Ring Road To Nowhere

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Lil Pedro

Question:

I exiting off 52nd street on my way to Auburn Bay. I turned onto Stoney Trail West and proceeded to take the Deerfoot South exit. However as I went over the new bridge and onto deerfoot trail south, there is a barrier preventing me from exiting onto Seton. Will that always be the case or is it just temporary?

Why not just stay on 52, and go directly into Auburn Bay?

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by StrykerSteve

So is there now a way to drive from the south to the airport without having to drive the Deerfoot? Which furthest south exit would I take coming in from Okotoks?

The N/S portion of Stoney is not yet open between 22x and Peigan.

When it finally opens, you'll take Stoney to Country Hills Blvd.

[StrykerSteve]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

The N/S portion of Stoney is not yet open between 22x and Peigan.

When it finally opens, you'll take Stoney to Country Hills Blvd.

Nice. Any idea when that portion will be open?

[Acey]

Originally Posted by Maccalus

^^^ I'm pretty sure it will always be like that. Then it will avoid another awful weave area.

This is correct, it's to avoid weaving... and he brings up a good point about the barrier. The crazy long acceleration lane and permanent barrier are specifically to prevent people from cutting across to the Seton exit. At fist glance, it doesn't seem necessary to separate traffic going in the same direction by a jersey barrier, what they did at Stoney/Deerfoot in the NE to separate same direction probably would have worked (limit is 110 there, too... will be 100 here)

Spoiler!

NB Deerfoot on the left, exit lanes for WB Stoney on the right

Originally Posted by StrykerSteve

Nice. Any idea when that portion will be open?

We're all just guessing at this point. My current guess is November 5.

[psicodude]

I understand the need to avoid weaving zones, but how does it make sense to render the ring road pretty much useless to 2 entire neighbourhoods? Sigh...

[DoubleK]

You could make the same argument in reverse, why have a ring road that is rendered useless by providing unfettered access to two communities.

[psicodude]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

You could make the same argument in reverse, why have a ring road that is rendered useless by providing unfettered access to two communities.

These are 2 neighbourhoods that back right onto it and would potentially use it as their primary route. Now those all of those cars are going to be forced to drive through residential areas.

What about the fact that you can't get to the new hospital from the ring road without going through residential streets?

Stupid.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by psicodude

These are 2 neighbourhoods that back right onto it and would potentially use it as their primary route. Now those all of those cars are going to be forced to drive through residential areas.

What about the fact that you can't get to the new hospital from the ring road without going through residential streets?

Stupid.

The only direction you can't get to the hospital from the ring road is head WB, but from westbound, you can exit 52nd, down to Seton Blvd. it may be slightly slower, but it's shorter in distance, so the difference is minimal.

Better the way it is than to create dangerous accidents unnecessarily by having vehicles try to cut across 3-4 lanes of traffic in a couple hundred metres.

The extra minute it might take to get to the hospital won't likely cost lives, but a dangerous weave zone almost certainly would lead to lost lives at some point.

[psicodude]

Why wasn't it designed with the same overpass weave thing that is on the west end of deerfoot then? I understand that the weaving of traffic is horrible and I hate it, but forcing hundreds or thousands of cars to drive through residential streets just to save a few bucks seems to fly in the face of the entire point of the ring road.

[Acey]

A SB weave on Deerfoot between 22X and Cranston Ave wouldn't fit, there isn't enough room unless you're bulldozing some houses in Cranston. A WB weave on 22X between Deerfoot and McKenzie/Cranston would fit, but involve 2 additional bridge structures. A EB weave between McKenzie/Cranston and Deerfoot would fit, but involve at least one additional bridge structure and compromise distances.

A secondary route for McKenzie/Cranston commuters is not the primary purpose of the ring road. When they considered the actual primary purpose of the road while doing their cost-effectiveness analysis, it was probably relatively easy to write-off the 30,000 people who chose to live in McKenzie/Cranston.

All that said, there's a reason they built the 52 St bridge to be 6 lanes over Stoney. Use it.

[Rathji]

Once 52nd joined up with Seton, it won't be that bad.

[Acey]

Indeed, and the new traffic lights at Auburn Bay Dr/Mahgany Gate & 52 St have been up and running for a week now. In 10 years when Mahogany is booming, there'll be a problem... but for now it's fine.

[1stLand]

I have 'insider knowledge' that the Band is going to vote Yes.

apparently $70,000 per band member is too good to turn down

[malcolmk14]

If the band voted yes that'd be freakin' sweet for those of us who spend most of our time on the west end and in the south end of the city!

[4X4]

Originally Posted by 1stLand

I have 'insider knowledge' that the Band is going to vote Yes.

apparently $70,000 per band member is too good to turn down

I'm cautious about getting excited, but how reliable is your source? Using a Flames analogy, regarding trading a player, is your source a friend of a player, or more like a friend of Feaster/Burke?

[Acey]

I too have heard the rumour, not taking anything for granted until next week.

[stampsx2]

If they vote yes can we have shovels in the ground on nov 1st?

[4X4]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

If they vote yes can we have shovels in the ground on nov 1st?

The vote is Oct 24. If it's yes, I want shovels in the ground on the 25th.


Only half joking.



So does anyone know whether they'll twin the overpass bridge at McLeod when the SW ring road goes ahead? Pretty sure I asked that before and someone told me yes.

[getbak]

Wasn't the last vote supposed to be an easy "Yes" too though, and everyone was surprised when it was voted down?

[Tyler]

Wow.. $70,000 per person. Is this not essentially bribery of the band to get this done?