Calgary Stoney Trail [Ring Road]

[YYCguys]

I'm surprised that Memorial isn't being extended out to the ring road. People coming into the core from Chestermere, etc would have the added option of TCH to Ring Road to Memorial (Memorial east of 36th Street is rarely busy, it seems, so this would be a good alternate route).

Perhaps they could build Memorial under the Ring Road to 84 and do the same with 32nd Ave NE, with no ring road access but at least connecting 84th to the city via those 2 routes.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Plans for the ring road, LRT expansions, GE5, McKnight free-flow, <<insert project here>> were all on the books years before the current boom.

They were and they had time horizons of as much as 30 years. The city has already hit population milestones a decade ahead of even the high growth planning scenaris.

[YYCguys]

These business owners aren't seeing the bigger picture. More people will travel along a freeway than on a substandard road like 84th, so the ring road could actually increase the visibility of these businesses and bring in more customers. Perhaps they should set up a meeting with business owners backing onto the Deerfoot and get the opinions of them.

Looking on the other side of the coin, however, I am a bit surprised that the ring road route didn't take an 84th Street alignment. Then there could have been access to the businesses and mobile home park from within the communities themselves.

[The Chemist]

Who else here thinks they'll finish the east side of the ring road down to Deerfoot/22X as soon as they finish the current stretch to 17th? I'd be very suprised if that didn't happen, because doing that would basically make a 3/4 ring that would allow heavy truck traffic to bypass the city both North to South and East To West, taking significant traffic off of both Deerfoot and 16th Avenue.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by YYCguys

These business owners aren't seeing the bigger picture. More people will travel along a freeway than on a substandard road like 84th, so the ring road could actually increase the visibility of these businesses and bring in more customers. Perhaps they should set up a meeting with business owners backing onto the Deerfoot and get the opinions of them.

Looking on the other side of the coin, however, I am a bit surprised that the ring road route didn't take an 84th Street alignment. Then there could have been access to the businesses and mobile home park from within the communities themselves.

All of those businesses and the mobile home park would have been further away had the right-of-way been aligned with 84th. the right-of-way has been determined for many years already - that why all the communities (coral Springs, Monterry Park, Abbeydale, Applewood) to the west of the right of way didn't build any further out.

84th has seen a lot of upgrades, and is hardly substandard any longer, maybe a bit narrow, but any extra lanes added would have been way overkill once the ring road is built - at least for a while until more development occurs.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by The Chemist

Who else here thinks they'll finish the east side of the ring road down to Deerfoot/22X as soon as they finish the current stretch to 17th? I'd be very suprised if that didn't happen, because doing that would basically make a 3/4 ring that would allow heavy truck traffic to bypass the city both North to South and East To West, taking significant traffic off of both Deerfoot and 16th Avenue.

If the economy in Alberta stays as hot as it is, the rest of the East Freeway will start no later then when the NE section finishes, IMHO. The 3/4 ring would be very useful, that will take lots of truck traffic off of Deerfoot, which just the north half wouldn't do yet.

[Doug]

I agree that the southern section of the East Freeway will likely proceed as soon as the northern section opens. I've also heard rumors of the the ring road being moved from 22X to a more southerly alignment.

[The Chemist]

Originally Posted by Doug

I agree that the southern section of the East Freeway will likely proceed as soon as the northern section opens. I've also heard rumors of the the ring road being moved from 22X to a more southerly alignment.

They should move it to 196th so that it directly serves the new south hospital, if they're going to move the alignment.

[Doug]

I herad they were looking at an alignment south of the Deerfoot-Highway 2 split. Regardless, any aligment would require a new bridge across the Bow.

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by Doug

I've also heard rumors of the the ring road being moved from 22X to a more southerly alignment.

I doubt it. There is a wide right-of-way at 22x. I doubt there's much of a right-of-way protected at 196th. Cranston and Lake Chapperal are set way back from the road.

Plus any further southening (I think I just made up a word) of that stretch just makes the ring longer, and thus more expensive, and it would take more time to drive around it.

There are plans (more distant future) for the east freeway and Stoney Trail to be extended further south as freeways, though.

In related news:
I'm sure many people already know, but the Bridge over the Bow River on HWY 22x is being twinned, starting this year, according to the city's website.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Doug

They were and they had time horizons of as much as 30 years. The city has already hit population milestones a decade ahead of even the high growth planning scenaris.

Those horizons were set in the 1980s. Seriously.

The City pretty much stalled all infrastructure work for years, even when it was clear that the bust was over, the city was growing, and this work was sorely needed. Now they're trying to play catch up in just about the worst labour market to do it in.

Ah well, it's still easier to get around in Calgary (driving or transit) than in many other large Canadian cities.

[korzym]

They've already started work on it. between 16th ave and mcknight. They've grated three stretches...I must have seen about 3-4 earth movers and a bunch of trucks...we'll see if I can take some pictures later. not a spectacular view...just a yellow farm field with three black stretches and the earth movers working..I'll still try and see if I can get those pics later.

[mersar]

The bridge on 22x over the bow was actually started on initially last year, but it should be completed late this fall if I recall the timeline.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by korzym

They've already started work on it. between 16th ave and mcknight. They've grated three stretches...I must have seen about 3-4 earth movers and a bunch of trucks...we'll see if I can take some pictures later. not a spectacular view...just a yellow farm field with three black stretches and the earth movers working..I'll still try and see if I can get those pics later.

On that note, anyone who gets a chance to fly in or out of Calgary in the next little while should try to snap a photo of it. The NW ring road is MASSIVE right now, and entirely unpaved - but the whole thing is graded and looks pretty impressive from the air (for those of us that drive, anyway ).

I imagine the NE sections will look similar in a few weeks/months if they're going as fast as it looks. They typically have the roads nearly done (laid out and graded, anyway) long before bridgework even starts.

[korzym]

Originally Posted by freeweed

On that note, anyone who gets a chance to fly in or out of Calgary in the next little while should try to snap a photo of it. The NW ring road is MASSIVE right now, and entirely unpaved - but the whole thing is graded and looks pretty impressive from the air (for those of us that drive, anyway ).

I imagine the NE sections will look similar in a few weeks/months if they're going as fast as it looks. They typically have the roads nearly done (laid out and graded, anyway) long before bridgework even starts.

indeed. wow, I haven't been to the NW in a while...should visit friends then go ring road sight seeing lol
I thought they weren't going to start this for 2 years..these pics from last summer look extremely impressive

[Innersoul1]

Yeah, saw those exact angles when I was landing on Saturday, I was really quite impressed with the progress!

[Doug]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Those horizons were set in the 1980s. Seriously.

The City pretty much stalled all infrastructure work for years, even when it was clear that the bust was over, the city was growing, and this work was sorely needed. Now they're trying to play catch up in just about the worst labour market to do it in.

Ah well, it's still easier to get around in Calgary (driving or transit) than in many other large Canadian cities.

No they are from mid 90's planning initaitves like the 1995 GoPlan.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Doug

No they are from mid 90's planning initaitves like the 1995 GoPlan.

Someone in here has already posted seeing info and planning on the WLRT back in the mid-80s.

Hell, there was a long "cancelled Calgary projects" thread just a little while back - it wasn't just the city, it was private development too. Other than new suburbs, there seems to be nothing much built in this city between the mid-80s and 2000 or so. All the time the city was growing, too.

[You Need A Thneed]

New more detailed plans of the NE ring road now on the Alberta Infrastructure Website:

Link

[toddburns]

very nice, starting in forest lawn first right? near 17 ave se?