Airport Tunnel Rejected Again? **UPDATE** It's built! - Page 39 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

#-3 · 01-25-2014, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

City's January update.

It's now about 4 months until it opens. Approaching the east entrance from the south is still goin to be a little interesting. 36th Street and especially 80th Ave are still not much more than cow paths.

They did completely rebuild 36th last year. and 80th, between 36th and metis is not a road that should much in terms of volume at all. if your already on metis just stay on metis.

Acey · 01-25-2014, 01:46 PM

How do you propose one gets into the tunnel from NB Metis? Up to CHB and then backtrack? Well that's irritating, no?

ken0042 · 01-25-2014, 02:50 PM

Won't they extend Airport Trail? I thought that was the plan; just no point in building the road until the tunnel is ready.

Acey · 01-25-2014, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

Won't they extend Airport Trail? I thought that was the plan; just no point in building the road until the tunnel is ready.

The airport is forbidding this until the city has enough money to build interchanges at the intersections on Airport Trail; they claim an Airport Trail that is actually useful to the city will cause too much congestion around the airport.

Drummer · 03-06-2014, 02:49 PM

I guess I'm late to the game on this but let me get this straight... In May when the tunnel opens it really will be a tunnel to nowhere (at least for now). Airport Trial will end at 36 St and can't be extended to Metis Trial (which is only a few hundred feet isn't it?) until the city builds interchanges at Barlow and 19 St NE (as required by the Airport)? That's so stupid it's funny. I wish stuff like this was clearly talked about in the media a few years back.

Tyler · 03-06-2014, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drummer

I guess I'm late to the game on this but let me get this straight... In May when the tunnel opens it really will be a tunnel to nowhere (at least for now). Airport Trial will end at 36 St and can't be extended to Metis Trial (which is only a few hundred feet isn't it?) until the city builds interchanges at Barlow and 19 St NE (as required by the Airport)? That's so stupid it's funny. I wish stuff like this was clearly talked about in the media a few years back.

Why is that stupid? They're building the runway NOW. You had to build the underpass before that was done, otherwise you're boned.

Traffic doesn't warrant the building of interchanges yet. But it will.

Do you want me to post some quotes about the importance of planning or do you get the picture?

Drummer · 03-06-2014, 03:04 PM

I think you misread my post. Either that or I wasn't clear. I'm all for the tunnel, think it's awesome. But wouldn't it have been handy to just have Airport Trail connect to Métis from opening day and not end at 36st pending the build of 2 interchanges forced by the Airport?

Table 5 · 03-06-2014, 03:10 PM

As long as I can go back and forth in the tunnel in 2nd with all windows open, I don't really care where the actual road ends up going.

habernac · 03-06-2014, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

As long as I can go back and forth in the tunnel in 2nd with all windows open, I don't really care where the actual road ends up going.

there was a tunnel in Edmonton called the rathole. All kinds of fun driving into that with my buddy's 73 Challenger with open headers.

Acey · 03-06-2014, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drummer

But wouldn't it have been handy to just have Airport Trail connect to Métis from opening day and not end at 36st pending the build of 2 interchanges forced by the Airport?

Yes, that would be handy... but the airport is being dumb about it so this is the best interim solution. The city has done it right, given the circumstances.

Bigtime · 03-14-2014, 09:42 AM

The tunnel is set to open May 25:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...411/story.html

You Need a Thneed · 03-14-2014, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drummer

I guess I'm late to the game on this but let me get this straight... In May when the tunnel opens it really will be a tunnel to nowhere (at least for now). Airport Trial will end at 36 St and can't be extended to Metis Trial (which is only a few hundred feet isn't it?) until the city builds interchanges at Barlow and 19 St NE (as required by the Airport)? That's so stupid it's funny. I wish stuff like this was clearly talked about in the media a few years back.

For the time being, not connecting to Métis is only a minor inconvenience. Not connecting to Stoney (due to not connecting to Metis) doesn't open up what will be a main route to the airport for many in Calgary and southern Alberta, which is a little more inconvenient.

But again let's get this straight, this isn't going to be an empty tunnel on opening day, as would be implied by calling it a tunnel to nowhere. Redstone and Skyview Ranch residents will start using it as their main access to Deerfoot. Much of NE Calgary will use it to get to The airport and Aurora Buisness Park. Some people might use it as an alternative to get between NC Calgary and Stoney Trail on the east side (though that is limited until the full connection is made.

It may be used too for connections between NE Calgary and Stoney Trail, via Beddington Trail. I know that I'm going to check out that connection to get to work, to see if it saves time.

sleepingmoose · 03-14-2014, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drummer

I wish stuff like this was clearly talked about in the media a few years back.

I'm sure others will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this was pretty well covered (almost to the point of exhaustion) a couple years back when all this started....

Regular_John · 03-14-2014, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigtime

The tunnel is set to open May 25:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...411/story.html

Honestly the "grand opening" thing seems like a neat opportunity to walk through the structure without traffic in it. Might be a unique chance to snap a few photos.

kevman · 03-14-2014, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Honestly the "grand opening" thing seems like a neat opportunity to walk through the structure without traffic in it. Might be a unique chance to snap a few photos.

You'll probably have no shortage of opportunities to walk through the tunnel without traffic in it...

Acey · 03-14-2014, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Redstone and Skyview Ranch residents will start using it as their main access to Deerfoot.

I want to believe that going around the Stoney loops would be faster. In the morning rush, I'm almost sure it'd be faster.

MrMastodonFarm · 03-14-2014, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevman

You'll probably have no shortage of opportunities to walk through the tunnel without traffic in it...

Probably not.

stampsx2 · 03-16-2014, 10:13 AM

Since it doesn't go to metis, has 36th st been upgraded? If 36th st is still one way in each direction, i'd imagine it wouldn't be that good of a short cut ti use the tunnel. Especially at rush hour.

You Need a Thneed · 03-16-2014, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Since it doesn't go to metis, has 36th st been upgraded? If 36th st is still one way in each direction, i'd imagine it wouldn't be that good of a short cut ti use the tunnel. Especially at rush hour.

36th has been upgraded from the tunnel north to Country Hills Blvd. the Country Hills Blvd upgrade should hopefully be complete by then too.

Jimmy Stang · 03-27-2014, 08:55 AM

I haven't been up that way in a while, but perhaps someone (Thneed?) can tell me:

Have any upgrades been done to 36th Street south of Airport Trail? And also 80th Avenue between 36th Street and Metis?

I picture a lot of the NE airport traffic trying to get through to the tunnel that way, but if the roads are single-lane rural highways still, I can see it getting pretty congested.

Even though the long term solution would make this unnecessary, that's still a long way off, and people are going to want to use the tunnel in the mean time.