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Post by Dane on Dec 1, 2015 17:32:30 GMT -8
I will try and find it tonight, I should have grabbed it at the time but was transfixed on my treadmill (awkward time for ferry speculating). It came up in my RSS feed of local news.... Maybe it was just excitement over the mere prospect of something else....? More to follow as I work backwards here
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Post by Curtis on Dec 2, 2015 16:51:16 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 2, 2015 17:01:44 GMT -8
OKay, the BC Govt is going to study the feasibility of roads & fixed links to the Sunshine Coast (no, not Vancouver Island). See this: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2015TRAN0123-001542B.C. to study feasibility of Sunshine Coast fixed linkThe Government of B.C. will study the costs and benefits of a possible highway link between the Sunshine Coast and Metro Vancouver, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone announced today.
Follow the above link to see the whole news release.
While a road fixed link connection to the Sunshine Coast may be more easily achieved than one to Vancouver Island, it would serve far fewer people, and would it actually be a road to Squamish rather than something direct?
Note to moderators: feel free to move this to another (or a new) thread, if that makes sense.
WCK
as far as I can tell, this is not new news. We were talking about this in September.
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Post by Dane on Dec 2, 2015 19:41:17 GMT -8
Found it! Basically what was posted by the helpful Curtis. Turns out what I saw was in fact "quasi-private" correspondence, which combined with lack of observation at the time, made this almost impossible to find.
It looks like the Province has two soft routes on the table for the design study. Neither a surprise as they already own a vast majority of the ROW. Formal consultation will be beginning next week with major stakeholders.
While Mike is obviously correct in principle here, he fact this project is actually moving forward with some substance in itself is news, as normally these things die a quite beuracratic death in an Assistant Deputy Minister's office.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 2, 2015 19:53:07 GMT -8
I am pretty busy at the moment, but I just saw a release from the Powell River Chamber of Commerce that essentially says the Province has firmly committed to a Sunshine Coast fixed link. So now that we've solved this mystery, we can clarify that the Province has firmly committed to a study on a fixed link. Not to the fixed link itself. S T U D Y - 5 critical letters missing from that post, which would have saved us some time... but that's water under the bridge.
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Post by Dane on Dec 2, 2015 20:58:01 GMT -8
It'll all be okay.... I am sure if there's ever an announcement it'll be a big event!
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 25, 2016 17:40:38 GMT -8
Here's the January 2016 feasibility study report on the Gabriola Island fixed link: READ IT HEREColes note summary: A fixed link is technically feasible, but too costly to justify the benefits from the link.
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 25, 2016 20:17:24 GMT -8
Here's the January 2016 feasibility study report on the Gabriola Island fixed link: READ IT HEREColes note summary: A fixed link is technically feasible, but too costly to justify the benefits from the link. The only way a bridge to Gabriola would become economically feasible is if they were to close all Nanaimo's ferry terminals and build a new terminal serving both routes 2 & 30 somewhere along the east side of the island or on a neighbouring island. I don't expect such to happen anytime soon.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2016 10:31:36 GMT -8
Plus, the Quinsam already docks right in downtown Nanaimo. A new bridge would add at least half an hour of driving, which might curtail the ability of some residents to travel into Nanaimo (at least those without vehicles).
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 26, 2016 11:49:34 GMT -8
The Powell River 'road' study will come to the same conclusion. Possible but far too expensive. A properly funded ferry system is the best means to keep most coastal communities connected.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2016 15:05:18 GMT -8
The Powell River 'road' study will come to the same conclusion. Possible but far too expensive. A properly funded ferry system is the best means to keep most coastal communities connected. I totally agree on the point of funding, but a bridge to Powell River might be good. Considering that PR has industries, this idea might have some traction... I guess a Gabriola Bridge study was more or less of a way to silence critics of the ferry service, though it costed no less than $200,000.
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 26, 2016 15:56:19 GMT -8
The Powell River 'road' study will come to the same conclusion. Possible but far too expensive. A properly funded ferry system is the best means to keep most coastal communities connected. I totally agree on the point of funding, but a bridge to Powell River might be good. Considering that PR has industries, this idea might have some traction... I guess a Gabriola Bridge study was more or less of a way to silence critics of the ferry service, though it costed no less than $200,000. No, far too expensive. The bridge would be from where to where? What is the total population of the northern Sunshine Coast?
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Post by westernflyer on Jan 26, 2016 18:07:45 GMT -8
I totally agree on the point of funding, but a bridge to Powell River might be good. Considering that PR has industries, this idea might have some traction... I guess a Gabriola Bridge study was more or less of a way to silence critics of the ferry service, though it costed no less than $200,000. No, far too expensive. The bridge would be from where to where? What is the total population of the northern Sunshine Coast? The population of the Powell River area is about 20,000. The only somewhat realistic proposal for a fixed link to Powell River is the so called "Third Crossing". The single largest project involved would not be a bridge but a 3.2 km tunnel which would have to be bored through Mt. Casement near the head of Jervis Inlet. More info about the "Third Crossing" route here.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2016 19:37:36 GMT -8
I totally agree on the point of funding, but a bridge to Powell River might be good. Considering that PR has industries, this idea might have some traction... I guess a Gabriola Bridge study was more or less of a way to silence critics of the ferry service, though it costed no less than $200,000. No, far too expensive. The bridge would be from where to where? What is the total population of the northern Sunshine Coast? I won't argue on the price tag (none have been put out...), but as for alignments, I don't think the Provincial Government has determined any - unless you want to FOI in which case you'll pay for, well, we know this Government's record on FOI. Total population of Powell River as of the last census (2011) - 19,545. Source - HERE
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 26, 2016 21:42:54 GMT -8
Does that 20,000 include all the population between Saltery Bay & Lund?
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Post by westernflyer on Jan 26, 2016 21:51:51 GMT -8
Does that 20,000 include all the population between Saltery Bay & Lund? That figure (19,545) is for the Powell River Regional District which includes Saltery Bay to Lund as well as Texada, Lasqueti and Savary Islands. The City of Powell River has a population of 13,165 according to the 2011 census.
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 28, 2016 18:35:29 GMT -8
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 28, 2016 20:29:06 GMT -8
I would wager that for the cost of building and maintaining a bridge/highway connection to the sunshine coast and Powell River area, the province could get at least fifty years of subsidized ferry service. People who promote such ventures to sparsely populated areas have very little sense of perspective, so it's good to see a media outlet showing some.
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Post by westernflyer on Jan 29, 2016 0:12:11 GMT -8
I would wager that for the cost of building and maintaining a bridge/highway connection to the sunshine coast and Powell River area, the province could get at least fifty years of subsidized ferry service. People who promote such ventures to sparsely populated areas have very little sense of perspective, so it's good to see a media outlet showing some. To call the Powell River area sparsely populated might be a bit of an overstatement, though an argument could probably be made either way. It's not exactly a huge community but it's not particularly small either, by British Columbian standards. The City of Powell River ranks 23rd in BC in terms of population, above Prince Rupert and Kitimat, both of which have dedicated highway access. It would be 18th if you took the entire regional district into account. A point I would like to put forward is that part of the justification for the highway link to Powell River is to provide another route from the BC interior to Vancouver Island via the underutilized route 17. This idea (in principle) may have some merit. I do concede, however that the 'Third Crossing' idea would probably not be very cost effective or useful for this purpose considering the circuitousness of the route and the proximity of the south-eastern end of the proposed highway to the already existing transportation infrastructure.
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 29, 2016 8:28:28 GMT -8
To call the Powell River area sparsely populated might be a bit of an overstatement, though an argument could probably be made either way. It's not exactly a huge community but it's not particularly small either, by British Columbian standards. The City of Powell River ranks 23rd in BC in terms of population, above Prince Rupert and Kitimat, both of which have dedicated highway access. It would be 18th if you took the entire regional district into account. A point I would like to put forward is that part of the justification for the highway link to Powell River is to provide another route from the BC interior to Vancouver Island via the underutilized route 17. This idea (in principle) may have some merit. I do concede, however that the 'Third Crossing' idea would probably not be very cost effective or useful for this purpose considering the circuitousness of the route and the proximity of the south-eastern end of the proposed highway to the already existing transportation infrastructure. Comparing Powell River's 'case' for a road to the fact that the smaller coastal cities of Kitimat & Prince Rupert already have roads is quite frankly apples & oranges. The Prince Rupert area was first connected inland by paddle wheel boats running up the Skeena River dating back to to the 1880's. A transcontinental railway reached Rupert a century ago. As for roads, a network of roads connected Prince George to Hazelton by 1940, and with the outbreak of WW II, it was extended to the coast as a military necessity. It was paid for in part with American money (defence of Alaska), and was built in many locations literally on the edge of the railway tracks. It was upgraded to modern highway standards in the 1960's. For the most part the terrain that it traverses is relatively easy by BC standards. The Kitimat to Terrace connection (& connection with Hwy 16) dates from the mid-1950's. The straight-line distance between the locations is ~50 km, and the terrain is easy by BC standards. A railway connection was also built, completed in 1954. Have a look on Google Earth some time. In the 1950's the Kitimat-Kemano project was being constructed, arguably the largest mega-project in BC's history. Kitimat was expected to grow to 50,000 people. Maybe, some day. The combined population of the Terrace - Kitimat corridor today is about 30,000. The two lane road between the two communities is one of the most travelled roads in northern BC. If you want to look at a road that links a small coastal community with the BC interior consider the Freedom Road, built in the 1950's by citizens of the Bella Coola Valley. The BC Government refused to consider building this road due to the extreme terrain. Now, what do people in the Powell River & Sunshine Coast areas really want with a fixed link - a better connection south to Vancouver, or improved access to the BC interior. Would that "Third Crossing" route really cut the time needed to get to Vancouver, or improve the reliability of access?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 18:16:07 GMT -8
The contract has been awarded for the Sunshine Coast fixed link feasibility study to a Vancouver engineering firm. Contract value is $250,000. According to Global News, the options include a highway around Squamish, bridges and a highway on Gambier Island plus bridges and a highway across Nelson Island (maybe a cable ferry in there?), and, yes, a direct highway from Squamish to Powell River. The idea isn't so ridiculous after all... PS: based on the "late fall" timeline, it sounds like the release of the report will be timed with the ending of the Fall session of the Legislature. news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016TRAN0014-000138
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Post by WettCoast on Feb 3, 2016 18:44:31 GMT -8
And the report, when it comes in, will say "Possible but way too expensive. Not going to happen". Wait for it. This is nothing more than another BC 'Liberal' smoke & mirrors show.
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Post by princessofvanfan on Feb 3, 2016 19:23:16 GMT -8
Like Vancouver Island and the Gulf/Discovery Islands,isolation is part of what makes The Sunshine Coast so nice. All one has to do is look at what's happened to Kelowna, where I am from, and currently live, over the past 25 years since The Coquihalla Highway was built. You want more crime and social issues? Then by all means, make access to your little piece of paradise easier and faster. How about a high speed Victoria Clipper type of service? Westview to Downtown Van in 2 hours, one roundtrip a day.
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Post by Dane on Oct 18, 2016 16:35:38 GMT -8
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Post by WettCoast on Oct 18, 2016 16:45:24 GMT -8
This, I think, is nothing more than electioneering in the run-up to next May's provincial election. They are, of course, spending public (i.e. tax-payers') money in order to dangle this carrot. Some time not to long after the election has come & gone we will receive a message much the same as what Gabriola Islanders were told about the affordability of their 'bridge'. Cynical politics, nothing more.
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