Cyclists and pedestrians that use the ever-more-popular Trillium pathway have enjoyed experienced many detours and perambulations over the last two years.
Probably most frustrating has been the circuitous routings for those trying to get to or from the Ottawa River pathways. So I was pretty happy to see that the pathway under the new Bayview Station looks almost ready to reopen.
Is this is a permanent reopening or just a temporary one while the sloped pathways up to the new ped underpass are paved?
Here’s the north side of Bayview Station, showing the new path coming to align with the existing path going towards the River:
Here’s the view from the Albert Street overpass, looking down to the Trillium and pathway level of the new Bayview Station:
Eric
What would be the function of the tunnel further uphill if this path becomes permanent? Bypass?
The Trillium path runs north south. It continues under the elevated portion of Bayview Station, making the route uninterrupted. Flat route, to boot !
However, there needs to be a connection for the East West traffic on the Albert-Scott alignment. The present walkway from the bus stops down to the Trillium OTrain platform will get replaced by the escalators and elevators inside the fare paid zone of the new station. Cyclists and peds therefore need a path that bypasses the indoor station; the underpass takes them away from the station slightly to the north side and then makes connections to the Trillium pathway and also continues cross country to the Bayview Road underpass, like the detour route now does. Thus the pathways will have full functionality in all four directions.
Obviously, that east west link will need some reconfiguration should the Trillium train line ever make it to the Prince of Wales bridge to Gatineau. But by that time, there will be a cycle track on the Albert overpass (exact details still pending, but that is the concept.)
I looks to me, from your last picture, that the path inder the station is only a single ‘lane’. I wonder why they didn’t put the path to the east (right) of the columns, next to the abutment?
As I understand it, this “re-opening” is temporary while the E-W underpass and path is paved. I wouldn’t expect the original N-S Trillium route along the east side of the tracks to be re-opened permanently until the station is complete next year.
I actually find it fascinating how many different permutations this detour has taken. I find it incredible that the project managers were not able to establish a detour route that goes a bit wider than the site, and largely rely on that, without having to constantly move the route for several phases of station and guideway work.