Airport Tunnel Rejected Again? **UPDATE** It's built!

[Madman]

Over/Under 100 - how many tunnel exhaust videos posted on YouTube in the first week it's open?

Too bad they'll all be Civics and Jettas.

[GreatWhiteEbola]

Originally Posted by Madman

Over/Under 100 - how many tunnel exhaust videos posted on YouTube in the first week it's open?

Too bad they'll all be Civics and Jettas.

...and a Pontiac, Dodge, and Mitsubishi...will be my contribution to the video archives...

EDIT: Table 5's Porsche too!

[KelVarnsen]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I'm hoping there will be a spot where someone like myself could park the car and get some shots of the tunnel in action with air traffic over top.

The pessimist in me thinks that in this ultra paranoid world a few minutes after setting up with my camera I'd have a visit from the cops though...

What YYC needs is something like the In N Out Burger near LAX. That be sweet.

[Acey]

They are getting rid of that golf course on the approach end of 34 in favour of some kind of commercial development, hopefully it includes a restaurant. That's our best hope at the moment.

[Bigtime]

There will still be public field space on the north end where McCall lake course is right now, which would be pretty sweet to set up on for photos.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Acey

620 metres. If I were to guess at the speed limit... 60? 70?

I would guess 70-80. The existing part of Airport tr is 90.

It might be posted lower just when it opens, as seems to be some kind of standard in Calgary.

[Acey]

In any tunnel other than that which is built under a runway on which you have commercial aircraft travelling, I would agree that it should be 80+, but I get the feeling the CAA will having something to say about it.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Kudos to the City and YYC for the progress they've made.

Remember when people were going apeshart about how this was a terrible idea? Going to be a key piece of NE infrastructure for decades

I don't fit the 'going apeshart' category, but go ahead and count me in as one of the people who wasn't in favour without a toll. I'll be quite interested to see if people see major improvement in their daily traffic flow, aside from You Need a Thneed. I already know he'll be first in line to sing its praises!

[Acey]

The tunnel is the most expensive piece of a roadway which has the potential to bring major improvement to the flow in the northeast. I don't expect a big change in traffic flow... but the critical piece of Airport Trail is done.

The way it is now with the infrastructure that exists, there'd be no reason to pay a toll. Nobody would drive through it.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Acey

The tunnel is the most expensive piece of a roadway which has the potential to bring major improvement to the flow in the northeast. I don't expect a big change in traffic flow... but the critical piece of Airport Trail is done.

The way it is now with the infrastructure that exists, there'd be no reason to pay a toll. Nobody would drive through it.

Which is why I didn't think we should spend $300M (or $500M depending on whose numbers you use).

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Slava

I don't fit the 'going apeshart' category, but go ahead and count me in as one of the people who wasn't in favour without a toll. I'll be quite interested to see if people see major improvement in their daily traffic flow, aside from You Need a Thneed. I already know he'll be first in line to sing its praises!

If we're going to put a toll on the airport tunnel, we better be putting a lot of other tolls in place along with it.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by SebC

If we're going to put a toll on the ring road, we better be putting a lot of other tolls in place along with it.

This isn't the ring road.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Slava

I don't fit the 'going apeshart' category, but go ahead and count me in as one of the people who wasn't in favour without a toll. I'll be quite interested to see if people see major improvement in their daily traffic flow, aside from You Need a Thneed. I already know he'll be first in line to sing its praises!

I think people will see traffic improve, but the tunnel is more for the future than opening day.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Yeah, forgive my ignorance here but iirc the tunnel isn't going to be used intensely opening day or year.. It seems it's one of the few times city council was proactive with the project like this.

I'm sure someone like Bunk can go into much greater detail.

[You Need a Thneed]

It will be used, but nowhere near packed. I'd say in 5 years or so is when we would really "need" it.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Slava

This isn't the ring road.

Fixed.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

It will be used, but nowhere near packed. I'd say in 5 years or so is when we would really "need" it.

I would even say that in 20-30 years is when we are going to be greatful for it. Looks at the ring road proposal from the 1960s. Basically it had a freeway that would have gone Blackfoot to Anderson to 14th/Crowchild and the John Laurie Blvd. Could you imagine if that had been built how much better traffic would have flowed?

Or if they had built the 8th ave subway instead of 7th ave for C-trains? Or elevated the 36 street NE line?

The other thing they maybe should have done was an airport tunnel for 64th ave back in the late 70s.

I'm sure there are other projects we could identify that could have been done better if they had been thought out further in advance. Good job on the part of our current city council to get it done where the previous council failed.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by ken0042

The other thing they maybe should have done was an airport tunnel for 64th ave back in the late 70s.

All they had to do was build McKnight properly, which would have been far cheaper than tunnelling 64th. Well neither was done, and now we're screwed.

[You Need a Thneed]

Not completely tunnel related, but 96th Ave connecting to Deerfoot on the west side is now open.

[Violator]

They fixed the bridge then