The Delta Intersection, Cambridge

[mpd618]

The Delta intersection is the absolute worst intersection for pedestrians I have seen in the region.

[dunkalunk]

I'm not sure what can be done to this intersection to make it better without some sort of grade separation or land grab. The only thing I could see possibly working would be a signalized roundabout.

[Urbanomicon]

Even re-aligning the intersection to meet at right angles would be a substantial improvement.

[jay]

I used to live on Norfolk Ave and there was a letter from the city a couple years ago that they would block off HWY 24 access.

I lived there for 3 years and man that intersection is something else .. Actually all of Cambridge is pretty bad considering everyone in the city take 2 roads to get anywhere.

[Waterlooer]

I know this wouldn't work, but there should be underground tunnels for the pedestrians.

[mpd618]

I know this wouldn't work, but there should be underground tunnels for the pedestrians.

Why wouldn't it work? A roundabout for vehicular traffic, and pedestrian/cyclist underpasses.

[Waterlooer]

Why wouldn't it work? A roundabout for vehicular traffic, and pedestrian/cyclist underpasses.

I just thought no one would want to pay for it because it would be expensive. There could be an overpass instead for pedestrians that might be cheaper, like the ones they have in Las Vegas. The only problem would be for cyclists.

[mpd618]

I just thought no one would want to pay for it because it would be expensive. There could be an overpass instead for pedestrians that might be cheaper, like the ones they have in Las Vegas. The only problem would be for cyclists.

I'm pretty sure roundabout + underpasses would be a much better and cheaper solution than overpasses. If we were talking about streets in the middle of a city instead of roads, it would be different.

[garthdanlor]

I'm pretty sure roundabout + underpasses would be a much better and cheaper solution than overpasses. If we were talking about streets in the middle of a city instead of roads, it would be different.

Yeah, I think pedestrian/cyclist subways are the way to go. They certainly seem to work at roundabouts in Europe...

[Urbanomicon]

I'm pretty sure roundabout + underpasses would be a much better and cheaper solution than overpasses. If we were talking about streets in the middle of a city instead of roads, it would be different.

Another option (especially given the size of these roads) would be a signalized roundabout. This would eliminate traffic running at odd angles and allow pedestrians/cyclists to cross safely without the need for over/underpasses.

[garthdanlor]

Another option (especially given the size of these roads) would be a signalized roundabout. This would eliminate traffic running at odd angles and allow pedestrians/cyclists to cross safely without the need for over/underpasses.

Seems to go against the logic for having a roundabout, but I have seen roundabouts with signals in the UK (I think). What would be the benefit of having a signalized roundabout over a signalized intersection? Less accidents, I would guess, but can you push more traffic through it than the traditional intersection?

[Duke-of-Waterloo]

Washington DC has a lot of large signalized roundabouts which all work very well - especially for pedestrians. They are much, much better planned than The Delta ever will be, with parks in the circles and well-scaled development on the perimeter. When I was in Washington last summer, I really liked Dupont Circle.

Check out Dupont Circle on Street View: http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ie=...261.89,,0,4.65

[mpd618]

Washington DC has a lot of large signalized roundabouts which all work very well - especially for pedestrians. They are much, much better planned than The Delta ever will be, with parks in the circles and well-scaled development on the perimeter. When I was in Washington last summer, I really liked Dupont Circle.

Making it a large urban traffic circle... that's an interesting idea. Though D.C.'s circles are needed to handle the converging diagonal streets, whereas here there are just two and larger size would be difficult to justify.

[Urbanomicon]

What would be the benefit of having a signalized roundabout over a signalized intersection?

Both less accidents and pedestrian safety. Putting a roundabout there of any sort will eliminate the problem of the non-90 degree intersection. Having it as a signalized roundabout will allow pedestrians to cross more safely (since drivers here don't seem to understand that pedestrians have the right of way at roundabouts).

[Duke-of-Waterloo]

Demolition begins to make way for Hespeler Road railway bridge
THE RECORD | Friday, June 18, 2010

CAMBRIDGE — More than 30 years after it was first suggested, Hespeler Road motorists might start to believe they’ll get the bridge they long for over the busy railway tracks north of The Delta intersection.

Wednesday, TripleM demolition crews started knocking down an expropriated church at Norfolk Street and Hespeler Road that’s in the way of the $25-million project. The building near the Canadian Pacific Railway is expected to be gone early next week.

Actual construction, however, isn’t expected to start until early 2011, and take two years to complete. Tenders are expected to be called in the fall, with a contractor chosen by Waterloo Regional council in December.

While the church demolition may seem the only visible proof something is happening, preparations have been underway for two years, said John Stephenson, project manager.

“There’s actually been a fair amount of work done,” he said

Two years ago, Union Gas spent $500,000 moving gas lines out of the way of lowered tracks and bridge construction. Over the past two weeks, a new fence was installed through the Babcock & Wilcox Canada parking lot to define the edge of a four-lane detour of Hespeler Road around construction.

Next month, Bell crews are expected to move in to replace 12 fibre-optic telephone cables buried under the tracks with temporary ones strung overhead. After the new bridge opens in late 2012, they’ll return to hang the cables in conduits along its side.

Later this summer, CP crews are expected to start ripping up redundant track on both sides of the construction zone. Taller utility poles will also be installed to carry street lights and power lines through the area.

A “grade separation” to carry Hespeler Road over the tracks was first suggested in the late 1970s, as part of a multimillion-dollar overhaul of the nearby Delta intersection. The crossroads of Water and Dundas streets, Coronation Boulevard and Hespeler Road is one of the busiest in the region.

The bridge was dropped from the plans because train traffic was waning at the time and tracks were being ripped up across the country.

The Delta was rebuilt in the early 1980s with the tracks across Hespeler Road. Then in 1988, Toyota Canada opened a Cambridge factory that ships almost all of its cars by train across North America — and across Hespeler Road.

Today, upward of 30 slow, long trains a day trundle across Hespeler Road to the frustration of motorists stuck in kilometre-long traffic jams.

The train bridge was put in the region’s road budget in 2005 at a cost of $21 million. Then, talks with CP raised hopes Cambridge train shunting might be moved to a new rail yard near Ayr. That would have eliminated an immediate need for the bridge.

Eventually, regional councillors couldn’t get the guarantees they wanted from CP to keep trains from blocking Hespeler Road, so the bridge was revived.

The region applied to the Canadian Transportation Agency to order CP to pay most of the cost of the grade separation. In August 2009, Ottawa ordered the railway to pay $29 million toward the project, which was climbing to total cost of $35 million.

Since then, CP eliminated twin tracks in a channel under Hespeler Road. A single track shaves $8 million from the railway’s bill.

That change also lowers the overall of the cost of the bridge and road approaches. Now, the project is estimated to cost $25 million, with the railway paying about $21 million.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/731014

[jay]

Glad this is happening. I used to live on Norfolk and man that intersection is enough to make you go mad.

[ON-Inspector]

Bell crews have started their work! construction should start in the spring

[UrbanWaterloo]

March 29, 2011

[UrbanWaterloo]

Noise Exemption – Hespeler Road Grade Separation
Delegated Authority Resolution TPW 28/11
Cambridge City Council Meeting April 18, 2011: Pages 33-34

The Regional Project for the Hespeler Road Grade Separation works must conform to the City’s Noise Bylaw or receive exemptions from the City. The delegated authority to staff proposed maintains the City’s ability to control the noise issues. Further our involvement with the project team also enables us to have some control as well over the types of works that would be creating noise at sensitive periods of the day or night.

The contract has been configured with the hopes of using exemptions for evening, night and weekend works to enable traffic impacting works to be done at off-peak traffic periods to assist with minimizing traffic delays and impact on the residents. The intent is to maintain 2 lanes of traffic in each direction at all times. For some works however, there may be partial lane closures needed, and these works are hoped to be completed at low traffic volume times. If we do not permit some noise exemptions, we can expect lane reductions at peak traffic times and significant impact to the City’s traffic system.

Construction experience has shown that there are two primary types of construction noise patterns. These are Ongoing Background Noise and Intermittent Sudden Noise patterns.

Generally the Ongoing Background Noise pattern, although a nuisance, is more easily adapted to and accepted by the public. This would be similar to a train passing by the neighbourhood, or ongoing noise of a major highway like the highway 401 corridor. Although it is there, it can be over looked or can become accepted.

The Intermittent Sudden Noise patterns are the issues that will irritate residents and result in complaints and concerns. These would be similar to train coupling “banging” when trains are stacking and reorganizing, or engine compression brakes of transport trucks on the highways. The construction noise patterns associated with “Back Up Beepers”, dump truck tail gate “slams”, jack hammering, pile driving, and loading/dropping of material into dump trucks are the primary issues of concern. We will be working with the Region staff and Contractor to minimize or eliminate these intermittent sudden noise patterns.

Our understanding at this time is that the primary activity to take place through out the night time hours is for the drilling of bridge foundation caissons. This tends to be more like a background noise operation and is not the intrusive noise of pile driving or other significant intermittent sudden noise. Also, as noted in the original report, works in the evening will be scheduled for different times based on their proximity to adjacent residential homes. This should also help alleviate concerns.

As the City Staff have ongoing involvement and multiple approval opportunities for the exemptions, we will continue to monitor the success of the initiatives to minimize noise, and if significant issues arise, works will either be not permitted or we will return to Council for formal approval of special circumstances. In all, this is a major project that will take about 18 months to complete. There will be traffic impacts.

There will be noise impacts. There will be inconveniences to the City residents. The project design and the project team has been established to try to mitigate these impacts as much as possible, while still enabling the works to proceed. Through advertising and notifications to the public, it is hoped that an understanding of the need can be developed and a level of general public patience will also be developed as well to assist in completing this important project.

As a final note, to start the public education and notification of the project, the initial public meeting will be held:

Pre-Construction Open House
7:00 pm Thursday April 21, 2010
Avenue Road School
40 Gail Street