will merge and there will be an exit to the left for 102 SB and the rest will continue onto the existing 101 on-ramp.

The key for figuring out the interchange design is remembering the vast majority of the traffic on Highway 107 will be going to/from Glendale Avenue and Highway 101. A small percentage will be Bedford traffic heading to Dartmouth Crossing/Newer Burnside from Bedford Highway and 102 NB. There will also be some traffic from Rocky Lake/Bedford Commons. Highway 102 inbound shouldn't contribute at all because of Highway 118.

The only thing that surprised me a bit was the jump to a full highway along Duke Street. Older plans showed a roundabout at Rocky Lake Road as the initial access point with the full highway as a future phase. The new plan skips Rocky Lake and Duke Street completely. As a trade off the full C/E system and upgrade to the 101/102 interchange has disappeared.

[Keith P.]

I cannot believe they have scrapped redevelopment of the ancient and lethal 102/101 interchange. That thing should have been redone 30 years ago.

[Franco401]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I cannot believe they have scrapped redevelopment of the ancient and lethal 102/101 interchange. That thing should have been redone 30 years ago.

Is there any chance the 107 extension will ease traffic volumes on 101/102?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Did I miss it, or is there no mention of the active trail that was supposed to follow beside the highway?

[q12]

Originally Posted by Franco401

Is there any chance the 107 extension will ease traffic volumes on 101/102?

Yes some people in Bedford who head southbound on the 102 (Bi-Hi) and cross the Mackay Bridge will now head northbound on the 102 onto the 107 to get to Burnside/Dartmouth.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by q12

Yes some people in Bedford who head southbound on the 102 (Bi-Hi) and cross the Mackay Bridge will now head northbound on the 102 onto the 107 to get to Burnside/Dartmouth.

I'm not sure how many do that at present. It is a significantly longer route that way. The issue with the interchange is not coming frm that direction anyway. It is outbound traffic heading to Bedford which needs to exit onto the Bedford highway. There is a very short exit lane from the 102 and no merge lane at all on the Bedford Highway.

[q12]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I'm not sure how many do that at present. It is a significantly longer route that way. The issue with the interchange is not coming frm that direction anyway. It is outbound traffic heading to Bedford which needs to exit onto the Bedford highway. There is a very short exit lane from the 102 and no merge lane at all on the Bedford Highway.

If you are coming from Halifax going North on the Bi-Hi and you want to go to Dartmouth, you either have to get off the highway and go up Dartmouth Road by the Chickenburger, or go all the way to Fall river and get off the 102 onto the 118.

Or even more convoluted you could get off the 102 at Glendale and head down Cobequid and loop back on to the bedford-bypass.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Franco401

Is there any chance the 107 extension will ease traffic volumes on 101/102?

Most likely will balance out in the grand scheme but it could make that interchange worse in the morning rush. Traffic from Highway 101 suburbs heading to MacKay or Burnside all use Magazine Hill right now. The Burnside Expressway will siphon off traffic heading to Upper Burnside, Dartmouth Crossing, City of Lakes and the small percentage heading to Mic Mac Mall or the Highway 111 corridor. It will also siphon some of the MacKay traffic that will be attracted by the higher speed limit (110 & 80 vs 90 and 60), fewer traffic lights (3 vs 4), ease of access to the MacPass-only lanes inbound in the morning and avoiding slow-moving vehicles on Magazine Hill in the afternoon.

In the morning this siphoned traffic will use the 101/102 interchange and in particular the tight 101 - 102 NB ramp with no merge lane. The plans have no fix for this problem. In the afternoon its no issue because the new C/E system will keep the same people off of the main 102 SB lanes entirely.

Mind you direct access from Glendale onto the Expressway should take a lot of traffic off of Highway 101.

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Did I miss it, or is there no mention of the active trail that was supposed to follow beside the highway?

That is up in the air.

It is an Halifax project so it wouldn't be included in the provincial agreement for funding with the federal government.

Don't quote me but IIRC the original agreement was the province would clear the corridor and do the rough grading for the greenway at minimal extra cost to them (greenway would be within the required clear buffer for 100-series highways). The municipality would pay ~$2 million to construct the actual greenway and safety fencing. The issue right now is the cost has doubled for the municipality and for the greenway to have strong usage Halifax would have to build a connection to Sackville from Rocky Lake (can't dump cyclists onto Glendale), and finish the Burnside Drive Greenway.

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I'm not sure how many do that at present. It is a significantly longer route that way. The issue with the interchange is not coming frm that direction anyway. It is outbound traffic heading to Bedford which needs to exit onto the Bedford highway. There is a very short exit lane from the 102 and no merge lane at all on the Bedford Highway.

Almost nobody from Fall River/Waverley and beyond would use the Burnside Expressway because of the 118. It's hard to justify a long detour when you have a straight 100km/h expressway with easy access to both bridges and three exits to Burnside.

Originally Posted by q12

If you are coming from Halifax going North on the Bi-Hi and you want to go to Dartmouth, you either have to get off the highway and go up Dartmouth Road by the Chickenburger, or go all the way to Fall river and get off the 102 onto the 118.

Or even more convoluted you could get off the 102 at Glendale and head down Cobequid and loop back on to the bedford-bypass.

I get off on Highway 101 take the Sackville Drive exit, left onto Old Sackville, right onto Twelve Mile, right onto Sackville and straight onto the Bypass to avoid the Sunnyside traffic congestion. In the evening rush if I'm going from Sackville or Hammonds Plains to a family member's house in East Bedford I'll do that loop, go down the Bypass to the ammunition depot and turn around and head up to Dartmouth Road. The merge onto Magazine Hill at rush hour is suicidal and often involves waiting until a heavy vehicle clogs up traffic (which leaves a gap in front of them). In rare cases a slow-moving vehicle will pass the heavy vehicle and you get both lanes free to get to the poorly designed Dartmouth Road interchange.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Almost nobody from Fall River/Waverley and beyond would use the Burnside Expressway because of the 118. It's hard to justify a long detour when you have a straight 100km/h expressway with easy access to both bridges and three exits to Burnside.

Your other points are good but this is non sequitur. I was not talking about people going to Waverly or Fall River but rather traffic heading from Halifax on the 102 going to Bedford. That no-merge exit onto the Bedford Highway is lethal.

I get off on Highway 101 take the Sackville Drive exit, left onto Old Sackville, right onto Twelve Mile, right onto Sackville and straight onto the Bypass to avoid the Sunnyside traffic congestion. In the evening rush if I'm going from Sackville or Hammonds Plains to a family member's house in East Bedford I'll do that loop, go down the Bypass to the ammunition depot and turn around and head up to Dartmouth Road. The merge onto Magazine Hill at rush hour is suicidal and often involves waiting until a heavy vehicle clogs up traffic (which leaves a gap in front of them). In rare cases a slow-moving vehicle will pass the heavy vehicle and you get both lanes free to get to the poorly designed Dartmouth Road interchange.

Such a convoluted route! Indicative of our poorly-designed road network that has been given zero attention over the years in this area. No wonder traffic is so bad.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Thanks DJ, I thought it strange to have not heard much about the active trail since the route was changed, as it was a fairly big news item when it was first announced. I guess we'll see what happens with it.

When I look at the proposal, the whole interchange around the Lower Sackville side seems like a bit of a mess. It kind of reminds me of what they did with the 118 around Dartmouth Crossing, with parallel lanes coming and going, but this one actually looks more complicated.



And yes, there are some pretty sketchy interchanges still remaining, that were probably out of date in the 1960s when they were built, but are on the verge of being dangerous now. They need to be changed.

[someone123]

Here's a satellite photo from April showing some clearing:

https://api.discover.digitalglobe.co...3001008FB6C300

[Dengler Avenue]

Once Burnside Connector is built, will the current Trunk 7 between 118 and 102 be downgraded from a RIRO expressway to just a normal four-lane arterial road?

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by someone123

Here's a satellite photo from April showing some clearing:

https://api.discover.digitalglobe.co...3001008FB6C300

That is what you call "a long way to go".

[atbw]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Once Burnside Connector is built, will the current Trunk 7 between 118 and 102 be downgraded from a RIRO expressway to just a normal four-lane arterial road?

It might make sense to give it transit priority treatment.

[Jstaleness]

Originally Posted by atbw

It might make sense to give it transit priority treatment.

Yes. It does.

[Keith P.]

Oh my.

Halifax council puts Burnside walking, biking trail on back burner

Halifax regional council has decided now is not the time to build a walking and biking trail along the Burnside Expressway.

The province has recently moved the expressway, which will connect the Bedford and Sackville areas with the Burnside Industrial Park, to the top of its priority list.

When the province was first considering the work in 2011, the estimated cost of adding a trail was $1 million. Now that estimate has risen to between $5.5 million and $7 million, and provincial officials want a commitment by the end of August.

A new staff report presented to council Tuesday suggests either a multi-modal path or a dedicated bus lane along the Magazine Hill is a better idea.

"It's shorter, closer to more population centres and costs less," said Coun. Sam Austin.

The staff report estimates that adding an active transportation pathway to the Magazine Hill would cost a minimum of $3.5 to $4.1 million. Construction would not begin until after completion of the Burnside Expressway, currently expected to wrap up in 2023-24.

Some councillors said it would be short-sighted not to add the active transportation trail along the expressway.

"I would hate to see us lose an opportunity," said Coun. David Hendsbee. "This is going to become a very busy corridor and we need the connectivity."

Halifax planners will negotiate with provincial officials to determine whether the Burnside Expressway can be built in such a way to allow the construction of an active transportation route in the future.

Hold on to your wallets. The HCC/EAC cycling lobby will undoubtedly demand a tunnel to navigate this steep hill.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Oh my.

Hold on to your wallets. The HCC/EAC cycling lobby will undoubtedly demand a tunnel to navigate this steep hill.

A tunnel would keep the cyclists safe from the elements and perhaps could be heated in the wintertime too!

Yeah, that's the ticket............

Let's do it!!

[OldDartmouthMark]

Question for the avid cyclists on this forum: Would the $7 million be better spent on this active trail, or the Macdonald Bridge flyover. Same price, different projects.

In my opinion, the active trail would be better value for the money in that it spans a longer distance, creates a way to safely cycle from Sackville to Burnside (which doesn't exist currently), and the timing is right for it to be the cheapest and have the best result, being built in conjunction with the roadway.

But... I'm not an avid cyclist. What say you?

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Question for the avid cyclists on this forum: Would the $7 million be better spent on this active trail, or the Macdonald Bridge flyover. Same price, different projects.

In my opinion, the active trail would be better value for the money in that it spans a longer distance, creates a way to safely cycle from Sackville to Burnside (which doesn't exist currently), and the timing is right for it to be the cheapest and have the best result, being built in conjunction with the roadway.

But... I'm not an avid cyclist. What say you?

Obviously I am not one either, but I agree with your view here. The Macdonald flyover is totally unnecessary, a gift from Mason and his buddies in the Planning Dept to Kelsey "Bike" Lane, ex-leader of the HCC, now promoted to a job at the EAC. The problem of the Barrington exit/hill is easily resolved at far less cost by a button-activated signal at the Halifax end of the bridge with an opening cut in the fence, or has also been suggested, utilizing both the pedestrian walkway and existing bike lane on either side as shared paths.

If this project went from a budget estimate of $1 million to $7 million I can only imagine what the estimate of $7 million for the Macdonald project will end up as. I have been using $10 million but perhaps I am too conservative there.