ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[tomh009]

The amount of brick on the KCI stairs is disappointing. Was hoping the entire facade would be covered. Just looks unfinished right now.

Actually I don't mind it the way it is now.  The brick section stands out, making it appear like a sign for the school (which it really is).  I think once the landscaping is in (and obscuring some of the concrete), the whole thing will look good.

[DHLawrence]

Is it just me or is one of the Os in Waterloo missing?

[Square]

Is it just me or is one of the Os in Waterloo missing?

Probably vandalized already.

[Pheidippides]

There is an "all-council" meeting this week and there is an update on ION on the agenda.

Perhaps when the minutes are posted it will have additional details as was the case in the last all council meeting in November.

Also, looks like the City of Waterloo staff are recommending burying hydro lines along Caroline from FDB to Allen (page 38).

[panamaniac]

There is an "all-council" meeting this week and there is an update on ION on the agenda.

Perhaps when the minutes are posted it will have additional details as was the case in the last all council meeting in November.

Also, looks like the City of Waterloo staff are recommending burying hydro lines along Caroline from FDB to Allen (page 38).

What, they wanted to wait until after the street had been torn up and rebuilt before undertaking the work????

[GtwoK]

According to that agenda, they still plan for it to be part of the Ion work, and not after its complete.

Too bad they aren't considering this for midtown. The GRH stretch of King is ridiculous looking with all the wires now, and they're not even all in place yet.

[Waterlooer]

Currently on Caroline the Hydro poles are located right in the middle of the new sidewalk, so hopefully they bury them.

[jordan2423]

Currently on Caroline the Hydro poles are located right in the middle of the new sidewalk, so hopefully they bury them.

why are hydro poled still a thing? it's 2016!

[Canard]

Yeah, I wish there was more of an impetus to get wires underground wherever possible. In my opinion, they're the worst blight on an urban landscape from an infrastructure standpoint.

[jamincan]

I wonder if provisions were made to install conduit for power lines when they dig things up. I sure hope so.

[BuildingScout]

Yeah, I wish there was more of an impetus to get wires underground wherever possible. In my opinion, they're the worst blight on an urban landscape from an infrastructure standpoint.

I was driving somewhere in town and I noticed that suddenly the neighbourhood looked a lot nicer. I decided to pay attention the next time I drove past . Was it the yards? Perhaps the houses? Dimensions of the streets? Nope, it was buried hydro lines, given the street a much cleaner look.

[timc]

I for one don't care about overhead wires, and I don't think existing wires should be buried without a good reason. Needing to make room for a sidewalk on Caroline seems like a good reason. If this is needed, why didn't it go into the original project plan? Change orders are expensive.

[MidTowner]

I think we should be taking the opportunity to bury hydro lines whenever the opportunity presents itself, and definitely when important streets are reconstructed. It’s true that it’s very costly so obviously can’t be done absolutely everywhere, but I think it’s good practice in urban areas. It’s aesthetically a lot more pleasing, and allows for more and bigger street trees.

[mpd618]

I think we should be taking the opportunity to bury hydro lines whenever the opportunity presents itself, and definitely when important streets are reconstructed. It’s true that it’s very costly so obviously can’t be done absolutely everywhere, but I think it’s good practice in urban areas. It’s aesthetically a lot more pleasing, and allows for more and bigger street trees.

My understanding is that burying the wires replaces an overground constraint for trees with an underground one, and it's not clear that it's a win. Is it possible/easy to place the wires in a way that it wouldn't conflict with street tree planting?

[eizenstriet]

At the same time as this Caroline hydro burial initiative arises, there has been a huge and hustled initiative by Waterloo North Hydro (and its majority owner, the City of Waterloo) to replace existing above-ground infrastructure in the Uptown residential neighbourhoods with new and even higher above-ground infrastructure.

The tree canopy on the “hydro side” of the street will be further brutalized in those areas, but what people don’t realize is that when the present old growth canopy dies (which it is widely doing from natural old age alone), present hydro regulations / guidelines do not favour replacement trees of a canopy nature. So those “leafy” neighbourhoods in the fullness of time are going to look a lot different. Sad loss to the City, not only to the immediate residents, but to the office workers who like to stroll there at lunch, and to anyone who treasures a green city.

Nice to know that new development on Caroline will have a clean look, with taxpayers on the “above-ground” streets contributing to the funding. In time, maybe there will even be canopy trees on Caroline, so people can enjoy a stroll there instead.