ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Canard]

Yes, and I love CTV's dramatic headline from last night about this, before the ruling: GrandLinq wants to do LRT work whenever it wants in Waterloo

I swear, they must teach journalists how to come across like total jerks sometimes.

[SammyOES]

Lol, that's an amazing title.

Sometimes you can only sit back and enjoy the craziness.

Edit: I didn't watch it, but in my head I'm imagining the opening was a peacefully sleeping family: mother, father, baby in crib, and dog on floor. Then a bright light starts approaching the window until it blazes across the room with the light of the midday sun. The shadows of men, grabbing jackhammers appear on the wall. Evil laughter is heard through the loud bangs and crashes. Baby starts to cry, but you can't hear it over the construction sounds.

[Canard]

This needs to be a thing. Now.

[schooner77]

In defense of CTV, the request from GrandLinq was open ended to run from now until the summer of 2017.

[Viewfromthe42]

Did anyone ask what they could possibly need a 2017 exemption for? They are supposed to have all infrastructure needed to run test trains in place by end of year. Next year should only be tests, and non-running infrastructure (e.g. making the stations from the passenger side). Asking for that kind of exemption raises the question "Are you planning on having basic infrastructure construction go seven months over schedule?"

[Markster]

I imagine that they're going to be working on things through 2017. There's still going to be some track to lay, (i.e. Duke St) and there will be random odds and ends all over.

[Canard]

Testing this year is only on the Waterloo Spur, from Northfield to Erb/Caroline. The entire system won't be finished until early/mid 2017. Full system testing is in 2017 Q3.

[timc]

Did anyone ask what they could possibly need a 2017 exemption for? They are supposed to have all infrastructure needed to run test trains in place by end of year. Next year should only be tests, and non-running infrastructure (e.g. making the stations from the passenger side). Asking for that kind of exemption raises the question "Are you planning on having basic infrastructure construction go seven months over schedule?"

That's exactly the question that came to my mind! Why do they need to work through the night until next July?

[Pheidippides]

They probably just did not want to risk having to back through the process again particularly since they have experienced delays in getting permits before. Or Perhaps they did not expect to get the whole period of time and were using it as a negotiating tactic; ask for more than you need so you have room to negotiate down to what you actually need.

[kps]

Edit: I didn't watch it, but in my head I'm imagining the opening was a peacefully sleeping family: mother, father, baby in crib, and dog on floor.  Then a bright light starts approaching the window until it blazes across the room with the light of the midday sun.  The shadows of men, grabbing jackhammers appear on the wall.  Evil laughter is heard through the loud bangs and crashes.  Baby starts to cry, but you can't hear it over the construction sounds.

Grandlinq would never do something like that.

Grandlinq would just build an 8' fence around your house and then disappear for six months.

[Markster]

I was told yesterday that ION will require Benton to be widened by a full car lane between King and Charles, meaning a significant bite will be taken out of Speakers Corner.  The sculpture in the plaza will need to be moved.  I had been hoping that this would be limited to the chunk that has already been taken in front of the Downtown Crepe Café, but apparently not.  

ION made me sad all day!

Looks more like a shaving of a few curbs and sidewalks to me, but I guess it depends what we define as a "significant bite":
http://www.rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo...df#page=12

http://www.rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo...df#page=13

Considering there was a plan initiated in 2010 to give Benton St a road diet, any interim measures that increase the width of the road seem particularly counter to our city/region's goals.

Now the plan for the Benton Street Extension is history and the Region of Waterloo is planning to reconstruct Frederick Street between Weber and King in 2012. Benton Street between King and Courtland will be resurfaced in 2013.

...

Margaret Santos, an architect and member of the region’s Pedestrian Charter Steering Committee, says the Benton-Frederick street corridor “is an opportunity to have one of the best public spaces in the downtown.”

The roadway is so wide now there is lots of room to create a promenade in the core.

“Nice broad sidewalks with lots of trees,” Santos says. “There is lots of room for bike lanes, trees and wide sidewalks. It would be a pity not to see that happen.”

But like so many things, once the Rapid Transit project got started, full priority was given to it, and the RT team, in the interest of quick tendering and construction, prioritized matching existing conditions over incorporating future (not yet fully fleshed out and supported) plans.  You can see also the Erb/Caroline intersection, which fails to integrate any bicycle provisions despite years of expectations for just that.

Seeing the 5 lane cross-section at Charles grow to 6 lanes seems like a step back.

[Canard]

I do not see any expropriation at all of the Speakers Corner area on the plans. What am I missing?

[Markster]

I do not see any expropriation at all of the Speakers Corner area on the plans. What am I missing?

See approximately the highlighted area.
   

[KevinL]

I do not see any expropriation at all of the Speakers Corner area on the plans. What am I missing?

See approximately the highlighted area.

That doesn't seem to get close enough to the public art to require its relocation.

[Markster]

I suspect that the art to be moved is not the mirror column thing, but rather the engraved wall featuring the mirror column art (streetview)

Walking through the area, the road widening has created a serious bottleneck around there.  It feels like the widening on the ground has exceeded the widening depicted in the drawing.

[EDIT] hmm, I'm actually thinking of the stone bench/garden area in front of the Benton parking garage.