Calgary Stoney Trail [Ring Road]

[mersar]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

Fall 2013 was the scheduled opening date from the beginning, I would think that's still the plan.

Yep. Various pieces may open earlier (any of the interchanges for instance) but the main part of Stoney will be fall 2013. That said, I did hear a rumor that they may open 17th to Glenmore prior to that.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

Fall 2013 was the scheduled opening date from the beginning, I would think that's still the plan.

Do they put some of the interchanges into service at different times? For example, Cranston Blvd/MacKenzie Lake is pretty advanced. That should be completed by this fall.

Less traffic lights on 22x means I can get to the bottleneck at Douglasdale that much faster.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

Do they put some of the interchanges into service at different times? For example, Cranston Blvd/MacKenzie Lake is pretty advanced. That should be completed by this fall.

Less traffic lights on 22x means I can get to the bottleneck at Douglasdale that much faster.

Traffic will transition onto completed interchanges when they are complete, in order to finish up the work along Stoney Trail/22x.

I would certainly think that some of the lights will be gone well before next fall.

[Mazrim]

There are fairly significant amounts of money per day the contractor owes for going over the scheduled opening date, so you can be sure they will do everything in their power to avoid being late.

[mersar]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

Traffic will transition onto completed interchanges when they are complete, in order to finish up the work along Stoney Trail/22x.

I would certainly think that some of the lights will be gone well before next fall.

Yep. And parts of 22X will be on their new alignments too (especially going through the 22X/Stoney/88th interchange) before then I'd bet. I could see several stretches of 22X being moved to the new alignment before the rest opens just due to the difference in that its an existing roadway.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by mersar

Yep. And parts of 22X will be on their new alignments too (especially going through the 22X/Stoney/88th interchange) before then I'd bet. I could see several stretches of 22X being moved to the new alignment before the rest opens just due to the difference in that its an existing roadway.

places like 22x/88th will have to move onto a revised alignment to finish the grading properly, so it will definitely be open before the ultimate opening date.

[DoubleK]

If that is the case, presumably WB 22x will be free flow to McLeod Trail long before that interchange is functional. I last time I saw a proposed schedule for the McLeod/Stoney Trail interchange was an ISD of 2014.

That is going to be a mess during afternoon rush hour for two years. I am surprised they didn't include the next set of lights west of McLeod trail. That would be a relatively straightforward interchange and would not impact the design of the SWRR.

[mersar]

Went and took a look around the Nosehill interchange area over the weekend, heres a few shots:


Stoney @ Nosehill Interchange - New CPR bridge by Jason R. Reid, on Flickr


Stoney @ Nosehill Interchange - New CPR Bridge by Jason R. Reid, on Flickr


Temporary road for Stoney @ Nosehill Detour by Jason R. Reid, on Flickr

They've also started grading and doing earthmoving on the interchange site itself, theres about a half dozen pieces of equipment on the west side of Stoney there doing work. The existing 87th Street connector between Nosehill and Bearspaw Dam Road is also being widened plus the new connector on the west side of the water treatment plant (in the picture above) is also being worked on.

[5seconds]

So I know I posted my timeline of the history of the SW Ring Road a little while ago, but I am now finally writing a more detailed account of the issues that have surrounded this road for decades. I started a blog http://calgaryringroad.wordpress.com where I am collecting the results of 18 months of research.

I still have dozens of topics yet to cover, but I think I finally have a good amount of information (and maps, photos, newspaper articles etc) up already to make it an interesting read. There is the timeline still, but I have been expanding on some of the more important parts.

I hope some people find it an interesting and informative resource. Everything (apart from the occasional personal comment) is backed up with evidence, and while I am against a 37th street/Weaselhead crossing, I have tried to keep it as factual and unbiased as possible.

(Hopefully) everything you need to know about the SW Ring Road: http://calgaryringroad.wordpress.com

EDIT: I should also mention that if anyone has something to add or correct, please don't hesitate to let me know. I want to get as close as I can to the truth, and I think people here might know some of this better than anyone else.

[Misterspiffy]

Originally Posted by mersar

Has anyone noticed any signage they may have put up on 16th ave on either side of the city, specifically if they've put up any signs indicating that Stoney is a bypass route? I was going to come in on 16th this morning but I was running late but I am curious if they have. Though they also still have a few signs along the existing NW portion that need to be removed, specifically the "Truck traffic use Beddington and Country Hills to access Highway 2" signs that were still there last night.

I can't speak to 16 Avenue from the east or west, but on Deerfoot coming from the north there are newly-installed signs at the Stoney Trail exit noting that it is now a Bypass route to Hwy 1 West - Banff and Hwy 1 East - Medicine Hat.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Misterspiffy

I can't speak to 16 Avenue from the east or west, but on Deerfoot coming from the north there are newly-installed signs at the Stoney Trail exit noting that it is now a Bypass route to Hwy 1 West - Banff and Hwy 1 East - Medicine Hat.

Funny...I remember them saying they didn't want to put those up, ever. Glad they came to their senses on this one.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Funny...I remember them saying they didn't want to put those up, ever. Glad they came to their senses on this one.

Yeah, I saw those signs the other day too., but forgot to mention them. It makes so much sense for them to be up.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by 5seconds

So I know I posted my timeline of the history of the SW Ring Road a little while ago, but I am now finally writing a more detailed account of the issues that have surrounded this road for decades. I started a blog http://calgaryringroad.wordpress.com where I am collecting the results of 18 months of research.

I still have dozens of topics yet to cover, but I think I finally have a good amount of information (and maps, photos, newspaper articles etc) up already to make it an interesting read. There is the timeline still, but I have been expanding on some of the more important parts.

Just wanted to say thanks for putting that site together! It's a great compilation of a ton of information and I hope more people can find it so they can be properly informed. Simply put, the best course of action is to hammer out some kind of deal with the reserve and get things moving...in my opinion.

[mersar]

Tons of work happening in the SE. Took a couple videos along 22X that I'll get posted in a couple days, just need to edit them a bit. Looks like every bridge structure at Deerfoot/Stoney is underway now, will be quite the interchange when its done.

[5seconds]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Just wanted to say thanks for putting that site together! It's a great compilation of a ton of information and I hope more people can find it so they can be properly informed. Simply put, the best course of action is to hammer out some kind of deal with the reserve and get things moving...in my opinion.

Thanks! I'm just glad to be able to put some of this research into a place that's accessible to everyone (I find it interesting anyway!). Just put a new post up today, and am aiming for about one a week.

[Cage]

Carmacks have been doing their annual frost bump repairs. great job so far as there were some big bumps by Deerfoot/Stoney.

Another welcome change occured at Stoney/Beddington. Old configuration had both the SB Beddington and NB Beddington merge (NB Beddington even had a full yield sign that was ignored by all) prior to going up the big hill for WB Stoney. The new configuration has each on ramp with it own merge lane. As a frequent user of SB Beddington to WB Stoney the new configuration is a great relief and a big reduction in collision risk.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by Cage

Carmacks have been doing their annual frost bump repairs. great job so far as there were some big bumps by Deerfoot/Stoney.

Another welcome change occured at Stoney/Beddington. Old configuration had both the SB Beddington and NB Beddington merge (NB Beddington even had a full yield sign that was ignored by all) prior to going up the big hill for WB Stoney. The new configuration has each on ramp with it own merge lane. As a frequent user of SB Beddington to WB Stoney the new configuration is a great relief and a big reduction in collision risk.

Related to this, there is now a continuous lane from 16th Ave in the east to 16th Ave in the west.

[Stang]

Originally Posted by Cage

Another welcome change occured at Stoney/Beddington. Old configuration had both the SB Beddington and NB Beddington merge (NB Beddington even had a full yield sign that was ignored by all) prior to going up the big hill for WB Stoney. The new configuration has each on ramp with it own merge lane. As a frequent user of SB Beddington to WB Stoney the new configuration is a great relief and a big reduction in collision risk.

This is a huge improvement. I frequently go from NB Beddington to WB Stoney (the side with the right of way as you approach that yield sign). I have had so many near misses and frustrating moments (picking up speed to enter the highway only to have some ass hat ignore the yield and pull in front of you going 50) that I have lost count.

The new configuration ensures that the two lanes of Stoney continue through normally (as Thneed pointed out) instead of that left lane magically appearing. And the NB Beddington to WB Stoney traffic get a new lane instead of having to deal with that yield that nobody obeys, and then also having to merge before the Shaganappi exit. It actually helps the whole flow up that hill because there are less lane changes necessary for everyone.

But speaking of Stoney - why is it so hard for people to get up to 100 on that road? I'm not asking anyone to speed, but putting along at 80 for no good reason is simply dangerous. I'm quite frankly puzzled that people can't seem to get up to speed on Stoney.

[YYCguys]

On that stretch between Beddington/Shag/Sarcee, the incline prevents a lot of big trucks from getting up to speed. The extra lane on Stoney is a godsend! But a lot of people still think that it's the same speed limit as Deerfoot, and therefore go 110 or higher! Not sure why, when there's lots of signage indicating 100! Sheesh!

[Cage]

Originally Posted by Stang

But speaking of Stoney - why is it so hard for people to get up to 100 on that road? I'm not asking anyone to speed, but putting along at 80 for no good reason is simply dangerous. I'm quite frankly puzzled that people can't seem to get up to speed on Stoney.

For a lot of folks, particularly on the NW portion of Stoney, the reason for failure to get up to speed has to do with the relative short distance of travel on the road. A lot of people are only using stoney for Crow to Country Hills, Nose Hill to Crow, Country Hills to Sarcee, etc. THese people sometimes don;t see the value in accelerating to full speed for the 30 seconds they are on Stoney.