I work for Mayor Nenshi, ask me anything!

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by Bunk

We've tried to get information from CP, but no luck. I wish we could tell you.

Is the pathway under the bridge owned by CP and just used by the City for the pathway?

I figured since it was a CPS officer who told us and not someone with CP themselves that someone at the City might have an idea. I have been using the route for the last few weeks and there has been no new notice posted about this impeding closure.

The CPS officer also said the entire path from 9th ave to the Bonneybrook from the bird sanctuary would also be officially closed. I figured that someone in the Parks/Pathways department would at least know about that closure.

I will be calling CPS this afternoon to see if I can get any more info. I should have taken the guys badge number so I could quote it.

Also has anyone heard of how the Transport Canada report with this bridge is going? If find it very suspicious that the flooding caused this bridge collapse as its a dual bridge that use the same concrete pilings and CP is continuing to use the second (more North) bridge.

I am not physics expert but if a since piece of cement shifts you would think that would affect anything connected to that piece of cement.

Thanks

[woob]

Hey Bunk - may be a silly question, but I have been wondering about it for awhile, so I'll ask. How come, with Calgary's short road construction season, are more of the bigger road works projects not 24/7 operations? With shift work, I would think this wouldn't be that much more costly overall, would it? Or is it a matter of the contractors who run these jobs not having the staff to be able to run a full 24/7 shift rotation?

[Bunk]

Closed at least while CP dismantles bridge - that will take a month apparently. Unclear yet whether it will reopen after that point. Parks indicates at least 2 months likely to reopening.

I'll provide more updates as I get them.

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Is the pathway under the bridge owned by CP and just used by the City for the pathway?

I figured since it was a CPS officer who told us and not someone with CP themselves that someone at the City might have an idea. I have been using the route for the last few weeks and there has been no new notice posted about this impeding closure.

The CPS officer also said the entire path from 9th ave to the Bonneybrook from the bird sanctuary would also be officially closed. I figured that someone in the Parks/Pathways department would at least know about that closure.

I will be calling CPS this afternoon to see if I can get any more info. I should have taken the guys badge number so I could quote it.

Also has anyone heard of how the Transport Canada report with this bridge is going? If find it very suspicious that the flooding caused this bridge collapse as its a dual bridge that use the same concrete pilings and CP is continuing to use the second (more North) bridge.

I am not physics expert but if a since piece of cement shifts you would think that would affect anything connected to that piece of cement.

Thanks

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by woob

Hey Bunk - may be a silly question, but I have been wondering about it for awhile, so I'll ask. How come, with Calgary's short road construction season, are more of the bigger road works projects not 24/7 operations? With shift work, I would think this wouldn't be that much more costly overall, would it? Or is it a matter of the contractors who run these jobs not having the staff to be able to run a full 24/7 shift rotation?

High labour demand = very difficult to motivate workforces to 24/7 operation. Would drastically increase price.

[CaptainYooh]

Bring labour force and equipment from Detroit; I am sure they have some spare capacity at present... In all seriousness, working around a clock is the best and most efficient way to construct/repair important services, like roadways and bridges to minimize disruptions. Unionized outfits can usually make their workers deliver on any reasonable client's schedule. Overtime pay is not a factor.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Bring labour force and equipment from Detroit; I am sure they have some spare capacity at present... In all seriousness, working around a clock is the best and most efficient way to construct/repair important services, like roadways and bridges to minimize disruptions. Unionized outfits can usually make their workers deliver on any reasonable client's schedule. Overtime pay is not a factor.

It costs more, and it's harder to find willing labour. Also, there really aren't much for unionized outfits around here, so I don't know why you even bring that up. To go from regular, to nonstop 24/7 work, you really have to go from 1 crew, to 4 crews. Managers and supervisors from the 4 crews have to be on the same page, which takes additional administrative effort.

You can't work around the clock anywhere near a residential area anyway, due to noise. When it really makes sense to go to a 24/7 operation, it happens already. When we were working on the weir, we did run two crews for a while, so that we could run rock drills 16-20 hours a day, instead of 12. That way, we didn't require as many of them. That's nowhere near any residences though.

[CaptainYooh]

Well, not on small residential streets. But on arterials, majors and highways running through the City it would be totally justified. I think even importing crews from other provinces could be feasible, when you take all of the contributing factors into consideration. Roadway construction done around the clock is very efficient. As for unionized roadwork crews, you are correct, we don't have them in Alberta; which is why I am advocating for tendering key roadworks to not only the established local outfits (Volker Stevin, Lafarge and Lehigh), but also to out-of-province companies. Materials are likely to be supplied locally anyway due to the monopolistic nature of concrete and asphalt production. Also, if a 24/7 schedule is specified in the RFP and local companies know that the tender is not going to be decided between the three usual suspects, chances are they would be more aggressive on the price.

[KelVarnsen]

I can just picture Rick Bell losing his s**t if the city were to do that.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Well, not on small residential streets. But on arterials, majors and highways running through the City it would be totally justified. I think even importing crews from other provinces could be feasible, when you take all of the contributing factors into consideration. Roadway construction done around the clock is very efficient. As for unionized roadwork crews, you are correct, we don't have them in Alberta; which is why I am advocating for tendering key roadworks to not only the established local outfits (Volker Stevin, Lafarge and Lehigh), but also to out-of-province companies. Materials are likely to be supplied locally anyway due to the monopolistic nature of concrete and asphalt production. Also, if a 24/7 schedule is specified in the RFP and local companies know that the tender is not going to be decided between the three usual suspects, chances are they would be more aggressive on the price.

One big problem is the efficiency of the night shift is roughly 50% to 70% of what the day shift is. Taking a little longer can make the project cheaper. Also these magic skilled trades people don't exist right now. They are in FrtMac building oilsands right now. So even expanding your bid base you are looking at significantly increasing your labour cost beyond just the shift premium for the night shift.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by GGG

One big problem is the efficiency of the night shift is roughly 50% to 70% of what the day shift is. Taking a little longer can make the project cheaper. Also these magic skilled trades people don't exist right now. They are in FrtMac building oilsands right now. So even expanding your bid base you are looking at significantly increasing your labour cost beyond just the shift premium for the night shift.

Yup, exactly. Also, to run more crews, you need more workers. When you have to hire workers they tend not to be as good on average, because you tend to keep your best guys. However, to get workers at all, you have to offer them a premium.

Also, if it was price competitive for non local companies to take these jobs, they would try, nothing is stopping them from doing so. The problem is that you are generally paying room and board on top of wages for your workers, increasing your cost. And then it's hard to compete.


It simply is more expensive to do projects in a rush. Subtrades will charge more to do the work as well, for the same reasons. When it makes sense to go 24/7, it happens, but most of the time, there isn't much reason to pay the premium.

[Slava]

I would be curious to see a cost-benefit analysis that included factors for people not sitting in traffic for as long because the projects get completed sooner. I have no doubt its cheaper for the city as an organization, but on the economy as a whole, how much increased production would we gain?

[HockeyIlliterate]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

You can't work around the clock anywhere near a residential area anyway, due to noise.

Are you sure about that?

The recent pavement milling/resurfacing on 12th Ave SW was a 24-hour operation. When I complained about the very loud road work going on at 3:00 am, the reply back was, essentially, "road maintenance is exempt from the noise bylaws."

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by HockeyIlliterate

Are you sure about that?

The recent pavement milling/resurfacing on 12th Ave SW was a 24-hour operation. When I complained about the very loud road work going on at 3:00 am, the reply back was, essentially, "road maintenance is exempt from the noise bylaws."

Exceptions can be granted. In cases like that, you are balancing a short term late noise problem, with a major traffic problem during the day.

Whatever it was, you have to have a good reason to get an exemption.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Slava

I would be curious to see a cost-benefit analysis that included factors for people not sitting in traffic for as long because the projects get completed sooner. I have no doubt its cheaper for the city as an organization, but on the economy as a whole, how much increased production would we gain?

Would you be willing to pay higher taxes to offset the greatly increased cost of projects running 24/7 to make your commute less painful in the summer?

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by Slava

I would be curious to see a cost-benefit analysis that included factors for people not sitting in traffic for as long because the projects get completed sooner. I have no doubt its cheaper for the city as an organization, but on the economy as a whole, how much increased production would we gain?

All of that, plus the actual savings of shorter completion time due to not having to pay more next year (increased material costs, inflation cost etc.).

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

All of that, plus the actual savings of shorter completion time due to not having to pay more next year (increased material costs, inflation cost etc.).

Costs are usually fixed at the start of a project.

Also, for those proposing to rush every project, do you propose that we should also then do more projects every year (spending more money on top of the extra cost to rush individual projects), or put all of those extra workers on EI for the rest of the time?

If you had 25 projects to do in the year, and spread them all out over the year, one crew could do them.

If you go 24/7 on those same projects, you need 4 crews of workers, and you finish 4-5 months into the year, and meanwhile you don't have any work for ANY of the workers for the rest of the year.

[CaptainYooh]

Oh, c'mon, why exaggerate? Of course, not. As a municipality, you allocate budget for capital improvement projects within the capital budgeting process. City of Calgary approves three-year program with three-year next in line. Then, there is a "wish list" of all capital projects that they keep deep in the annals of the engineering department. So, for 2014, all of the capital projects have been approved already. The impact of flood will change some things and priorities, undoubtedly. In essence, I am saying that working within the allocated budget should not preclude building and servicing major roadways around the clock, because of the short construction window, that's all.

[First Lady]

Hey Bunk,

Does the City have something that recognizes businesses that have operated many years in Calgary? I know the province will send letters to people celebrating significant birthdays and anniversaries. (100 yrs old or married 50 yrs, etc)

Is there anything at the civic level for a company that is marking 10, 15, etc years in business in Calgary?

[hah]

Hi Bunk


Issue has been resolved.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by First Lady

Hey Bunk,

Does the City have something that recognizes businesses that have operated many years in Calgary? I know the province will send letters to people celebrating significant birthdays and anniversaries. (100 yrs old or married 50 yrs, etc)

Is there anything at the civic level for a company that is marking 10, 15, etc years in business in Calgary?

I'm not aware of anything. However said business can always have a magazine like Business in Calgary do a write-up on them and then the magazine can bug all their customers/vendors to spend money advertising in the magazine to wish them well.