City and Airport Authority ink tunnel deal!

[dino_martini]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...rt-tunnel.html

Its happening. It makes sense to me, this way the airport will have a direct connection to the ring road eventually.

NENSHI NENSHI NENSHI!

The Calgary Airport Authority has agreed to let the city build a tunnel under its new runway, officials announced Friday.

Officials with the city and the airport reached an agreement in principle that will see the contentious tunnel built in conjunction with the runway project, which is already underway.

The runway's construction forced the closure of Barlow Trail between 48th Avenue and Airport Road N.E. last month.

A tunnel would compensate for the loss of that route to the airport. It would go under the new runway, linking Airport Trail (96th Avenue N.E.) on the west side with 36th Street N.E. on the other side.

During negotiations that lasted several months, airport officials stipulated that they would allow the tunnel's construction only if the city committed to additional interchanges adjacent to it.

The costs for those were not factored in to the $295 million budget approved by council in February, and the province rejected a request to help with extra funding.

On Friday the city proposed going ahead with the tunnel now and completing the additional interchanges — one at 19th Street and one at Barlow Trail — at a later date.

Airport officials agreed in principle on Friday to that plan.

The tunnel is the "most viable way to provide future LRT to the airport terminal from the northeast LRT line," city officials said in written release.

A final agreement is expected to be in place by mid-June. Construction on the tunnel will begin this summer.

[Xtrema]

Meh.

For car traffic, it's retarded. That tunnel cuts may be 5min compare to using Country Hill? I rather see the tunnel reopening Barlow but i guess that won't be $300M

But if they make it with a C-train connector in mind, it's not bad move.

[PD77]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Meh.

For car traffic, it's retarded. That tunnel cuts may be 5min compare to using Country Hill?

But if they make it with a C-train connector in mind, it's not bad move.

Right now Country Hills, Deerfoot, McKnight, and 32nd are a complete mess in the morning because of the Barlow closure. I am taking the ring road now (which adds 15 minutes to my commute one way) directly because of it.

If they had completed all of the upgrades around Country Hills beforehand it wouldn't be a problem at all, but right now it's terrible.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by PD77
If they had completed all of the upgrades around Country Hills beforehand it wouldn't be a problem at all, but right now it's terrible.

I understand that Barlow carries quite a bit of non-airport traffic. This new tunnel doesn't help that at all.

[2000TL]

Originally posted by PD77


Right now Country Hills, Deerfoot, McKnight, and 32nd are a complete mess in the morning because of the Barlow closure. I am taking the ring road now (which adds 15 minutes to my commute one way) directly because of it.

If they had completed all of the upgrades around Country Hills beforehand it wouldn't be a problem at all, but right now it's terrible.

I agree. Ever since they closed off Barlow it's a mess going to work in the morning and coming back.

[Isaiah]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Meh.

For car traffic, it's retarded. That tunnel cuts may be 5min compare to using Country Hill...

5 min coming from where? If you're coming from anywhere south of CHB, it's more like 15 minutes each way if there isn't traffic. During heavy flow times, it can be 25+min each way.

BTW, I'm at the airport at least twice/week.

[Cos]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Meh.

For car traffic, it's retarded. That tunnel cuts may be 5min compare to using Country Hill? I rather see the tunnel reopening Barlow but i guess that won't be $300M

But if they make it with a C-train connector in mind, it's not bad move.

Agreed, I thought that was the plan the whole time. Kind of choked it wasnt.

[Guillermo]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Meh.

For car traffic, it's retarded. That tunnel cuts may be 5min compare to using Country Hill? I rather see the tunnel reopening Barlow but i guess that won't be $300M

But if they make it with a C-train connector in mind, it's not bad move.

huh, how is this retarded? read finkprof's many comments on these forums about how the tunnel will serve as a vital east-west corridor and also provide shorter airport access to communities over ALL of eastern and southern calgary. also, projects like this need to be built decades before they are really needed... which is something calgary hasn't done in the past (think ring road) which is why we have such major traffic issues in the city.

[syritis]

you'd think building a tunnel under an air traffic taxi lane connecting to barlow would be cheaper then under a huge fucking runway.

it really is a waste

I could think of a better use of $300m, like fixing every essential road that now looks like a motor cross track. or give me some of that money so i can buy some new fuckin tires, driving over all the half finished and temporary construction roads all winter has worn them out faster then expected.

[Cos]

Originally posted by syritis
you'd think building a tunnel under an air traffic taxi lane connecting to barlow would be cheaper then under a huge fucking runway.

I have been thinking that too. Leave barlow as is, build one tunnel under a taxi way not a runway. Barlow stays as is and the airport can build a ton more runways all they want. If they need another taxi way or extend a runway bury another part of barlow.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Guillermo


huh, how is this retarded? read finkprof's many comments on these forums about how the tunnel will serve as a vital east-west corridor and also provide shorter airport access to communities over ALL of eastern and southern calgary.

That's the role of CHB which already connects to Stoney. Not the extension of Airport Trail, eastward. CHB needs to be redesigned, upgraded, that's for sure. It should be a 2-3 lane highway with over/underpass like Glenmore.

Originally posted by Isaiah

5 min coming from where?

Using the tunnel connected to 36th St. VS CHB.



ok, 9 minutes



EDIT:

http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server....+Extension.htm

After reading this, I'm sorta on board with the tunnel decision. But I still think improving CHB is money better spent than the tunnel.

[Abeo]

I don't understand the push for the tunnel when 36th isn't even close to done. Finish that, connect it to CHB (with the proper amount of turn lanes and lights), then see how badly we need the tunnel.

Taking the detour from mcknight via CHB isn't that bad except it isn't designed to take the amount of traffic. When traffic is flowing, it only adds 5-10 min to the drive.

The real problem is people living north of the airport using the airport access routes as commuter routes, and the city dropping the ball on road planning. With all the new communities being built, it is stupid to build tunnels when we need more lanes on deerfoot and more capacity for the feeder/alternate routes.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Abeo
The real problem is people living north of the airport using the airport access routes as commuter routes, and the city dropping the ball on road planning. With all the new communities being built, it is stupid to build tunnels when we need more lanes on deerfoot and more capacity for the feeder/alternate routes.

http://www.calgaryjournalonline.ca/n...-matt-kennedy-

“I see it as the city having dropped the ball,” Stevenson said. ”This is such a terrible example of us having to react to growth rather than plan for growth. And that’s unfortunately too much of a legacy of this city.”

Traffic is fucked up now because Metis isn't ready to replace barlow.

Once Metis is ready, I really doubt tunnel is really needed.

But like Rage said, car lovers will be blasting down the tunnel with all windows open to hear the nice exhaust. It may even be a new street race hot spot.

It's a done deal, may as well enjoy it as a new playground.

[btimbit]

"On Friday the city proposed going ahead with the tunnel now and completing the additional interchanges — one at 19th Street and one at Barlow Trail — at a later date."


Damnit. Doesn't that go against the whole 'plan ahead' scheme that they're trying to use?

[kaput]

.

[Guillermo]

in a single post, we have people bitching about building the tunnel, and in the next sentence criticizing the city for "dropping the ball" with respect to road planning.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Guillermo
in a single post, we have people bitching about building the tunnel, and in the next sentence criticizing the city for "dropping the ball" with respect to road planning.

Doing stuff we don't need and not doing stuff that we do ISN'T definition of dropping the ball and poor planning?

[Redlyne_mr2]

What a waste of money. Is there even a city bus that goes to the airport yet? Maybe a c train line to the airport would have been a better use of resources.

[Guillermo]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
What a waste of money. Is there even a city bus that goes to the airport yet? Maybe a c train line to the airport would have been a better use of resources.

as I understand it, this tunnel is required for c-train access to the airport, too.

[SCHIDER23]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
What a waste of money. Is there even a city bus that goes to the airport yet? Maybe a c train line to the airport would have been a better use of resources.

^^

I think I seen a Route 100 bus at arrivals, but i'm not sure if that was a real route ,

Originally posted by Xtrema


http://www.calgaryjournalonline.ca/n...-matt-kennedy-


But like Rage said, car lovers will be blasting down the tunnel with all windows open to hear the nice exhaust. It may even be a new street race hot spot.

It's a done deal, may as well enjoy it as a new playground.

Exactly LOL,