Airport Tunnel Rejected Again? **UPDATE** It's built! - Page 7 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Mazrim · 01-07-2011, 01:28 PM

Ugh, I don't know why I keep reading comment sections on news sites. I really really hope the entire city isn't that ignorant.

I guess to add to the last few informative posts...this tunnel is not about today, it's about the future more than anything. To ignore the future growth of the city will hamstring the future residents of the city even worse than it has been done in some places in Calgary. This is our opportunity to be proactive and save a ton of money...we need to take advantage of it.

I don't like Nenshi's stance on the SW Ring Road, but his stance on the Airport underpass is dead on.

You Need a Thneed · 01-07-2011, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

You say I will take the tunnel? I want to avoid the 36th st, Mcknight tr, barlow tr, they are all fata'd up whenever I do travel in there. I want to take Deerfoot to Airport Tr, so I don't need to travel the tunnel. And isnt it less expensive to just bulk up some lanes on CH Blvd?

Personally IMO, Calgary does not have enough water to support 1.5 to 2 Million people, we can't get that big. But thats a whole other discussion.

For those in the deep south, the quickest way to get the airport in the future would be to take Stoney Trail on the east side, to airport trail - especially when there is bad traffic on Deerfoot.

It won't be cheaper to just lanes on CHB, since you would have to build interchanges in the future to handle all of the traffic. Remember that CHB will eventually have quite a few traffic lights, it's not intended to be an expressway.

It isn't just about the 3km extra it would currently take to drive up to CHB then back down on Barlow. There won't be enough capacity on those roads in the future to handle all of the extra traffic there would be. So, in the future, it would only be an additional 3 km, but it could be a mighty slow 3 km to drive.

After April 3, and before the tunnel opens, people better pray hard that there isn't a major delay on Deerfoot on the day they are trying to catch a flight. My estimate is that a shutdown of Deerfoot could add well over an hour to everybody's travel time coming from the south. There simply an alternative that won't become gridlock when diverted traffic is added. East of Deerfoot, there is 36th street and Stoney Trail. 36th street is one lane each way, plus getting there will require driving through backed up roads. Getting to Stoney could be a problem too. West of Deerfoot, there is umm, Harvest Hills Blvd, and then CHB back to Deerfoot. That would be a nightmare too.

You Need a Thneed · 01-18-2011, 03:18 PM

A little bit of info on the airport Trail Underpass from the city's website.

shermanator · 01-18-2011, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frinkprof

- The other road change currently being worked on in the area is the 36th Street connector. This will extend 48th Ave. eastward, then curve north, on the east side of the golf course and connect with 36th Street. This will open in the spring/summer as well. The map below roughly shows the alignment of this new road.

Completely OT, but how long has Silverwing Golf Course been around? Mind Blown!!!

algernon · 01-18-2011, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shermanator

Completely OT, but how long has Silverwing Golf Course been around? Mind Blown!!!

I don't golf a lot, but that course is the worst one I've played since a sand-green beauty in Lampman, SK.

shermanator · 01-18-2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by algernon

I don't golf a lot, but that course is the worst one I've played since a sand-green beauty in Lampman, SK.

Hmmm, you may be saving me money. Any particular reason?

algernon · 01-18-2011, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shermanator

Hmmm, you may be saving me money. Any particular reason?

Again, I'm a ####ty golfer, but the lack of trees made it harder to aim, and the wind was increased, due to the lack of trees. I think they may be handcuffed on the trees, as they are at the airport approach, though.

You Need a Thneed · 01-18-2011, 05:21 PM

Trees were planted at the golf course in fall, I believe. They are still small, so the wind would still be there. The golf course has only been open a couple of seasons at most.

Muta · 01-18-2011, 06:08 PM

They should just fore-go the runway and land airliners on the Silverwing golf course.

corporatejay · 01-18-2011, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Trees were planted at the golf course in fall, I believe. They are still small, so the wind would still be there. The golf course has only been open a couple of seasons at most.

It's supposed to be a links style course, hence the wind.

Bigtime · 02-02-2011, 03:31 PM

New info from Alderman Stevenson:

-$296M to build Airport Underpass, inc contingency, financing and concessions to YYC

-$198M to build underpass including building 4lane road - Barlow to 36th. $10M more to build road to Metis, $14M more to build to 60th.

Getting this off of twitter from 'YouNeedAThneed'

ken0042 · 02-02-2011, 03:56 PM

^^ Does that mean they have that much money allocated now? Or these are cost estimates?

mykalberta · 02-02-2011, 03:58 PM

For that price they would appear to be shortsighted not to build it now - only IMO though.

Mazrim · 02-02-2011, 03:59 PM

Those look like cost estimates. Decent ones at that. It seems silly not to build Airport Trail to Stoney Trail right off the bat though.

You Need a Thneed · 02-02-2011, 04:30 PM

Thanks Bigtime, for copying that here.

Those numbers were mentioned by Jim Stevenson on an interview with AM770 this afternoon, and are the numbers that council will see when they vote on the project next Monday.

Totalling all of the construction work together adds up to $222M, to which a 10% contingency is usually added. The other $50 million would be for financing costs, and for concessions to the Airport.

Council has set aside $50 million (or is it 40), and they plan to use $120 million or so in unallocated MSI funds, meaning that a majority of the project is funded.

I still don't know why the Airport wants concessions, they stand to gain a significant amount from the tunnel, and the city is offering to pay for it, and the Airport still wants more money? It doesn't make sense to me. I'll have to see the report, to see what that all entails.

Mass_nerder · 02-02-2011, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Thanks Bigtime, for copying that here.

Those numbers were mentioned by Jim Stevenson on an interview with AM770 this afternoon, and are the numbers that council will see when they vote on the project next Monday.

Totalling all of the construction work together adds up to $222M, to which a 10% contingency is usually added. The other $50 million would be for financing costs, and for concessions to the Airport.

Council has set aside $50 million (or is it 40), and they plan to use $120 million or so in unallocated MSI funds, meaning that a majority of the project is funded.

I still don't know why the Airport wants concessions, they stand to gain a significant amount from the tunnel, and the city is offering to pay for it, and the Airport still wants more money? It doesn't make sense to me. I'll have to see the report, to see what that all entails.

Just my opinion of course, but building this tunnel is the first step to routing the LRT to the airport. The airport makes significant money off taxi royalties, from what I've heard, so that might be a reason they're not gun-ho on the idea.

You Need a Thneed · 02-02-2011, 04:40 PM

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Airport...382/story.html

Calgary Herald Article.

frinkprof · 02-02-2011, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Thanks Bigtime, for copying that here.

Those numbers were mentioned by Jim Stevenson on an interview with AM770 this afternoon, and are the numbers that council will see when they vote on the project next Monday.

Totalling all of the construction work together adds up to $222M, to which a 10% contingency is usually added. The other $50 million would be for financing costs, and for concessions to the Airport.

Council has set aside $50 million (or is it 40), and they plan to use $120 million or so in unallocated MSI funds, meaning that a majority of the project is funded.

I still don't know why the Airport wants concessions, they stand to gain a significant amount from the tunnel, and the city is offering to pay for it, and the Airport still wants more money? It doesn't make sense to me. I'll have to see the report, to see what that all entails.

I haven't seen anything on it, but my guess it would be due to some combination of having them delay the start of construction of the new runway and/or inhibiting their operations or use of their land in some way while the tunnel is constructed.

You Need a Thneed · 02-02-2011, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mass_nerder

Just my opinion of course, but building this tunnel is the first step to routing the LRT to the airport. The airport makes significant money off taxi royalties, from what I've heard, so that might be a reason they're not gun-ho on the idea.

Which makes sense for the Airport, but is terrible for the city as a whole.

One reason the tunnel helps them out is better and quicker access to Airport owned land east of the new runway, land that would be worth more with better access, when the Airport develops it. Indirectly, it helps the airport have more businesses and Hotels close by in the future, which makes the airport more attractive.

My Opinion: The tunnel is necessary. Spending the extra $10M to bring it to Metis is a no brainer, since by the time the tunnel would be finished, Metis will be the major N/S route in the area, not 36th. After that, the $14M for the road between Metis and 60th Street makes sense, since it connects Airport Trail as one continuous road between Harvest Hills Blvd and Stoney Trail (60th to Stoney being built this summer and open this fall; Harvest Hills Blvd to Deerfoot under construction and completed next year). That connection allows people from the deep south to use Stoney Trail to get to the airport instead of Deerfoot, which could allieviate a little bit of pressure on Deerfoot, plus quicken travel times when Deerfoot is congested. IMO, get started on the tunnel, and build the rest of Airport Trail in the near future. Development in the area in the next couple of years might make those sections of Airport Trail necessary anyway.

getbak · 02-02-2011, 04:57 PM

I wonder how much having the C-Train and/or a better bus service to the airport would really impact the taxi services? I know that personally, I'd never take the train to the airport. Depending on the length and purpose of my travel, I'm either going to park at the airport or I'm going to take a taxi.

If I'm traveling on business, cost isn't an issue since I'll be reimbursed; and if I'm traveling for pleasure, it's usually a long expensive trip anyway, so an extra $40 or $50 isn't going to concern me, and I don't want to schlep my luggage onto a bus and train (you can't park overnight at a C-Train lot, and you're certain to get towed if you left your car there for weeks, so you'd either need to take the bus or get a ride to the C-Train, and if you're getting a ride, get them to take you all the way).

I assume most of the people who would take transit would be people who work at the airport. I don't know if they pay for parking now, or if staff gets free parking, but that would be potenial lost revenue for the airport.