NE to be cut off from the Airport

[malbadon]

this information has been available on the Airport authorities website for years, this isn't new, the 20 year master plan came out in 2004.
http://www.calgaryairport.com/document.cfm?did=850

The creation of Airport Trail is intended to replace Barlow Trail as the main access route to the Airport, which makes more sense as its directly fed off Deerfoot.
If you review 10-9 of the 20 year pdf you can see where they plan to reroute Barlow around the new runway to eventually connect to Country Hills. So even if the tunnel gets scrapped, it will still 'technically' be able to get to the airport, just not as a main direct route. I'll be annoyed if they don't do the tunnel, the tunnel under the runways in Vegas is cool.

Don't forget there is also that new proposed StoneGate Landing development along Country Hills and Deerfoot, if it goes through its going to be massive. www.stonegatelanding.ca

[SebC]

Holy crap, looks like we should be able to land two space shuttles simultaneously.

[V]

Don't forget about Metis Trail, either. I don't know when they're planning on finishing the 'missing mile', but Metis Trail should be complete from the ring road to Airport Trail by the end of 2009. Perhaps the missing mile from Airport Trail to 80th will be done in 2010. No one I know seems to know.

[toonmaster]

Originally Posted by StoneCole

...the info Claeren gave about the LRT is pretty accurate as far as I can tell...the north line is some 20+ years away, and I believe the high-speed train and the LRT are supposed to share the right-of-way in the north-central.

i believe the downtown-north line of the lrt is to follow centre street, not along deerfoot trail (as previously proposed in late 2007)

the infrastruture used for the high speed train is different from the current lrt system and space along the CP R.O.W. (i think its the cp tracks that are being considered for the high speed train) is limited to one track for safety reasons

[krazycanuck]

Originally Posted by toonmaster

i believe the downtown-north line of the lrt is to follow centre street, not along deerfoot trail (as previously proposed in late 2007)

the infrastruture used for the high speed train is different from the current lrt system and space along the CP R.O.W. (i think its the cp tracks that are being considered for the high speed train) is limited to one track for safety reasons

If the North Central line were built tommorrow it would be built as a branch around the zoo, up the Deerfoot Valley, until Beddington, where it would turn left until Harvest Hills Blvd where it would go up the LRT ROW there. There are no plans to go up centre street at all currently due to the extreme costs of tunnelling they would need to do. That is the city's current position anyways. Who knows 20 years from now when it's built.

[toonmaster]

Originally Posted by krazycanuck

If the North Central line were built tommorrow it would be built as a branch around the zoo, up the Deerfoot Valley, until Beddington, where it would turn left until Harvest Hills Blvd where it would go up the LRT ROW there. There are no plans to go up centre street at all currently due to the extreme costs of tunnelling they would need to do. That is the city's current position anyways. Who knows 20 years from now when it's built.

yes you are correct, brain fart on my part

[taco.vidal]

I dont know the East very well. Will this impact people coming to the airport from downtown?

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by V

Don't forget about Metis Trail, either. I don't know when they're planning on finishing the 'missing mile', but Metis Trail should be complete from the ring road to Airport Trail by the end of 2009. Perhaps the missing mile from Airport Trail to 80th will be done in 2010. No one I know seems to know.

That's the issue - Airport Trail cannot reach Metis Trail because there will be a major runway in between them. As the plan stands right now, the only way for people in the North-East to get to the Airport will be to go up to Country Hills (probably via the new ring road since 68th doesn't exist between 80th Ave and 64th, and 36th is in horrible condition) then down Barlow (the part north of the terminal), or go over to Deerfoot.

And I cannot see how Barlow could ever be re-aligned. Rotary Challenger Park is in the way, and the golf course the airport is building (per this Google Cache article, scheduled to open this year) will be in the way.

And it is weird that I started this thread because I was thinking about access to the new complex being talked about in this thread, adn then there is s story about it on CFCN last night, and again on the radio this morning. Hopefully this generates a bit more discussion.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by malbadon

So even if the tunnel gets scrapped, it will still 'technically' be able to get to the airport, just not as a main direct route. I'll be annoyed if they don't do the tunnel, the tunnel under the runways in Vegas is cool.

I hope they go for the tunnel. They are practical, and also look cool:



Hower, based on the historic track record of Calgary's City Council, they'll probably just put in a set of traffic lights instead:

[mykalberta]

Just remember, the tunnel would likely cost 450 mil because this isnt going under a taxiway, its going under a runway which needs adequate room for mistakes and crashes etc. The Ohare pic above isnt under a runway, its a taxiway.

Also, the plan has been in place alot longer than 2003, dating back as far as the mid 80's, which is why the airport can do the expansion now as it already has the land. Buisness owners take a chance building in a convienient location now when they know something could happen later.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Just remember, the tunnel would likely cost 450 mil because this isnt going under a taxiway, its going under a runway which needs adequate room for mistakes and crashes etc. The Ohare pic above isnt under a runway, its a taxiway.

Last time I checked, and as the planning document shows, the new runway is a North-South. Re-aligning Barlow Trail slightly to the West would make it run parallel to the new runway, and require a tunnel underneath the two taxi-ways. As such, I believe the cost bandied about was aprox. 250 Mil.

And I'm pretty sure that picture is at Schiphol (Amsterdam).

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Buisness owners take a chance building in a convienient location now when they know something could happen later.

What, because a plan publicly announced in 2003 was now quietly dropped? It isn't like capital projects are spur of the moment things. Yes, it has been known for years that Barlow would be gone when the airport needed to expand. The issue is that for years there have also been discussions on how to replace/move Barlow, and announcements of agreements. I don't think that Sandman Hotel has been open 2 years yet, I can't see a chain like that deciding to "take a chance".

And for all Bronco's harping about fixing the transportation infrastructure, closing Barlow is going to throw a boatload more traffic onto McKnight; which is already bumper to bumper all the way between Barlow and Deerfoot, even with a lot of traffic going all the way up Barlow to Country Hills. The area is already a bad traffic spot.

Is Bronco letting things like this happen just so he can rail against the other levels of government for more money? How about being a little pro-active? Are runway tunnels going on sale next year?