“Greenline” Southeast Transitway: Project Facts Sheet & “Quick Wins”
“Greenline” Southeast Transitway: Project Facts Sheet & “Quick Wins”
Did you know?
1. Greenline Southeast Transitway will offer high-quality rapid transit service to Southeast Calgary with buses operating in a dedicated right of way. Stage 1 construction from 4 St. SE to Douglas Glen, is nearly 13km, which is 5km longer then West LRT.
2. There will be 9 stations constructed in Stage 1.
3. The transitway will be rail convertible meaning the infrastructure required for ultimate LRT will be pre-built. For example, duct banks, utility relocations, stations, and communication systems will be built in anticipation of the future LRT.
4. Construction is targeted to start in 2017, however real improvements to give citizens a taste of what’s to come starts in 2015 with the Quick Wins projects, see below for more information.
5. The Greenline Southeast will improve reliability and reduce ride time to therefore attract and retain ridership.
6. In RouteAhead bus rapid transit is the precursor to the ultimate LRT and is part of Calgary Transits “mode progression”, therefore using limited funds wisely in an efficient and effective manner while still providing needed service and building towards LRT.
7. Bus rapid transit provides frequent service, which allows more flexibility than rail based rapid transit services. It also provides a high level of service and is both faster and less costly to build than LRT.
8. Transit Travel time from Seton to Downtown will reduce by up to 15 minutes with the introduction of dedicated transitway from Douglas Glen to 4th Street/10th Avenue SE.
9. Geotechnical and environmental investigations for the project have begun. This is the first step to confirm site conditions for designers to begin their drawings and plans.
10. Calgary Transit and Transportation Infrastructure are currently involved in re-branding this project as Greenline – Southeast Transitway, in order to keep it consistent with re-branding efforts of the Redline and Blueline. Branding is soon to be released.
Quick Wins Projects:
In preparation for the GL-SE Transitway a review was completed of the existing BRT Route 302 corridor to determine “Quick Wins” where investments could be made in the short term to improve the trip experience for passengers travelling on existing transit routes. 12 locations were identified where current travel time delays are occurring and projects were identified to reduce or mitigate these delays. Below are the list of the projects approved and selected for design and construction.
1. Widen 52 Street SE from 130 Avenue to Stoney Trail from four to six lanes to implement transit-only lanes.
2. Relocate bus routes from Deerfoot Trail SE to 114 Avenue SE using 40 Street SE plus 530 metres of new roadway.
3. Widen 130 Avenue SE from 48 Street SE to 52 Street SE from four to six lanes to implement transit-only lanes.
4. Widen Ogden Road SE from Millican Road to 69 Avenue SE from two to four lanes to provide two transit-only curb lanes (this project will be reviewed against alternative alignment options prior to proceeding).
5. Construct transit queue jumps at various locations.
6. Reprioritize signals and install transit signal priorities at various locations
The travel times of other routes that currently travel along the same alignment as the BRT Route 302 will also benefit from these improvements. Consulting services for the design and construction of the “quick win” projects is underway and construction is expected to commence in 2015 with construction completed by 2016.
