General Road and Highway Discussion

[KevinL]

We could well get Eglinton-style grass tracks here once the LRT is built, because that would be kept short by the trains themselves. Doing so now, however, would require active maintenance, which I imagine would not get easily budgeted for.

[danbrotherston]

There is no reason to use concrete on the boulevard as "preparation"...the concrete there cannot be used to put tracks on, it will have to be torn up to place the tracks. It would have been cheaper, easier, and more environmentally friendly to put grass for the 10, 20, 30 years it'll take to build the LRT.

I don't think they are saying that the concrete wouldn't need to be torn up, rather that the entire road would not need to be torn up.

I agree, but nobody is complaining about the rest of the road, they are complaining about the median being concrete and not natural, which isn’t necessitated by the road being LRT read as was suggested.

[danbrotherston]

Didn’t you know? Only concrete (conveniently) has no ongoing pesky “maintenance” like other, prettier alternatives do when it comes to budget time.

lol. This is probably on point. Cost of mowing once a month is just too much.

[Acitta]

Ottawa Street in Kitchener to undergo $10M worth of construction upgrades

Two-way traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on Ottawa Street this year, from Fischer-Hallman Road to Pinedale Drive, with more than $10 million worth of construction slated to get underway next month.
The work on Ottawa Street extending to Mowat Boulevard will be done over two years, with the street closed to traffic, from Pinedale Drive to Westmount Road, for replacement of the culvert at Borden Creek in 2025.
Upgrades include a new roundabout at the Westmount Road intersection (traffic will be maintained at the intersection during construction), as well as multi-use trails on both side of Ottawa Street.


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This is good news. Ottawa from Westmount to Fischer-Hallman is in terrible shape. I was wondering when they were going to rebuild it.

[ac3r]

I'd also love seeing the patch of River Road that runs between maybe Ottawa to Fairway get fixed up soon. It's in horrible condition, to the point it's probably getting unsafe. I've been on better roads in like...Belarus before jeez it's honestly uncomfortable because you feel every crack and bump. It's easily one of the worst roads in the entire region.

[dtkvictim]

Ottawa Street in Kitchener to undergo $10M worth of construction upgrades

Two-way traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on Ottawa Street this year, from Fischer-Hallman Road to Pinedale Drive, with more than $10 million worth of construction slated to get underway next month.
The work on Ottawa Street extending to Mowat Boulevard will be done over two years, with the street closed to traffic, from Pinedale Drive to Westmount Road, for replacement of the culvert at Borden Creek in 2025.
Upgrades include a new roundabout at the Westmount Road intersection (traffic will be maintained at the intersection during construction), as well as multi-use trails on both side of Ottawa Street.


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This is good news. Ottawa from Westmount to Fischer-Hallman is in terrible shape. I was wondering when they were going to rebuild it.

Mixed bag. I have family in the area and getting there by anything other than a car is annoying. I biked (and walked my bike due to lack of infrastructure) there the other day and saw roughly 10 other cyclists walking or biking on the sidewalks around Westmount/Ottawa, so the trails are sorely needed (on Westmount as well at least to connect to the trail over to Greenbrook). However, if the roundabout is the same as the rest of the Region's, I'll probably never walk or bike to see my family again.

[Acitta]

Ottawa Street in Kitchener to undergo $10M worth of construction upgrades

Two-way traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on Ottawa Street this year, from Fischer-Hallman Road to Pinedale Drive, with more than $10 million worth of construction slated to get underway next month.
The work on Ottawa Street extending to Mowat Boulevard will be done over two years, with the street closed to traffic, from Pinedale Drive to Westmount Road, for replacement of the culvert at Borden Creek in 2025.
Upgrades include a new roundabout at the Westmount Road intersection (traffic will be maintained at the intersection during construction), as well as multi-use trails on both side of Ottawa Street.


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This is good news. Ottawa from Westmount to Fischer-Hallman is in terrible shape. I was wondering when they were going to rebuild it.

Mixed bag. I have family in the area and getting there by anything other than a car is annoying. I biked (and walked my bike due to lack of infrastructure) there the other day and saw roughly 10 other cyclists walking or biking on the sidewalks around Westmount/Ottawa, so the trails are sorely needed (on Westmount as well at least to connect to the trail over to Greenbrook). However, if the roundabout is the same as the rest of the Region's, I'll probably never walk or bike to see my family again.

Depending on where you are coming from and going to, there may be alternate routes. I have been using the Laurentian trail to get to the Sunrise Shopping Centre to avoid riding on Ottawa, not so much because of the traffic, but because the road surface is so rough. I still have to negotiate the Westmount/Ottawa intersection since I come from the trail through Concordia Park from Greenbrook and Stirling.

[dtkvictim]

Depending on where you are coming from and going to, there may be alternate routes. I have been using the Laurentian trail to get to the Sunrise Shopping Centre to avoid riding on Ottawa, not so much because of the traffic, but because the road surface is so rough. I still have to negotiate the Westmount/Ottawa intersection since I come from the trail through Concordia Park from Greenbrook and Stirling.

Coming from downtown. But I forgot, with the Avalon Pl bridge going in it will make the Laurentian trail accessible without going through any of the roundabouts or on busy roads.

[danbrotherston]

Depending on where you are coming from and going to, there may be alternate routes. I have been using the Laurentian trail to get to the Sunrise Shopping Centre to avoid riding on Ottawa, not so much because of the traffic, but because the road surface is so rough. I still have to negotiate the Westmount/Ottawa intersection since I come from the trail through Concordia Park from Greenbrook and Stirling.

Coming from downtown. But I forgot, with the Avalon Pl bridge going in it will make the Laurentian trail accessible without going through any of the roundabouts or on busy roads.

I remember on ATAC they discussed the intersection of Ottawa and Westmount. What a surreal meeting. The consultant told us (and I am not paraphrasing here) that council made a very unusual ask of them, that council asked them to prioritize pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders OVER that of motor vehicles. They felt this was wild and unprecedented. They then proceeded to explain, without a hint of irony, how they were going to install a traffic circle in order to meet the needs of projected traffic flow. I asked them, but you know this traffic circle is worse for pedestrians and cyclists, and they explained that they had no choice because it was needed for traffic.

I have never had a conversation more literally close to this parody from Chuck Marohn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9BUyWVg1xI

[Rainrider22]

I'd also love seeing the patch of River Road that runs between maybe Ottawa to Fairway get fixed up soon. It's in horrible condition, to the point it's probably getting unsafe. I've been on better roads in like...Belarus before jeez it's honestly uncomfortable because you feel every crack and bump. It's easily one of the worst roads in the entire region.

Agreed,  That section of road is embarrassing...

[the_conestoga_guy]

I haven't seen any drawings for this project, but is there some sort of consideration for pedestrians/active transportation like flashing beacons or an underpass (like what's proposed at Franklin)? 

I've always viewed Westmount as the "safe" way to cross the highway, so losing this crossing to another standard Region roundabout would be pretty depressing. I'm concerned that the Region views the pedestrian bridge as the designated alternative, which is completely out-of-the-way for most trips in the Westmount/Fischer-Hallman area. Thankfully I don't live in the area, so it won't change my commute either way.

edit: just to add to this, I almost always see 4-5 people crossing this intersection as pedestrians every time I'm in the area. I'm just speculating, but is this the intersection with the highest pedestrian volumes of any that the Region has converted to a roundabout? Most have been intersections along the periphery of the Region, or along collectors through sparsely populated suburbs. This intersection has two schools within walking distance and dense housing surrounding nearby. I just worry that the Region hasn't done their diligence to consider all road users in this case.