June 2018 | File: 1961.0384.02
Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan
Phase II – Implementation Strategy – Final Report
Client: BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
342 – 447 Columbia Street
Kamloops, BC V2C 2T3
Attention: Kathryn Weicker, Senior Regional Transportation Planning Engineer
Prepared by: Urban Systems Ltd.
304 – 1353 Ellis Street
Kelowna, BC V1Y 1Z9
Tel: (250) 762-2517
Prepared by: Kevin Gordon, CTech
Sr. Transportation Lead
Prepared by: Ian Roth, P.Eng.
Transportation Engineer
Reviewed by: James Donnelly, P.Eng., PTOE
Sr. Transportation Engineer
Date issued: March 16, 2018 Draft Report
March 28, 2018 Final Draft Report
June 28, 2018 Final Report
Project No.: 1961.0384.02
This report was prepared by Urban Systems Ltd. for the account of British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and
Infrastructure. The material reflects Urban Systems Ltd.’s best judgement in light of the information available to it at the
time of preparation. Any use which a third party makes of this report, or any reliance on or decisions to be made based
on it, are the responsibility of such third parties. Urban Systems Ltd. accepts no responsibility for damages, if any,
suffered by any third party as a result of decisions made or actions based on this report.
The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) retained Urban Systems Ltd (Urban Systems) to
undertake the Phase 2 study of the Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan. Subsequent to the Phase 1
Existing Conditions report that was completed in 2016, Phase 2 has focused on understanding future
transportation conditions in Quesnel, explored short and long-term improvement options, and outlines a
recommended implementation strategy of projects and improvements for the corridor.
This report encapsulates the Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan including an assessment of future
transportation conditions, the development of improvement options and guiding principles to evaluate the options,
the multiple account evaluation (MAE) of advanced options, and the implementation strategy. This report also
summarizes the community engagement undertaken over the course of the study, identifies potential risks for
recommended improvements and outlines next steps. The study area includes 13.9 kilometres of Highway 97
between Basalt Road to Highway 26 / Barkerville Highway (LKI Segment 1146 km 110.9 to km 124.3). The study
area has been categorized into four study segments as shown in Figure ES-1 to reflect the changing form and
function of the highway through Quesnel.
Figure ES - 1: Highway 97 (Quesnel) Study Area
The future conditions assessment involved the analysis of local economic conditions and growth forecasts, and
analysis of the future traffic conditions on the Highway 97 study corridor. The full future conditions assessment is
provided in Appendix A.
The project team met with the City of Quesnel to understand municipal projects and economic conditions in the
Quesnel area. In addition, Pearson Ellis Consulting Inc. was retained by Urban Systems to complete a socio-
economic assessment entitled Quesnel Socio-Economic Overview For Purposes of Highway Planning (2017).
The socio-economic assessment identified trends across many sectors and aspects of the community and some
of the highlights from the report (provided in Appendix B) are listed as follows:
• The population of the Quesnel area has seen some minor decline, based on Census results. The future
population is forecasted to grow at a low rate.
• Currently, the economy of Quesnel is heavily dependent on the forestry industry and, despite much
uncertainty in the future of this industry, it is expected that this industry will continue to be a major source
of employment and significant contributor to heavy vehicle traffic on Highway 97 in the Quesnel area. The
development of the Blackwater mine and Bonanza Ledge mine presents an opportunity for new sources
of employment for the region in the future.
• G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital continues to grow and develop. This has added pedestrian and traffic
movements to and from the hospital creating new issues and challenges with traffic flows along and
across Front Street, which is one of the most problematic sections of the Highway 97 corridor through
Quesnel.
• Community concerns for Highway 97 relate to access, safety, congestion and emissions through the
Quesnel segment of the highway corridor.
The traffic volumes in the study area of Quesnel were analyzed at the 10 and 25-year horizons. To determine the
future traffic volumes, existing traffic was factored using a background growth rate of 0.5% and a sensitivity
growth rate of 1.5%.
The mobility analysis of the study network intersections was undertaken in accordance with the Ministry’s general
mobility performance criteria and thresholds. The complete mobility analysis for the future horizon years and
growth rate scenarios is provided in Appendix A and the traffic modelling reports are provided in Appendix C. A
summary of the key findings from the future mobility analysis is provided in Table ES-1.
Table ES - 1: Summary of Future Mobility Performance Conditions
0.5% Background Growth 1.5% Background Growth
AM
Peak
• All intersections perform at a LOS A or B.
• None of the study intersection approaches
exceed the v/c threshold of 0.9.
• The eastbound approach at the McNaughton
Avenue intersection with Highway 97 operates at
a LOS E.
• All intersections within the study area
operate at LOS C or better.
• Side-street approaches at the intersections
of McNaughton Avenue, Shepherd
Avenue, and Racing Road operate at LOS
F with v/c ratios above 1.0.
0.5% Background Growth 1.5% Background Growth
PM
Peak
• All intersections operate at a satisfactory LOS C
or better.
• None of the study intersection approaches
exceed the v/c threshold of 0.9.
• The eastbound approach at Shepherd Avenue
reaches a LOS F.
• Minor side-street approaches perform at LOS E
at McNaughton Avenue, Laurent Avenue, Carson
Avenue, McLean Street, Marsh Drive (Moffat
Bridge Approach), and Racing Road
intersections.
• Side-street approaches at the intersections
of McNaughton Avenue, Shepherd
Avenue, and Racing Road reach a LOS F
with v/c ratios above 1.0.
• The northbound side-street approach at
the McLean Street intersection reaches a
LOS F, but with a v/c ratio under 0.9.
Overall, traffic volumes are projected to grow at a slow-to-moderate pace and are not expected to exceed the
highway’s current capacity by the 2042 long-term horizon.
The problem definition summarizes the key challenges and issues along Highway 97 through Quesnel, which has
been established through the technical analysis undertaken in the existing conditions assessment (Phase 1 of the
study), and in the future conditions assessment. Overall, the current alignment of Highway 97 is constrained
through the downtown of Quesnel, which already has mobility and safety challenges that are projected to be
intensified in the future. Side-street movements were found to present a challenge as high delays and poor LOS
are experienced at some intersections at the 10 and 25-year horizons. These challenges are further discussed in
the following problem definition statements, organized by the four highway study segments:
Segment A - South Quesnel Commercial (LKI km 110.9 to km 115.1)
The South Quesnel Commercial area of Highway 97 experiences road safety performance challenges and
geometric challenges at several intersections along this segment. Without improvements along the corridor, the
existing issues with the highway frontage roads will continue be a challenge. Currently the highway frontage roads
provide minimal vehicle queuing storage at highway intersections and can inhibit trucks from making turning
movements without over-tracking into adjacent lanes and the road shoulder. At the 2027 and 2042 horizons,
mobility performance is slightly worse compared to the existing conditions due to higher highway volumes,
however, all approaches and intersections are projected to operate satisfactorily.
Segment B - North Star Area (LKI km 115.1 to km 117.7)
The North Star area of Highway 97 has many geometric design challenges that require significant upgrades and
improvements to adhere to MoTI’s current-day design standards and guidelines. Necessary upgrades include the
Quesnel River Bridge No. 1569, Quesnel Overhead No. 01641, sidewalks on both structures, the off ramps to
Valhalla Road and Dragon Hill Road, and directional signage on North Star Road. In addition to structure and
infrastructure upgrades, side street mobility is projected to worsen at the 10 and 25-year horizons, specifically at
the Racing Road intersection which is expected to experience delays and failing levels of service.
Segment C - Downtown Quesnel (LKI km 117.7 to km 121.0)
The Downtown Quesnel area of Highway 97 currently has safety concerns at several intersections including at
Kinchant Street, McLean Street, Front Street, and St. Laurent Avenue. There are mobility performance challenges
for side-street movements throughout this segment at the 2027 and 2042 projections due to the increase in
highway traffic volumes. Specifically, the intersections of Shepherd Avenue and McNaughton Avenue are
expected to perform poorly with high delays.
There is a horizontal curve with a minimum 90 meter radius just west of the Quesnel Overhead No. 01641 (LKI
km 117.9) in which there is evidence some vehicles may be going off pavement. Lastly, a pedestrian and cycle
connection from Downtown to the Two Mile Flat area would facilitate active modes wishing to travel between
these two destinations.
Segment D - Two Mile Flat (LKI km 121.0 to km 124.3)
In this Two Mile Flat segment, the Highway 97 alignment comes close to the CN Rail alignment and the rail base
abuts the highway shoulder, resulting in an increased risk of vehicle impacts to the railway base and slope. At the
intersection of Brownmiller Road, there is a risk of heavy vehicles tracking off pavement as they make northbound
right turns around a sharp curve onto Brownmiller Road. Access management is also needed to better define
permitted turning movements onto and off the highway to local businesses. No existing or future mobility issues
are expected for the intersections in this segment of the study area.
Fourteen improvement options on the existing Highway 97 alignment and six alternate route option alignments
were identified and developed to a conceptual design level. Several design considerations were accounted for in
the development of the options, which are detailed on the design criteria sheets provided in Appendix D for urban
and rural segments of the Highway 97 study corridor. Further, an environmental review and geotechnical review
was completed for the study area options, which is provided in Appendix E and Appendix F, respectively.
A set of six guiding principles were established based on the existing and future needs of the corridor to help
guide the development and selection of preferred improvement options. These guiding principles were also used
in the evaluation of improvement options to ensure the improvements achieve the objectives of the project.
The guiding principles are summarized as follows:
Enhance the Highway to Support Local and Regional Functions
Improve Intersection and Highway Safety
Support Active Transportation
Improve Intersection and Corridor Mobility
Improve Access and Connectivity with the Local Road Network
Mitigate Heavy Vehicle Impacts
Each option was evaluated by the above guiding principles and one of three following recommendations were
provided for each option:
Advance the option to the Multiple Account Evaluation (MAE) for further evaluation;
Advance the option to the Implementation Strategy;
Screen-out the option from further review;
A list of all the options generated is summarized in Table ES-2 along with the recommendations based on the
guiding principles evaluation.
The conceptual design drawings and planning-level project cost estimates are provided in Appendix G and
Appendix H, respectively. Unit rates for structural costs were provided by Mott MacDonald for this study, as
detailed in the report Highway 97 Quesnel Corridor Study – Structural Considerations provided in Appendix I.
Costs for acquiring property were prepared by Gateway Land Services for options where significant property
impacts were required outside of the existing Highway 97 alignment. Details of the properties impacted and the
costs are outlined in their report Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan Phase II – Improvement Options
Property Impact Study, provided in Appendix J.
Table ES - 2: Summary of Options Developed and Recommendations based on Guiding Principles Evaluation
Study
Segment Option Name Screening Outcome
Alternate
Route
Option AR-1a North-South Interconnector (4-Lane)
Advance to MAE
Option AR-1b: North South Interconnector (2-Lane) Screen-Out
Option AR-2 (a&b):
North South Industrial Connector Screen-Out
Option AR-3: East-West Connector Screen-Out
Option AR-4: North-South Bypass Screen-Out
A
South
Quesnel
Option A1: Basalt Rd. and Gook Rd. Access Management (2-lane) Screen-Out
Option A2: Basalt Rd. and Gook Rd. Access Management (4-lane)
Advance to MAE
Option A3: Juniper Road and Jade Road Network Improvements
Advance to Implementation Plan
Option A4: Signal Optimization of Maple Drive and Cedar Avenue Intersections
Advance to Implementation Plan
Option A5: Racing Rd. and Quesnel-Hydraulic Rd. Access Management
Advance to Implementation Plan
B
North Star
Option B1: Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead Replacement
Advance to MAE individually and in combination with Options C1, C2-b
Option B2: Quesnel River Bridge to Nadeau Street Sidewalk Screen-Out
C
Downtown
Quesnel
Option C1: Highway 97 Realignment onto Legion Drive
Advanced to MAE in combination with Options B1, C2-b
Option C2-a: Front Street 4-Laning Reconfiguration Screen-Out
Option C2-b: Front Street 3-Lane Reconfiguration
Advance to Implementation Plan and to MAE in combination with Options B1, C1
Option C3 Relocate Traffic Signal from Reid St. to McLean St.
Advance to Implementation Plan
Option C4: Signalize Sutherland Ave / Highway 97 Screen-Out
D
Two Mile
Flat
Option D1: Two Mile Flat Frontage and Backage Road Network
Advance to MAE
Option D2: Two Mile Flat Highway 97 Reconfiguration to Urban 3-Lane Design
Advance to MAE
Further to the guiding principles evaluation of all the options developed, and further to the multiple account
evaluation of advanced options, Table ES-3 summarizes the recommended options to be included in the
implementation plan. Options that were screened-out after each evaluation do not advance into the
implementation plan. The recommended options were reviewed with the project team`s input and a phasing
strategy has been developed as described in the next section of this report.
Table ES - 3: Summary of Recommended Options and Phasing for the Implementation Plan
Project Phasing Option Name
Short Term
Projects
0 - 5 Years
Option A4: Signal Optimization of Maple Drive and Cedar Avenue Intersections
Option A5: Racing Rd. and Quesnel-Hydraulic Rd. Access Management
Option C2-b: Front Street 3-Lane Reconfiguration
Option C3: Relocate Traffic Signal from Reid St. to McLean St.
Option AR-1a: North-South Interconnector (4-Lane)
Medium to
Long-Term
Projects
6 - 25 Years
Option A2: Basalt Rd. and Gook Rd. Access Management (4-lane)
Option A3: Juniper Road and Jade Road Network Improvements
Option D1: Two Mile Flat Frontage and Backage Road Network
Option D2: Two Mile Flat Highway 97 Reconfiguration to Urban 3-Lane Design
The development of the Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan involved significant consultation with the
community of Quesnel including municipal staff, elected officials, First Nations, community stakeholders and the
public. Over the course of the Phase II planning study, there were:
4 x meetings with technical representatives from the City of Quesnel and the Cariboo Regional District
3 x meetings with Elected Officials and Lhtako Dené
2 x Public Open Houses
1 x meeting with Stakeholder Organizations
Meetings with Individual Property Owners
The involvement of these various groups and communities in the planning study and the feedback and input
received is described in Section 3.9 of this report. The Community Engagement Summary Reports which
describe the process, results and findings of both public open houses are provided in Appendix M and Appendix
N.
The development of the Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan has involved extensive collaboration and
consultation with organizations and members representing the community of Quesnel. The options identified for
short-term implementation are recommended for further planning and engineering design as the timeline and the
MoTI’s priorities permit.
Of the four options identified in the short-term implementation strategy, three of these options including Option A5
(Racing Road and Quesnel-Hydraulic Road Access Management), Option C2-b (Front Street 3-Laning
Reconfiguration) and Option C3 (Relocate Traffic Signal from Reid Street to McLean Street) are being advanced
into preliminary design, engineering and construction over 2018 and 2019 for immediate implementation.
Option AR-1a (North-South Interconnector) is also recommended to be advanced as a short-term project.
Several next steps are required to advance this project into the design process. Further, the timeline for this
project is constrained by the known ageing and lifespan issues of the existing Quesnel Overhead and Quesnel
River Bridges.
Letters of support from multiple levels of government, industry and community organizations for the short-term
projects including Option AR-1a North-South Interconnector are provided in Appendix O.
Several next steps have been identified for the following recommended improvement options, as detailed in
Section 3.10 of this report:
Option AR-1a: North South Interconnector
Options A2 & A3: South Quesnel Access Management
Options D1 & D2: Two Mile Flat Access Management
.
1.1 Study Background ........................................................................................................................ 2
2.1 Future Travel Demand .................................................................................................................. 3
Quesnel Area Economic Conditions................................................................................ 3
Traffic Forecasts .............................................................................................................. 4
2.2 Future Mobility Performance Analysis ......................................................................................... 4
2.3 Problem Definition Update .......................................................................................................... 5
3.1 Guiding Principles ......................................................................................................................... 7
3.2 Design Criteria Considerations ..................................................................................................... 8
3.3 Environmental Considerations ..................................................................................................... 9
3.4 Geotechnical Considerations ....................................................................................................... 9
3.5 Option Development .................................................................................................................. 11
Cost Estimates .............................................................................................................. 11
Survey Information ....................................................................................................... 12
Alternate Route Options ............................................................................................... 12
Study Segment A – South Quesnel Commercial Options ............................................. 28
Study Segment B – North Star Area Options ................................................................ 37
Study Segment C – Downtown Quesnel Options ......................................................... 41
Study Segment D – Two Mile Flat Options ................................................................... 52
Summary of Options Developed ................................................................................... 56
3.6 Multiple Account Evaluation (MAE) ........................................................................................... 57
Methodology ................................................................................................................ 57
Alternate Route Options Evaluation ............................................................................. 59
Study Segment A – South Quesnel Commercial Options Evaluation ........................... 63
Study Segment B – North star area Options Evaluation ............................................... 66
Study Segment D – Two Mile Flat Options Evaluation ................................................. 69
3.7 Implementation Strategy ........................................................................................................... 74
Short-Term Projects ...................................................................................................... 74
Medium and Long-Term Projects ................................................................................. 76
3.8 Potential Risks ............................................................................................................................ 77
3.9 Community Consultation ........................................................................................................... 80
Technical Representative Consultation ........................................................................ 81
Elected Officials and First Nations ................................................................................ 81
Local Stakeholder Consultation .................................................................................... 82
Public Engagement Phase 1 .......................................................................................... 82
Public Engagement Phase 2 .......................................................................................... 82
3.10 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 84
Next Steps – Option AR-1: North-South Interconnector .............................................. 84
Next Steps – Option A2 & A3: South Quesnel Access Management ............................ 84
Next Steps – Option D1 & D2: Two Mile Flat Access Management ............................. 85
Appendix A Future Conditions Assessment
Appendix B Quesnel Socio-Economic Overview Report
Appendix C Future Conditions Synchro Model Reports
Appendix D Design Criteria
Appendix E Environmental and Archaeological Scan Report
Appendix F Terrain Stability (Geohazard) Constraints Report
Appendix G Conceptual Design Drawing Package
Appendix H Conceptual Planning-Level Project Cost Estimates
Appendix I Structural Considerations Report
Appendix J Property Impact Study
Appendix K Traffic Signal Warrants
Appendix L Option D1 Two Mile Flat Evaluation
Appendix M Community Engagement Summary Report – June 2017
Appendix N Community Engagement Summary Report – February 2018
Appendix O Letters of Support
Figure 1.1: Highway 97 (Quesnel) Study Area ............................................................................................................1
Figure 3.1 Environmental Constraints and Considerations ..................................................................................... 10
Figure 3.2: Forecast Usage of the North-South Interconnector (2042 Horizon, 0.5% Background Growth).......... 15
Figure 3.3: Forecast Usage of the North-South Industrial Connector (2042 Horizon, 0.5% Background Growth) . 20
Figure 3.4: Forecast Usage of the East-West Connector (2042 Horizon, 0.5% Background Growth) ..................... 23
Figure 3.5: Forecast Usage of the North-South Bypass (2042 Horizon, 0.5% Background Growth) ....................... 26
Figure 3.6: Option A1 and Option A2 Access Management from Basalt Road to Maple Drive .............................. 28
Figure 3.7: Option A3 Access Management from Cedar Avenue to Juniper Rd ...................................................... 28
Figure 3.8: Ranked Priority of Improvement Options ............................................................................................. 83
Figure 3.9: Results of Option Comparison ............................................................................................................... 83
Table 2.1: Summary of Future Mobility Performance Conditions .............................................................................5
Table 3.1: Highway 97 Physical and Operating Characteristics ..................................................................................8
Table 3.2: Summary of Option Development Recommendations based on Guiding Principles Evaluation ........... 56
Table 3.3: Summary of Options Assessed in the MAE ............................................................................................. 57
Table 3.4: MAE for Option AR-1a in comparison with Options B1, C1, C2-b .......................................................... 60
Table 3.5: Option A2 MAE Evaluation ..................................................................................................................... 64
Table 3.6: Option B1(a&b) MAE .............................................................................................................................. 67
Table 3.7: Option D1 MAE ....................................................................................................................................... 69
Table 3.8: Option D2 MAE ....................................................................................................................................... 71
Table 3.9 Summary of Recommended Options and Phasing for the Implementation Plan ................................... 74
Table 3.10: Summary of Short Term Implementation Projects (0 to 5 Years) ........................................................ 75
Table 3.11: Summary of Medium to Long-Term Implementation Projects (6 to 25 Years) .................................... 76
Table 3.12: Planning-Level Summary of Potential Project Risks for Option AR-1a ................................................. 78
The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) retained Urban Systems Ltd (Urban Systems) to
undertake the Phase 2 study of the Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan. Subsequent to the Phase 1
Existing Conditions report that was completed in 2016, Phase 2 has focused on understanding future
transportation conditions in Quesnel, explored short and long-term improvement options, and outlines a
recommended implementation strategy of projects and improvements for the corridor. This report encapsulates
the Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan including an assessment of future transportation conditions, the
development of improvement options and guiding principles to evaluate the options, the multiple account
evaluation (MAE) of advanced options, and the implementation strategy. This report also summarizes the
community engagement undertaken over the course of the study, identifies potential risks for recommended
improvements and outlines next steps.
The study area includes 13.9 kilometres of Highway 97 between Basalt Road to Highway 26 / Barkerville Highway
(LKI Segment 1146 km 110.9 to km 124.3). The study area has been categorized into four study segments as
shown in Figure 1.1 to reflect the changing form and function of the highway through Quesnel. The study area
also includes intersections in the downtown of Quesnel that interface directly with the corridor.
Figure 1.1: Highway 97 (Quesnel) Study Area
Highway 97 is a major provincial transportation corridor in British Columbia’s interior providing connectivity as far
south as the U.S. Border in Osoyoos to as far north as the Alaska U.S. Border along the Alaska Highway. The
highway passes through many communities and will continue to play a key role in opening BC’s north to
economic development in the province’s natural resource sector. More specifically, the province is currently
experiencing significant investment and expansions in the industries of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), forestry, oil
and gas, mining, and supporting industries.
From a regional perspective, Highway 97 continues south through the communities of Williams Lake, 100 Mile
House and eventually Cache Creek, where Highway 97 intersects with Highway 1. To the north, Highway 97
passes through mostly undeveloped land until it reaches the larger community of Prince George where Highway
97 intersects with Highway 16.
Building upon the existing conditions assessment previously completed in Phase 1 of the study, the future
conditions assessment involves analysis of local economic conditions and growth forecasts, and analysis of the
future traffic conditions on the Highway 97 study corridor. A summary of the future conditions analysis is provided
as follows, and the full future conditions assessment is provided in Appendix A.
Municipal projects and local economic conditions can have a noticeable influence on the projection of various
growth figures including population and traffic. To conduct the traffic forecasts and future mobility assessment,
the project team met with the City of Quesnel to understand municipal projects and economic conditions in the
Quesnel area. In addition, Pearson Ellis Consulting Inc. was retained by Urban Systems to complete a socio-
economic assessment entitled Quesnel Socio-Economic Overview For Purposes of Highway Planning (2017).
The findings of the assessment are provided in Appendix B.
The socio-economic assessment identified trends across many sectors and aspects of the community and some
of the highlights from the report are listed as follows:
The population of the Quesnel area has seen some minor decline, based on Census results. The future
population is forecast to grow at a low rate.
Currently, the economy of Quesnel is heavily dependent on the forestry industry and, despite much
uncertainty in the future of this industry, it is expected that this industry will continue to be a major source
of employment and significant contributor to heavy vehicle traffic on Highway 97 in the Quesnel area. The
development of the Blackwater mine and Bonanza Ledge mine presents an opportunity for new sources
of employment for the region in the future.
G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital continues to grow and develop. This has added pedestrian and traffic
movements to and from the hospital creating new issues and challenges with traffic flows along and
across Front Street, which is one of the most problematic sections of the Highway 97 corridor through
Quesnel.
Community concerns for Highway 97 relate to access, safety, congestion and emissions through the
Quesnel segment of the highway corridor.
The traffic volumes in the study area of Quesnel were analyzed at the 10 and 25-year horizons. To determine the
future traffic volumes, existing traffic was factored using an appropriate background growth rate. The grown traffic
volumes were combined with the volume of traffic expected to be generated by the proposed developments for a
total projected traffic volume on the study network. The new development traffic was estimated using the Institute
of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual 9th Edition. Upon estimating the trips generated,
estimates for the distribution and assignment of development traffic were prepared based on an understanding of
existing traffic patterns of the proposed developments. A detailed description of these forecasting assumptions is
provided as follows.
2.1.2.1 Background Growth
To assess future conditions in the road network at the 10 and 25-year horizons, various sources were used to
understand what growth trends the road network in the Quesnel area may be experiencing. These sources
include:
Historical Traffic Volumes;
Historical Population Growth;
Population Forecasts;
Proposed Developments; and
Socio-Economic Assessment (Pearson Ellis Consulting Inc.)
After careful analysis of the available information and resources, a growth rate of 0.5% per annum was
determined to best predicted background growth in the region along Highway 97. This growth rate was applied to
2017 highway traffic volumes to grow them to 2027 and 2042 horizon volumes. Side street traffic was not factored
as it was assumed there would be no background growth.
A second growth scenario was also analyzed based on a 1.5% growth rate for highway traffic. This was run as a
sensitivity scenario to account for potentially higher growth in the Quesnel area.
2.1.2.2 Development Assumptions
The new developments that are proposed in the Quesnel area include a retail centre and drive-through restaurant
on Rita Road, and a bowling alley on Racing Road. Details of these developments and the trip generation
assumptions applied to the future traffic volumes are detailed in Appendix A.
2.1.2.3 Future Network Traffic Volumes
The trips generated by the proposed development and assigned to the study network were superimposed on the
future background volumes to obtain the total network volumes. Future 2027 and 2042 horizons were analyzed
using a 0.5% highway growth rate. A sensitivity scenario was also analyzed at the 2042 horizon using a 1.5%
highway growth rate. The final volumes used in the analysis are provided in Appendix A.
The mobility analysis of the study network intersections was undertaken in accordance with the Ministry’s general
mobility performance criteria and thresholds. The complete mobility analysis for the future horizon years and
growth rate scenarios is provided in Appendix A and the traffic modelling reports are provided in Appendix C. A
summary of the key findings from the future mobility analysis is provided in Table 2.1.
Table 2.1: Summary of Future Mobility Performance Conditions
0.5% Background Growth 1.5% Background Growth
AM
Peak
All intersections perform at a LOS A or B.
None of the study intersection approaches
exceed the v/c threshold of 0.9.
The eastbound approach at the McNaughton
Avenue intersection with Highway 97 operates at
a LOS E.
All intersections within the study area
operate at LOS C or better.
Side-street approaches at the intersections
of McNaughton Avenue, Shepherd
Avenue, and Racing Road operate at LOS
F with v/c ratios above 1.0.
PM
Peak
All intersections operate at a satisfactory LOS C
or better.
None of the study intersection approaches
exceed the v/c threshold of 0.9.
The eastbound approach at Shepherd Avenue
reaches a LOS F.
Minor side-street approaches perform at LOS E
at McNaughton Avenue, Laurent Avenue, Carson
Avenue, McLean Street, Marsh Drive (Moffat
Bridge Approach), and Racing Road
intersections.
Side-street approaches at the intersections
of McNaughton Avenue, Shepherd
Avenue, and Racing Road reach a LOS F
with v/c ratios above 1.0.
The northbound side-street approach at
the McLean Street intersection reaches a
LOS F, but with a v/c ratio under 0.9.
Overall, traffic volumes are projected to grow at a slow-to-moderate pace and are not expected to exceed the
highway’s current capacity by the 2042 long-term horizon.
The problem definition summarizes the key challenges and issues along Highway 97 through Quesnel, which has
been established through the technical analysis undertaken in the existing conditions assessment (Phase 1 of the
study), and in the preceding future conditions assessment.
Overall, the current alignment of Highway 97 is constrained through the downtown of Quesnel, which currently
poses challenges identified in the existing conditions review that are projected to be intensified in the future. Side-
street movements were found to present a challenge as high delays and poor LOS are experienced at some
intersections at the 10 and 25-year horizons. These challenges are further discussed in the following problem
definition statements, organized by the four highway study segments:
Segment A - South Quesnel Commercial (LKI km 110.9 to km 115.1)
The South Quesnel Commercial area of Highway 97 experiences road safety performance challenges and
geometric challenges at several intersections along this segment. Without improvements along the corridor, the
existing issues with the highway frontage roads will continue to be a challenge. Currently the highway frontage
roads provide minimal vehicle queuing storage at highway intersections and can inhibit trucks from making turning
movements without over-tracking into adjacent lanes and the road shoulder. At the 2027 and 2042 horizons,
mobility performance is slightly worse compared to the existing conditions due to higher highway volumes,
however, all approaches and intersections are projected to operate satisfactorily.
Segment B - North Star Area (LKI km 115.1 to km 117.7)
The North Star area of Highway 97 has many geometric design challenges that require significant upgrades and
improvements to adhere to MoTI’s current-day design standards and guidelines. Necessary upgrades include the
Quesnel River Bridge No. 1569, Quesnel Overhead No. 01641, sidewalks on both structures, the off ramps to
Valhalla Road and Dragon Hill Road, and directional signage on North Star Road. In addition to structure and
infrastructure upgrades, side street mobility is projected to worsen at the 10 and 25-year horizons, specifically at
the Racing Road intersection which is expected to experience delays and failing levels of service.
Segment C - Downtown Quesnel (LKI km 117.7 to km 121.0)
The Downtown Quesnel area of Highway 97 currently has safety concerns at several intersections including at
Kinchant Street, McLean Street, Front Street, and St. Laurent Avenue. There are mobility performance challenges
for side-street movements throughout this segment at the 2027 and 2042 projections due to the increase in
highway traffic volumes. Specifically, the intersections of Shepherd Avenue and McNaughton Avenue are
expected to perform poorly with high delays.
There is a horizontal curve with a minimum 90 meter radius just west of the Quesnel Overhead No. 01641 (LKI
km 117.9) in which there is evidence some vehicles may be going off pavement. Lastly, a pedestrian and cycle
connection from Downtown to the Two Mile Flat area would facilitate active modes wishing to travel between
these two destinations.
Segment D - Two Mile Flat (LKI km 121.0 to km 124.3)
In this Two Mile Flat segment, the Highway 97 alignment comes close to the CN Rail alignment and the rail base
abuts the highway shoulder, resulting in an increased risk of vehicle impacts to the railway base and slope. At the
intersection of Brownmiller Road, there is a risk of heavy vehicles tracking off pavement as they make northbound
right turns around a sharp curve onto Brownmiller Road. Access management is also needed to better define
permitted turning movements onto and off the highway to local businesses. No existing or future mobility issues
are expected for the intersections in this segment of the study area.
As described in the problem definition statement, the current alignment of Highway 97 becomes constrained
through the downtown of Quesnel mainly due to topography and water bodies, land uses, and the CN Railway. In
addition to regional traffic volumes, the highway serves a significant amount of local traffic needs as it is the only
major north-south arterial route that connects with all the City’s neighbourhoods and other feeder routes (i.e.
Blackwater Road, Quesnel-Hydraulic Road, Anderson Road).
As discussed in the future conditions assessment, traffic volumes are projected to grow at a slow-to-moderate
pace and are not expected to exceed the highway’s current capacity by the 2042 long-term horizon. However,
there are several challenges within each study segment along the corridor that requires different design solutions
to similar issues. These issues include high volumes of heavy vehicles, intersection and segment safety
concerns, geometric design constraints, side-street mobility and access management.
To guide the development of improvement options for each study segment on Highway 97, a set of guiding
principles has been established based on the existing and future needs of the corridor. These guiding principles
were also used in the evaluation of improvement options to ensure the improvements achieve the objectives of
the project. The guiding principles are as follows:
Enhance the Highway to Support Local and Regional Functions – Minimize the highway’s impacts to
the local community and develop a corridor that balances the function of the highway as a provincial
route, and as a route that is frequently travelled by local users.
Improve Intersection and Highway Safety – Improvements to highway geometry, intersection design,
and access management need to be considered to improve safety conditions and reduce currently high
collision and severity rates.
Support Active Transportation - Pedestrian and bicycle movements are significant in the downtown and
consideration should be given to improving the safety of pedestrian and bicycle traffic crossing the
highway. Routes across the Quesnel River, between downtown Quesnel and Two Mile Flat and in the
South Quesnel commercial area have also been identified by the City of Quesnel as important
connections between residential areas and industrial and commercial employment destinations.
Improve Intersection and Corridor Mobility – Some side-street approaches to Highway 97 experience
long delays and/or challenging movements due to geometric constraints. Improvements to intersection
controls, laning and access should be considered in the development of options.
Improve Access and Connectivity with the Local Road Network – There are numerous public and
private accesses that are located directly on the highway and many properties with more than one
access. The Two Mile Flat, Downtown Quesnel, and the South Quesnel areas are where the majority of
public and private accesses are located. Consolidating accesses and identifying connections to the local
network to achieve better controlled access on the highway should be considered to improve safety
conditions and traffic flow.
Mitigate Heavy Vehicle Impacts –Significant heavy vehicle volumes exist on all segments of the corridor
and have the greatest impact in the Downtown Quesnel segment to the safety and mobility of all
transportation users. Improvement options to mitigate heavy vehicle impacts should involve upgrades to
geometric design, safety, access management, and the identification of alternate routes.
The design of the existing Highway 97 alignment through Quesnel varies in different segments based on the
highway standards implemented at the time each section of the highway was constructed or upgraded. Some
sections of Highway 97 that were previously 2 lanes wide with posted speeds of 50 km/h, were upgraded to 4
lanes wide with posted speeds of 70 km/h to 80 km/h (i.e. Two Mile Flat and South Quesnel). Whereas, other
sections through downtown Quesnel and over the Quesnel River Bridge have not seen upgrades due to various
design and project constraints.
The design criteria for improvement options on the highway and for the alternate routes was developed with
careful consideration to addressing the actual transportation problems and needs for improvements within the
context of the existing highway’s design. The criteria adheres to the guidelines and standards outlined in the
Geometric Design Guide for Canadian Roads (TAC, 1998) and in the BC Supplement to TAC Geometric Design
Guide for Canadian Roads (MoTI, 2007). Improvements to the existing highway alignment have been designed
to support current day geometric design standards where possible, and where not possible, alternatives have
been suggested.
The detailed design criteria sheets for Urban and Rural segments of Highway 97 through Quesnel are included in
Appendix D. A summary of the design criteria considerations for the existing rural and urban segments of
Highway 97 in Quesnel is provided in Table 3.1. Overall, the highway Segments A, B, and D are classified as
rural segments and Segment C is classified as an urban segment. .
Table 3.1: Highway 97 Physical and Operating Characteristics
Function Rural Segments &
Alternate Routes Urban Segments
Location North of Rome Avenue and South of Quesnel River Bridge
From Quesnel River Bridge to Rome Avenue
Mobility 70 – 80 km/h 50 km/h
Access
Good access to major centres / destinations
Limited direct property access
Signalized intersection spacing >400m – 800m
Generally at-grade intersections, but some grade-separation at significant access points
Good access to major centres / destinations
Direct property access permitted
Signalized intersection spacing >100m
Generally at-grade intersections
Network Hierarchy
Connects to major municipal streets
Continuous parallel local routes / frontage roads
Connects to major / minor municipal streets
Continuous parallel local routes / frontage roads
Transit
Supports transit on-highway where practical and beneficial
Transit stops located off mainline wherever possible (e.g. frontage roads, side-streets).
Supports transit on-highway where practical and beneficial
Bus stops may be supported on mainline where safety and traffic capacity are not hindered.
Function Rural Segments &
Alternate Routes Urban Segments
Cycling
On shoulders in rural areas
On multi-use pathways or cycle lanes parallel to the corridor
On multi-use pathways or cycle lanes parallel to the corridor
Pedestrians
Safe, comfortable crossings
Grade-separated crossings in high-speed areas
At-grade crossings in lower-speed urban environments
Separated sidewalks
Safe, comfortable crossings
At-grade crossings in lower-speed urban environments
Sidewalks along Highway 97 in more urban / developed areas
A desktop scan was conducted to identify and summarize environmental and archaeological constraints for the
Highway 97 corridor study area. This task involved the review of environmental, archaeological and contaminated
sites information from available reports, literature, maps, photos and databases. Biophysical components
evaluated include: contaminated sites, topography, surficial geology, hydrogeology, surface water, fish and fish
habitat, flora and fauna, species of management concern, and environmentally significant areas. Many of these
environmental constraints are illustrated on an aerial map of Quesnel in Figure 3.1. A detailed account of the
environmental and archaeological planning considerations and constraints is provided in the Environmental and
Archaeological Scan Report in Appendix E.
A desktop scan was conducted to identify and summarize geotechnical conditions, constraints and challenges for
the Highway 97 corridor study area and for the improvement options developed within this study. The desktop
review involved a review of previous studies and use of LiDAR imagery to identify known landslide features and
potentially unstable terrain areas. The complete geotechnical review is detailed in the technical memorandum
Terrain Stability (Geohazard) Constraints – Summary Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan provided in
Appendix F.
Fig
ure
3.1
E
nv
iro
nm
en
tal
Co
ns
train
ts
an
d
Co
ns
ide
rati
on
s
Fourteen improvement options on the existing Highway 97 alignment and six alternate route option alignments
were identified and developed to a conceptual design level. Each improvement option identified is described in
further detail on the following option description sheets from Section 3.5.3 to 3.5.7 of this report. Each sheet
includes a description of the option, an image of the conceptual design1, an evaluation of the option according to
the guiding principles, conceptual level planning cost estimate, and an evaluation summary.
The options are organized accordingly:
Alternate Routes
Study Segment A – South Quesnel Commercial Area
Study Segment B – North Star Area
Study Segment C – Downtown Quesnel Area
Study Segment D – Two Mile Flat Area
The conceptual design drawings including plan view horizontal profiles and vertical profiles for each option are
provided in Appendix G.
Each option has been evaluated against the study`s six guiding principles to determine if the option supports the
study objectives. Based on this evaluation, one of three recommendations are provided for each option:
Screen-Out from Further Review – this means the guiding principles evaluation has found a fatal flaw(s)
with the option and the recommendation is to screen-out the option from further evaluation in the MAE
and to not implement the option.
Advance to Multiple Account Evaluation – this means the guiding principles evaluation has found an
option could provide good benefits, however further evaluation in the MAE is needed to understand if the
benefits outweigh the costs.
Advance to Implementation Plan – this means the guiding principles evaluation has found an option
provides multiple benefits (generally at a low cost) and the option is a high priority for implementation.
Conceptual planning-level project cost estimates have been developed for each option and are provided in
Appendix H for all options. These cost estimates include the capital investment costs for planning, project
management, property acquisition, design and engineering, environmental, construction, First Nations
accommodation and regional recoveries. A contingency of 35% has been applied to each of these cost elements.
Quantities for the cost estimates have been developed from the conceptual designs and items, and unit rates are
based on the MoTI’s Historical Construction Cost Data website. Unit rates for structural costs were provided by
Mott MacDonald for this study, as detailed in the report Highway 97 Quesnel Corridor Study – Structural
Considerations provided in Appendix I.
Costs for acquiring property were prepared by Gateway Land Services for options where significant property
impacts were required outside of the existing Highway 97 alignment. Details of the properties impacted and the
costs are outlined in their report Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan Phase II – Improvement Options
____________
1 Conceptual designs are preliminary drawings that require further preliminary design and engineering analysis prior to construction and do not include input from necessary field investigations such as geotechnical, environmental and archaeological investigations.
Property Impact Study, provided in Appendix J. The property costs are only for fee simple lands. No
assumptions for capacity building for First Nations are included in these conceptual planning-level project costs.
Lastly, Environmental and Archaeological assumptions have not been addressed in the cost estimates prepared
including any work related to investigations, mitigation or alterations.
Various topographical survey information sources were used to develop the conceptual designs for the
improvement options developed. All of the options were developed, at a minimum, using model data from the
Canadian Digital Elevation Model (CDEM) data with an accuracy of plus/minus 20 m. Image files were provided
by the City of Quesnel and are from 2016. Further, LiDAR data was available along the whole length of Highway
97 and was incorporated into the design models to improve the design accuracy where this information was
available. Additional LiDAR survey was taken by McElhanney Consultants in November, 2017 for the north-south
interconnector route alignment with a high level of accuracy of ground surfaces with abnormalities including
weeds, bushes and trees screened out.
A total of six alternate route option alignments were identified and developed to a conceptual design level. The six
options identified correspond to three identified route connections including:
• North-South Interconnector – a 2-lane or 4-lane highway connection around the north side of the
downtown Quesnel peninsula including the replacement of the Quesnel River and Quesnel Overhead
structures. Two options have been conceptualized and evaluated.
• North-South Industrial Connector – a 2-lane or 4-lane highway connection from the North Star
Interchange, through industrial land uses and across a new structure over the Quesnel River to Highway
97 in the Two Mile Flat area. Three options have been conceptualized and evaluated, including a bypass
option.
• East-West Connector – a highway connection from Highway 97 (just north of Pinecrest Road) and across
a new structure over the Fraser River to Blackwater Road.
3.5.
3.1
Opt
ion
AR-1
a: N
orth
-Sou
th In
terc
onne
ctor
(4-L
ane)
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
Man
y tr
ansport
atio
n is
sues o
n th
e s
tud
y se
gm
ent of
Hig
hw
ay
97 o
ccur
in d
ow
nto
wn Q
uesn
el w
here
six
inte
rsectio
ns e
xp
erie
nce h
igh c
olli
sio
n r
ate
s f
or
frequency
and/o
r severity
; and,
where
the
com
bin
atio
n o
f hig
h tra
ffic
volu
mes a
nd a
do
wnto
wn u
rba
n e
nviro
nm
ent in
cre
ases tra
vel tim
e a
nd d
ela
ys.
Furt
her,
hea
vy
vehic
les a
nd tru
cks c
arr
ying d
angero
us g
oods im
pact
perc
eiv
ed c
om
munity
safe
ty a
s tru
cks tra
vel th
rough
the
do
wnto
wn a
rea a
long
Fro
nt
Str
eet.
T
hus, th
ere
is a
ne
ed to
explo
re o
ptions to
move
hig
hw
ay
tra
ffic
out of
do
wnto
wn Q
uesn
el.
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
Tw
o o
ptio
ns o
f th
e N
ort
h-S
outh
Inte
rcon
necto
r ro
ute
were
explo
red inclu
din
g a
4-l
ane o
ption a
nd
a 2
-lan
e o
ption.
Both
options c
ross the
Quesne
l Riv
er
nort
h o
f th
e e
xis
ting
brid
ge t
o a
llow
for
the
constr
uctio
n o
f th
e b
ridg
e a
nd a
ppro
ach
es w
hile
main
tain
ing s
erv
ice
on t
he e
xis
ting h
igh
wa
y ne
twork
.
This
4-lane o
ption
inclu
des t
wo n
ew
str
uctu
res th
at
would
rep
lace t
he Q
uesne
l R
iver
Bri
dg
e a
nd Q
uesn
el
Ove
rhe
ad s
tructu
re o
n a
n a
lignm
ent th
at
wou
ld d
irect
hig
hw
ay
traff
ic a
round d
ow
nto
wn
Quesne
l. I
t
inclu
des t
wo n
ew
sig
na
lize
d in
ters
ectio
ns tha
t w
ould
pro
vid
e c
onn
ectio
ns o
nto
th
e e
xis
ting H
igh
wa
y 9
7
alig
nm
ent, inclu
din
g F
ront
Str
eet
an
d M
off
at B
ridge
Appro
ach.
De
sig
n C
onsid
era
tio
n:
This
4-lane o
ption
allo
ws f
or
the e
xis
ting
hig
hw
ay
to
rem
ain
open t
o tra
ffic
flo
w d
urin
g c
onstr
uction. T
his
4-lan
e o
ption p
rovid
es t
ypic
al 3
.6 m
etr
e la
ne w
idth
s,
2.5
metr
e s
hould
ers
, a 2
.6 m
etr
e m
edia
n, a
nd
hori
zonta
l an
d v
ert
ica
l curv
es to s
up
port
tra
vel
speeds o
f up t
o 6
0 k
m/h
. O
ther
desig
n
consid
era
tions w
ou
ld lik
ely
inclu
de s
oun
d w
alls
,
eith
er
an o
pen s
ho
uld
er
or
curb
and g
utt
er
shou
lder,
and c
lear
zon
e r
eq
uirem
ents
.
New
200 m
ete
r b
rid
ge
ov
er
the Q
uesn
el
Riv
er
New
100 m
ete
r O
verh
ead
of
the C
N R
ailw
ay
New
Tra
ffic
Sig
na
l
New
Tra
ffic
Sig
nal
A n
um
ber
of
pro
pert
y acq
uis
itio
ns w
ou
ld b
e r
equir
ed n
ear
the
loca
tion
of
the n
ew
str
uctu
res a
nd a
lon
g th
e r
oute
alig
nm
ent to
pro
vid
e t
he
necessary
wid
th f
or
cut and
fill
slo
pes a
nd h
igh
wa
y ri
gh
t of
wa
y
requirem
ents
. M
an
y exis
tin
g r
esid
ential str
uctu
res w
ou
ld b
e im
pacte
d
as p
art
of
these
pro
pert
y re
quirem
ents
. T
he p
rop
ert
y acquis
itio
ns
would
mostly
be r
equ
ired
in a
we
ll-esta
blis
he
d d
ow
nto
wn r
esid
entia
l
neig
hb
ourh
ood s
o a
s to a
void
im
pacts
to the C
N r
ailw
ay
locate
d
imm
edia
tely
nort
h o
f th
e p
roposed
alig
nm
ent.
The thro
ugh
move
ments
on this
alte
rnate
route
supp
ort
WB
-24 d
esig
n
veh
icle
s;
ho
wever,
turn
ing m
ove
ments
on / o
ff F
ront S
treet a
nd M
off
at
Brid
ge A
ppro
ach a
t both
inte
rsectio
ns a
re d
ifficu
lt to
accom
modate
with
out
wid
enin
g b
oth
inte
rsectio
ns,
whic
h w
ou
ld r
equir
e m
ore
pro
pert
y
acquis
itio
n.
Op
tion
AR
-1a: E
valu
atio
n S
um
ma
ry
Mo
bilit
y
Local
and
reg
ion
al
netw
ork
connectivi
ty i
s i
mpro
ved
with t
he
add
ition o
f a p
ara
llel r
oute
to H
igh
wa
y 97 in t
he d
ow
nto
wn;
Ben
efits
to h
igh
wa
y m
obili
ty w
ou
ld b
e o
bserv
ed a
s a
n e
stim
ate
of 10,3
00 v
ehic
les p
er
da
y (v
pd)
could
be r
edis
trib
ute
d o
nto
th
e n
ew
ro
ute
by
204
2 u
nder
the
0.5
% b
ackgro
und
gro
wth
rate
, as s
ho
wn in
Fig
ure
3.2
;
Hea
vy
vehic
le tra
ffic
on t
he
exis
ting C
ars
on A
venu
e a
nd F
ront
Str
eet sections o
f H
igh
wa
y 97
could
be c
om
ple
tely
rem
ove
d a
nd
directe
d t
o u
se
this
ne
w a
ltern
ate
ro
ute
alig
nm
ent (a
s c
onfirm
ed thro
ug
h the
orig
in-d
estin
ation a
na
lysis
);
Safe
ty
By
realig
nin
g th
e h
igh
wa
y, a
ppro
xim
ate
ly 1
3 p
ublic
accesses a
nd m
an
y pri
vate
dri
ve
wa
ys c
an b
e e
limin
ate
d f
rom
the h
igh
wa
y;
7 s
ign
aliz
ed inte
rsectio
ns a
re r
em
ove
d f
rom
the e
xis
tin
g h
igh
wa
y alig
nm
ent th
roug
h D
ow
nto
wn Q
uesn
el;
The h
igh
colli
sio
n r
ate
and
seve
rity
issues a
t th
e i
nte
rsectio
ns o
f H
igh
wa
y 97
an
d K
incha
nt
Str
ee
t, M
cLea
n S
tree
t, F
ron
t S
treet,
St.
Laure
nt
Avenu
e, a
nd M
cN
aug
hto
n A
venu
e a
re m
itig
ate
d b
y th
e r
edis
trib
utio
n o
f re
gio
na
l trips a
nd
man
y lo
ca
l tri
ps to t
his
alte
rnate
ro
ute
;
So
cia
l / C
om
mu
nit
y
Hig
hw
ay
97
thro
ugh t
he d
ow
nto
wn i
nclu
din
g t
he s
ections o
n C
ars
on A
venue
an
d F
ront
Str
ee
t cou
ld b
e r
etu
rned t
o t
he C
ity
of
Quesn
el
and
repurp
ose
d a
s p
art
of
an e
xpand
ed /
revita
lize
d d
ow
nto
wn r
oad
netw
ork
;
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
AR
-1a
: $
162
,95
9,8
87
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Oth
er
Based o
n the p
ropose
d a
lignm
ent, the a
mount of
pro
pert
y acqu
isiti
ons r
equ
ired f
or
this
4-l
an
e o
ptio
n is n
ot
sig
nific
antly
more
tha
n f
or
the 2
-lan
e o
ption;
Ped
estr
ian
an
d b
icyc
le f
acili
ties w
ou
ld b
e u
pgra
ded o
n t
he n
ew
str
uctu
res w
ith
incre
ased
tra
vel
wid
th a
nd
im
pro
ved
conn
ectio
ns t
o t
he r
iverf
ront
trail
sys
tem
on
both
sid
es o
f th
e r
iver;
There
are
geote
chnic
al cha
llenges o
n t
he s
lop
es o
f th
e a
lignm
ent
tha
t w
ill r
eq
uir
e
furt
her
geote
chnic
al a
nd
site in
vestiga
tions;
This
optio
n’s
pro
pose
d a
lignm
ent
impro
ves h
igh
wa
y tr
aff
ic r
elia
bili
ty b
y re
movi
ng
the im
pacts
that th
e d
ow
nto
wn Q
uesne
l fre
shet de
tour
has o
n the
exis
ting
hig
hw
ay
alig
nm
ent.
H
ow
eve
r, th
e f
reshet d
eto
ur
will
still
impact lo
ca
l tra
ffic
.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ptio
n A
R-1
a:
Optio
n A
R-1
a o
ffers
a l
on
g-t
erm
solu
tion t
o ad
dre
ss t
he
hig
hw
ay
traff
ic a
nd h
eavy
vehic
le im
pacts
in th
e Q
uesn
el d
ow
nto
wn b
y div
ert
ing m
ost hea
vy
veh
icle
tra
ffic
and t
raff
ic p
assin
g t
hro
ugh
on
ly t
he
do
wnto
wn
onto
a d
ed
icate
d r
ou
te.
T
his
option
shou
ld b
e c
om
pare
d t
o O
ption
AR
-1b
an
d t
o t
he o
nlin
e c
om
bin
ation
of
Op
tions B
1,
C1 a
nd C
2-b
. T
hus, it is
re
com
mended tha
t th
is o
ption
be a
dva
nced t
o th
e M
AE
for
furt
her
eva
luatio
n.
3.5.
3.2
Opt
ion
AR-1
b: N
orth
-Sou
th In
terc
onne
ctor
(2-L
ane)
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
This
2-lane a
ltern
ate
route
option c
rosses the Q
uesne
l R
iver
nort
h o
f th
e e
xis
ting b
ridg
e. It
inclu
des tw
o n
ew
4-la
ne s
tructu
res th
at w
ould
re
pla
ce
the Q
uesnel R
iver
Bri
dg
e a
nd Q
uesn
el O
verh
ead
str
uctu
re o
n a
n a
lignm
ent th
at w
ould
dir
ect
hig
hw
ay
traff
ic a
round d
ow
nto
wn
Qu
esnel. It
inclu
des tw
o n
ew
inte
rsectio
ns th
at w
ou
ld p
rovi
de c
onnections o
nto
the e
xis
ting
Hig
hw
ay
97
alig
nm
ent, in
clu
din
g F
ront
Str
eet
an
d M
off
at B
ridge
Appro
ach.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n A
R-1
a
A
dva
nce t
o M
ultip
le A
ccou
nt E
valu
atio
n
Fig
ure
3.2
: F
ore
cast U
sag
e o
f th
e N
ort
h-S
outh
Inte
rco
nnecto
r (2
042 H
ori
zon
, 0.5
% B
ackg
round G
row
th)
While
anoth
er
2-l
ane a
lign
ment w
as a
lso investig
ate
d w
ith
the b
rid
ge a
nd
ove
rhead
re
pla
cem
ent lo
cate
d s
ou
th o
f th
e
exis
ting str
uctu
res,
it
was fo
un
d th
rough
th
e str
uctu
ral
revi
ew
th
at
this
a
lignm
ent
vari
ation
would
b
e
too
challe
ng
ing t
o c
onstr
uct
at
the w
est
end o
f th
e Q
uesne
l
Ove
rhe
ad w
hile
keepin
g H
igh
wa
y 9
7 o
pen t
o tra
ffic
.
De
sig
n C
onsid
era
tio
n:
This
2-lane
optio
n a
llow
s for th
e e
xis
ting h
igh
wa
y to
rem
ain
open
to
tr
aff
ic
flow
duri
ng
constr
uction.
This
op
tion
pro
vid
es typ
ical 3
.6 m
etr
e la
ne w
idth
s, 2.5
metr
e s
hould
ers
and h
ori
zon
tal a
nd v
ert
ica
l curv
es to s
upport
tra
vel s
pe
eds
of u
p to
60
km
/h.
A m
edia
n tr
eatm
ent w
ou
ld b
e c
onsid
ere
d
for
safe
ty
co
nd
itions,
but
not
requ
ired
.
Oth
er
de
sig
n
consid
era
tions w
ou
ld l
ikely
inclu
de s
ou
nd w
alls
, e
ither
an
open
shou
lder
or
curb
and g
utter
sh
ould
er,
and c
lear
zone
requirem
ents
.
Som
e p
ropert
y acq
uis
itio
ns w
ou
ld b
e r
equ
ired n
ear
the
location
of
the
ne
w
str
uctu
res
and
alo
ng
the
route
alig
nm
ent
to p
rovid
e t
he n
ecessary
wid
th f
or
cut
an
d f
ill
slo
pes a
nd h
igh
wa
y ri
ght
of
wa
y re
qu
irem
ents
. H
ow
ever,
the d
iffe
rence o
f im
pacts
to e
xis
ting h
ouses a
nd b
uild
ings
in c
om
parison to
the
4-l
ane
option
is m
inim
al.
The p
rop
ert
y
acquis
itio
ns w
ou
ld m
ostly
be r
equ
ired in
a w
ell-
esta
blis
hed
do
wnto
wn
re
sid
ential
ne
ighbo
urh
ood
so
as
to
avo
id
impacts
to the C
N r
ailw
ay
locate
d im
media
tely
nort
h o
f th
e
pro
pose
d a
lignm
ent.
That
said
, th
is 2
-la
ne o
ption c
ould
serv
e a
s t
he f
irst
phase o
f th
e n
ort
h-s
outh
inte
rconn
ecto
r
where
pro
pert
y and
RO
W is o
bta
ine
d t
o s
up
port
futu
re 4
-
lan
ing
of
a 2
-lane
inte
rconn
ecto
r.
New
4-l
an
e 2
00
me
ter
bri
dg
e
ove
r th
e Q
ue
sn
el R
ive
r
New
10
0 m
ete
r O
ve
rhe
ad
of
the
CN
Ra
ilw
ay
New
Tra
ffic
Sig
nal
New
Tra
ffic
Sig
nal
The thro
ugh
move
ments
on this
alte
rnate
route
supp
ort
WB
-24
desig
n v
eh
icle
s; h
ow
eve
r, t
urn
ing m
ove
ments
onto
an
d o
ff F
ront
Str
eet
an
d M
off
at B
ridge
Appro
ach a
t b
oth
inte
rsectio
ns a
re
difficult
to a
ccom
modate
without
wid
en
ing
out
both
inte
rsectio
ns,
whic
h w
ou
ld a
lso r
equir
e m
ore
pro
pert
y acqu
isitio
n.
Op
tion
AR
-1b: E
valu
atio
n S
um
ma
ry
In a
dd
itio
n t
o t
ho
se l
iste
d f
or
Op
tio
n A
R-1
a:
The
am
ount
of
pro
pert
y acquis
itio
ns
and
impacts
to
str
uctu
res is n
ot
sig
nific
antly
less t
ha
n t
hat
requ
ired f
or
the
4-lan
e o
ption;
A 2
-lan
e a
lignm
ent pro
vid
es d
esira
ble
mobili
ty p
erf
orm
ance
and t
raff
ic f
low
up t
o t
he u
ltim
ate
and b
eyo
nd t
he 2
5-y
ear
hori
zon;
Str
on
g c
onsid
era
tion s
ho
uld
be g
iven t
o p
rovid
e 4
lan
es t
o
ensure
th
e n
ort
h-s
ou
th i
nte
rconnecto
r can p
rovid
e a
long
term
solu
tion i
n t
he r
ange o
f 50 t
o 7
5 y
ears
fro
m p
resent
and
can a
ccom
modate
the
pote
ntia
l fo
r fu
ture
unfo
resee
n
incre
ases in tra
ffic
volu
mes;
The c
onceptu
al pro
ject
cost
estim
ate
for
Optio
n A
R-1
b (
2-
lan
e)
is $
154,5
23
,53
6, or
5.2
% le
ss th
at th
e 4
-lan
e o
ption;
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption A
R-1
b:
Optio
n A
R-1
b o
ffers
a s
olu
tion to
addre
ss th
e h
igh
wa
y tr
aff
ic a
nd h
ea
vy
vehic
le im
pacts
in t
he
Quesn
el
do
wnto
wn
by
div
ert
ing m
ost
hea
vy
vehic
le t
raff
ic a
nd
tra
ffic
passin
g t
hro
ugh
only
the
do
wnto
wn
onto
a d
edic
ate
d r
ou
te. H
ow
ever,
the c
ost to
constr
uct th
is o
ptio
n is
not sig
nific
antly
less tha
n the c
ost to
constr
uct
the 4
-lane O
ption A
R-1
a,
and it
wou
ld h
ave m
an
y of
the s
am
e im
pacts
to p
ropert
y as t
he 4
-lane o
ption.
In t
he f
ar
lon
g-t
erm
(25 to 7
5 y
ears
), the 4
-lan
e N
ort
h-S
outh
Inte
rconnecto
r w
ill p
rovid
e a
more
relia
ble
an
d c
onsis
tent de
sig
n
and d
river
experi
ence w
ith the a
dja
ce
nt 4
-lane s
ections o
f H
igh
wa
y 9
7. T
hus, it
is r
ecom
mended that th
is 2
-la
ne o
ptio
n b
e s
cre
en
ed
-ou
t fr
om
furt
her
revi
ew
and f
rom
imple
menta
tion
.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
AR
-1b
: $
154
,52
3,5
36
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n A
R-1
b
S
cre
en
-out fr
om
furt
her
revi
ew
an
d
from
imple
menta
tion.
3.5.
3.3
Opt
ions
AR-
2(a
& b
): No
rth-
Sout
h In
dust
rial
Con
nect
or
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
Pre
vio
us p
lann
ing s
tud
ies inclu
din
g T
he Q
uesne
l H
igh
way 9
7 L
ocal Im
pro
vem
ent
Stu
dy (
Reid
Cro
wth
er,
199
8)
an
d T
he Q
uesne
l N
ort
h-S
outh
Industr
ial C
onn
ecto
r F
easib
ility
Stu
dy (
Urb
an
Sys
tem
, 200
4)
ha
ve lo
oked a
t o
ptions to p
rovid
e a
n a
ltern
ate
route
for
hea
vy
trucks a
nd
hig
hw
ay
traff
ic to b
ypass d
ow
nto
wn Q
uesnel betw
ee
n the N
ort
h S
tar
Inte
rcha
nge
and T
wo M
ile
Fla
t are
a. T
wo o
ptions f
or
this
nort
h-s
outh
in
dustr
ial c
onnecto
r ro
ute
ha
ve b
ee
n r
evi
sited t
o
unders
tand t
he d
esig
n c
on
sid
era
tions,
ben
efits
and
dra
wbacks a
s a
pote
ntial s
olu
tion
.
Ove
rvie
w a
nd
Desig
n D
escrip
tion
:
Se
vera
l cro
ssin
g locations in the
vic
inity
of
the p
revi
ou
sly
stu
die
d im
pro
vem
ent op
tions w
ere
inve
stigate
d a
nd f
oun
d th
at
the g
rades c
ould
not
be a
chie
ved to m
eet th
e d
esig
n c
rite
ria
. T
o
support
the o
rig
ina
l alig
nm
ent (s
ho
wn
belo
w),
a t
unn
el und
er
the C
N r
ailw
ay
wou
ld b
e r
equ
ired
.
This
is b
oth
a c
ostly
and d
ifficult
optio
n to b
uild
un
der
an a
ctive
ra
ilwa
y. F
or
this
re
ason,
we
inve
stigate
d a
locatio
n w
he
re the g
rades a
nd c
rossin
g t
he r
ailr
oad c
ou
ld b
e a
ccom
modate
d t
o
meet th
e d
esig
n c
rite
ria.
Optio
ns A
R-2
a a
nd A
R-2
b u
tiliz
e t
he e
xis
ting N
ort
h S
tar
Inte
rcha
nge
an
d r
un
nort
h a
lon
g t
he
exis
ting N
ort
h S
tar
Ro
ad a
nd
Sw
ord
Ave
nue w
hic
h a
llow
s f
or
an inte
rsection a
t S
word
Ave
nu
e
eastb
ound. T
his
alig
nm
ent m
ain
tain
s a
ll exis
ting a
ccess p
oin
ts a
nd c
rosses th
e e
xis
ting o
verp
ass
on N
ort
h S
tar
Ro
ad.
The Q
uesne
l R
iver
Bri
dg
e is loca
ted a
t a p
oin
t o
n t
he r
iver
that
is n
arr
ow
and s
tra
ight
to m
inim
ize i
ssues t
o t
he s
tructu
re a
nd m
inim
ize t
he l
ength
. T
he a
lignm
ent
the
n
curv
es u
p t
hro
ugh t
he lo
g s
tora
ge y
ard
to g
ain
an a
cce
pta
ble
gra
de
to t
he h
igh
wa
y.
Origin
al N
-S I
ndustr
ial
Conn
ecto
r A
lignm
ent
(Adapte
d f
rom
Quesnel N
ort
h-
South
Industr
ial C
onnecto
r
Fe
asib
ility
Stu
dy (
2004,
Urb
an
Syste
ms L
td.)
Uti
lize e
xis
tin
g N
ort
h S
tar
Inte
rch
an
ge
On
/Off
Ram
ps
New
400 m
ete
r b
rid
ge
ov
er
the Q
uesn
el
Riv
er
Opt
ion
AR-2
a: N
orth
-Sou
th In
dust
rial
Con
nect
or
De
sig
n C
on
sid
era
tio
n:
This
optio
n c
urv
es u
p t
o th
e n
ort
h c
rossin
g u
nder
the p
ow
er
lines a
nd o
ver
Barl
ow
Cre
ek a
nd t
he C
N
railw
ay,
tyi
ng to H
igh
wa
y 2
6 e
ast
of
the e
xis
ting
Hig
hw
ay
97 a
nd H
igh
wa
y 2
6 inte
rsectio
n.
A 2
-la
ne r
ura
l
art
eria
l undiv
ide
d r
oa
d s
tan
dard
was in
vestigate
d w
ith
vert
ica
l and h
ori
zonta
l curv
es that
wou
ld s
upport
veh
icle
spee
ds u
p t
o 7
0-8
0 k
m/h
. In a
dditio
n to t
he 4
00 m
ete
r bridge
str
uctu
re r
equire
d to c
ross th
e
Quesnel R
iver,
a s
econ
d o
verh
ead s
tructu
re o
f appro
xim
ate
ly 1
00 m
ete
rs in
len
gth
wou
ld c
ross B
arlo
w
Cre
ek a
nd th
e C
N r
ailw
ay.
A m
edia
n tre
atm
ent
wou
ld b
e c
onsid
ere
d f
or
safe
ty c
onditio
ns, but
not
requ
ired
.
Sig
nific
an
t pro
pert
y acqu
isitio
ns w
ould
be r
eq
uire
d a
s t
his
rou
te f
ollo
ws a
n a
lignm
ent th
roug
h th
e industr
ial
site
of
Cari
boo
Pu
lp a
nd P
aper
(on s
om
e e
xis
ting inte
rnal r
oads)
an
d thro
ug
h indu
str
ial la
nds o
n t
he n
ort
h
sid
e o
f th
e Q
uesn
el r
iver.
G
ive
n th
e inte
rnal r
oad n
etw
ork
on the C
aribo
o P
ulp
and P
aper
site
serv
es a
vari
ety
of
pri
vate
tra
nsp
ort
atio
n f
unctio
ns (
e.g
. hea
vy
equip
ment and m
achin
ery
move
ments
), there
is
pote
ntial t
hat
a th
ird s
tructu
re w
ou
ld b
e r
eq
uire
d to
main
tain
gra
de s
epara
tion
betw
een a
public
rig
ht of
wa
y
and p
rivate
uses.
This
alig
nm
ent, a
long w
ith O
ptio
n A
R-2
b s
up
port
s turn
ing m
ove
ments
for
WB
-24 d
esig
n v
eh
icle
s.
Opt
ion
AR-2
b: N
orth
-Sou
th In
dust
rial
Con
nect
or
De
sig
n C
on
sid
era
tio
n:
This
optio
n r
uns w
est cro
ssin
g B
arl
ow
Cre
ek, C
N
railw
ay
an
d u
nder
the p
ow
er
lines t
yin
g to H
igh
wa
y
97 a
t th
e F
innin
g R
oad/Q
uesnel-
Hix
on R
oad
inte
rsection.
A 2
-la
ne r
ura
l art
eria
l undiv
ide
d r
oa
d
sta
ndard
was investig
ate
d w
ith v
ert
ical an
d
hori
zonta
l curv
es t
hat
wou
ld s
upp
ort
veh
icle
sp
eeds
up to
70-8
0 k
m/h
. In a
dditio
n to
the
40
0 m
ete
r
bridg
e s
tructu
re r
equir
ed t
o c
ross the Q
uesne
l
Riv
er,
up
to t
wo a
dd
itiona
l ove
rhea
d s
tructu
res, o
ne
250 m
ete
rs in
len
gth
and
one 5
0 m
ete
rs in
length
would
be n
eed
ed t
o c
ross B
arl
ow
Cre
ek a
nd the
CN
railw
ay.
A m
edia
n tre
atm
ent w
ou
ld b
e c
onsid
ere
d
for
safe
ty c
on
ditio
ns, but
no
t re
qu
ired.
New
10
0 m
ete
r b
rid
ge
ove
r C
N R
ailw
ay a
nd
Ba
rlo
w C
reek
New
25
0 m
ete
r b
rid
ge
ove
r
Ba
rlo
w C
reek
Va
lle
y
New
50
me
ter
bri
dg
e
ove
r C
N R
ailw
ay
Qu
esn
el
Hix
on
Rd
Sim
ilar
to O
ption A
R-2
a, sig
nific
ant
pro
pert
y acqu
isitio
ns w
ou
ld b
e r
eq
uire
d a
s t
his
route
follo
ws a
n a
lignm
ent th
rou
gh the
industr
ial s
ite o
f C
ari
boo P
ulp
and P
ap
er
(on s
om
e
exis
ting inte
rnal r
oads)
an
d thro
ug
h ind
ustr
ial la
nds o
n the n
ort
h s
ide o
f th
e Q
uesnel r
iver.
Giv
en th
e inte
rnal r
oad n
etw
ork
on the C
aribo
o P
ulp
and P
aper
site
serv
es a
vari
ety
of
private
tra
nsport
ation f
unctions (
e.g
. hea
vy
equ
ipm
ent and m
achin
ery
move
ments
), there
is
pote
ntial t
hat
a th
ird s
tructu
re w
ou
ld b
e r
eq
uire
d to
main
tain
gra
de s
epara
tion
betw
een a
pub
lic r
ight
of
wa
y and p
rivate
uses.
This
alig
nm
ent, a
lon
g w
ith O
ptio
n A
R-2
a s
up
port
s
turn
ing m
ove
ments
for
WB
-24 d
esig
n v
ehic
les.
Op
tion
AR
-2(a
& b
): E
valu
atio
n S
um
ma
ry
Mo
bilit
y
Both
o
ptions
main
ly
sup
port
a
re
gio
nal
con
nection
to
m
ove
th
rou
gh
tr
aff
ic
on
Hig
hw
ay
97
aro
und t
he c
ore
are
a o
f Q
uesne
l;
Ben
efits
to h
igh
wa
y m
obili
ty w
ou
ld b
e o
bserv
ed a
s a
n e
stim
ate
of
betw
een 8
,100 t
o
9,8
00 vpd co
uld
be
re
dis
trib
ute
d o
nto
th
e ne
w ro
ute
b
y 20
42 und
er
the 0.5
%
backgro
und g
row
th r
ate
, as s
ho
wn in F
igu
re 3
.3;
Hea
vy
veh
icle
traff
ic o
n H
igh
wa
y 97 in
Do
wnto
wn Q
uesnel w
ould
be p
art
ially
re
duced
assum
ing a
ppro
priate
gu
ide s
ignag
e a
nd
hea
vy
veh
icle
s w
ould
be
requ
ired
to
use
eith
er
altern
ate
ro
ute
Op
tion A
R-2
a o
r A
R-2
b;
Hig
hw
ay
97
thro
ugh
th
e d
ow
nto
wn w
ou
ld c
ontinu
e to
be r
eq
uire
d a
nd
main
tain
ed a
s
a h
igh
wa
y in
add
itio
n to e
ither
altern
ate
ro
ute
option;
The n
um
ber
of
public
and p
riva
te a
ccesses o
n t
he H
igh
wa
y w
ould
be u
nch
ang
ed;
Optio
n A
R-2
a p
rovi
des a
n a
lignm
ent aro
un
d T
wo M
ile F
lat, w
hic
h m
ay
be p
erc
eiv
ed
to b
e m
ore
of
a b
ypass r
oute
th
an a
conn
ection b
etw
een S
outh
Qu
esne
l an
d t
he
ind
ustr
ial l
and u
ses in
Tw
o M
ile F
lat;
Safe
ty
Road
safe
ty o
n t
he
exis
tin
g h
igh
wa
y netw
ork
wo
uld
be s
om
ew
hat
impro
ved b
y a
part
ial r
edis
trib
utio
n o
f tr
aff
ic v
olu
mes to th
is in
dustr
ial c
onnecto
r ro
ute
; h
ow
eve
r, this
would
lik
ely
be t
em
pora
ry d
ue to
futu
re tra
ffic
volu
me g
row
th;
So
cia
l / C
om
mu
nit
y
This
optio
n i
s n
ot
favo
ure
d b
y th
e C
ity
of
Quesne
l as i
t does n
ot
eff
ectiv
ely
div
ert
ind
ustr
ial t
raff
ic fro
m W
est of
the d
ow
nto
wn (
West Q
uesnel) o
ff o
f F
ront S
tree
t;
Fig
ure
3.3
: F
ore
cast U
sag
e o
f th
e N
ort
h-S
outh
Ind
ustr
ial
Conn
ecto
r (2
04
2 H
ori
zon,
0.5
% B
ackgro
und G
row
th)
If the M
inis
try
were
to im
ple
ment th
is o
ptio
n a
nd
seek to r
elo
cate
the
Hig
hw
ay
97 r
oute
onto
the N
ort
h S
outh
In
dustr
ial C
onn
ecto
r, the C
ity
would
lik
ely
be u
nw
illin
g t
o t
ake o
wners
hip
of
the e
xis
ting h
igh
wa
y
assets
inclu
din
g t
he Q
uesn
el O
verh
ead a
nd Q
uesne
l R
iver
Bri
dg
e;
Oth
er
Reha
bili
tation a
nd/o
r re
pla
cem
ent
of
the Q
uesne
l R
iver
Brid
ge a
nd
Quesnel
Ove
rhea
d bri
dge
w
ou
ld still
be
re
qu
ired
, despite th
ese
alte
rnate
route
optio
ns;
Ne
w o
pera
tion
an
d m
ain
ten
ance c
osts
for
both
options w
ould
be
sig
nific
an
tly
hig
h, consid
eri
ng th
at b
oth
ro
ute
s w
ou
ld b
e in
ten
ded t
o
pro
vid
e a
secon
dary
route
to H
igh
wa
y 97 a
nd t
he e
xis
ting h
igh
wa
y
alig
nm
ent
wou
ld s
till
need t
o b
e m
ain
tain
ed
;
The a
lignm
ent
of
both
op
tions t
rave
rses t
he Q
uesne
l R
iver
Slid
e
Com
ple
x t
hat
is lo
cate
d o
n t
he n
ort
h s
ide
of
the
Quesne
l R
iver
cro
ssin
g;
whic
h
is
a
kno
wn
geote
chnic
al
ha
zard
.
Thus,
constr
ucta
bili
ty o
f th
is o
ptio
n m
ay
be s
eve
rely
restr
icte
d;
The g
eote
chn
ical
co
nditio
ns o
f th
is r
oute
are
challe
ngin
g as t
his
route
tra
vers
es t
he Q
uesn
el
Riv
er
Slid
e C
om
ple
x,
as d
escribed
in
Am
ed F
oste
r W
heele
r E
nvironm
ent
and I
nfr
astr
uctu
re’s
Technic
al
Mem
ora
ndum
inclu
de
d in A
pp
en
dix
F;
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
AR
-2(a
&b
)
Optio
n A
R-2
(a&
b)
pre
sents
a long
-term
solu
tion t
o r
ed
uce h
igh
wa
y tr
aff
ic o
n the e
xis
ting c
orr
idor
and t
o m
ove
som
e h
eavy
veh
icle
s o
ff o
f F
ront S
tre
et.
Ho
we
ver,
this
option d
oes n
ot pro
vid
e a
so
lution t
o r
em
ovi
ng a
ll pass-t
hro
ug
h h
eavy
veh
icle
s f
rom
Fro
nt S
treet as h
ea
vy
trucks fro
m W
est Q
uesne
l are
unlik
ely
to u
se t
his
alte
rnate
route
. F
urt
her,
th
is o
ptio
n h
as s
om
e m
ajo
r geote
ch
nic
al challe
nges t
hat co
uld
furt
her
incre
ase c
onstr
uctio
n c
osts
pen
din
g
furt
her
site
investig
ations. W
hile
these c
halle
nges c
ou
ld b
e a
ddre
ssed,
this
ro
ute
is n
ot su
pport
ed b
y th
e C
ity
of
Quesnel and
it w
ou
ld n
ot be p
ossib
le f
or
the M
oT
I to
de
volv
e t
he e
xis
ting Q
uesne
l Riv
er
Bri
dge,
Quesne
l Overh
ea
d a
nd h
igh
wa
y a
lignm
ent th
rou
gh d
ow
nto
wn a
nd T
wo
Mile
Fla
t are
a. T
hus, th
e
MoT
I w
ould
incur
respo
nsib
ility
for
rep
lacin
g t
he e
xis
tin
g b
rid
ges,
and f
or
bu
ildin
g a
ne
w a
ltern
ate
rou
te w
ith a
t le
ast tw
o a
dditio
nal str
uctu
res. T
he c
ost of
these c
ap
ital im
pro
vem
ents
wou
ld b
e p
rohib
itiv
e c
om
pare
d to
the
be
nefits
th
at
wo
uld
be a
chie
ved.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n A
R-2
a a
nd
AR
-2b
:
S
cre
en o
ut fr
om
furt
her
revi
ew
an
d im
ple
menta
tion.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
AR
-2a:
$191
,59
9,6
47
Op
tio
n A
R-2
b:
$220
,03
9,9
45
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
3.5.
3.4
Opt
ion
AR-3
: Eas
t-W
est C
onne
ctor
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
The E
ast W
est connecto
r o
ptio
n h
as b
ee
n p
revio
usly
stu
die
d w
ith
the
ori
gin
al purp
ose o
f pro
vid
ing
a n
ew
cro
ssin
g o
ver
the F
raser
Riv
er
to s
erv
e t
ruck
log
gin
g tra
ffic
com
ing f
rom
the B
lackw
ate
r / N
azk
o la
nds w
est of
Quesne
l to
indu
str
y in
Tw
o M
ile F
lat.
P
revi
ous s
tud
ies inclu
ded a
Que
snel E
ast-
West
Conn
ecto
r B
usin
ess C
ase
(P
riceW
ate
rhouseC
oop
ers
, 2003),
a Q
uesnel E
ast-
West C
onn
ecto
r B
usin
ess C
ase
(N
ort
hern
Re
gio
n a
nd C
arib
oo D
istr
ict,
MoT
I, 2
00
3)
and
th
e E
ast
West C
onnecto
r Q
uesn
el –
Mob
ility
Bene
fits
(U
rba
n S
yste
ms, 2014).
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
This
2-lane o
ption
runs f
rom
Hig
hw
ay
97 just sou
th o
f th
e L
ear
Road
/Ke
is R
oad inte
rsectio
n w
est th
rou
gh t
he in
dustr
ial are
a d
ropp
ing d
ow
n into
the
agricu
ltura
l are
a a
nd a
cro
ss the F
raser
Riv
er.
It th
en r
ais
es u
p o
n t
he b
en
d a
bo
ve the
riv
er
an
d t
ies to B
lackw
ate
r R
oad n
ear
its inte
rse
ctio
n w
ith Y
arg
ea
u
Road.
The E
ast-
West connecto
r is
not consid
ere
d to
pro
vid
e a
n a
ltern
ate
route
to th
e e
xis
ting H
igh
wa
y 9
7 a
lignm
ent th
roug
h Q
uesnel.
Ho
we
ver,
it
wou
ld
pro
vid
e a
n a
ltern
ate
route
for
all
traff
ic, nota
bly
logg
ing
tru
ck tra
ffic
, tr
ave
lling
betw
een B
lackw
ate
r R
oad a
nd
the T
wo M
ile F
lat
are
a w
itho
ut usin
g t
he
Moff
at B
ridg
e a
nd H
igh
wa
y 97 a
lon
g F
ron
t S
treet
in D
ow
nto
wn Q
uesnel.
De
sig
n C
onsid
era
tio
n:
This
alte
rna
te r
oute
wou
ld a
dhere
to a
2-l
ane
rura
l art
erial
und
ivid
ed r
oa
d s
tan
dard
with v
ert
ical an
d h
ori
zonta
l
curv
es tha
t w
ould
supp
ort
vehic
le s
pe
eds u
p to 7
0-
80km
/h. G
iven
the
wid
th o
f th
e F
raser
Riv
er
at
the
cro
ssin
g lo
ca
tion, a
sig
nific
ant bri
dg
e s
pa
n o
f 600
mete
rs
in len
gth
wou
ld b
e r
eq
uire
d. In a
dd
ition,
the s
lop
es o
n
eith
er
sid
e o
f th
e F
raser
Riv
er
are
ste
ep
an
d w
ould
require
sig
nific
ant cuts
and
fill
s to a
chie
ve g
rad
es tha
t fa
ll
with
in t
he a
ccepta
ble
desig
n c
rite
ria. S
till,
a m
axim
um
gra
de o
f 7.0
% w
ould
be r
eq
uired o
ver
a d
ista
nce o
f 50
0 –
700 m
ete
rs o
n b
oth
sid
es o
f th
e r
iver
to s
upport
this
alig
nm
ent.
This
route
do
es n
ot
use a
ny
exis
ting
road
alig
nm
ents
, and
thus,
will
req
uire p
ropert
y a
cquis
itio
n f
rom
main
ly
ind
ustr
ial a
nd a
gricultura
l la
nd u
ses.
This
alig
nm
ent,
alo
ng w
ith O
ption A
R-2
b s
upport
s turn
ing m
ove
ments
for
WB
-24 d
esig
n v
ehic
les.
New
600 m
ete
r b
rid
ge
ov
er
the
Fra
ser
Riv
er
New
Tra
ffic
Sig
na
l at
inte
rsecti
on
wit
h H
igh
wa
y 9
7
New
Sto
p C
on
tro
l o
n
Bla
ckw
ate
r R
oa
d
Op
tion
AR
-3: E
valu
atio
n S
um
mary
Mo
bilit
y
While
this
option
pro
vide b
etter
local c
onn
ectivi
ty b
etw
een T
wo M
ile F
lat a
nd
Bla
ckw
ate
r R
oad,
it a
lso h
as the e
ffect of
addin
g a
dditio
n n
ort
hb
oun
d tra
ffic
from
loggin
g a
nd ind
ustr
ial site
s s
outh
of
Quesne
l to u
se F
ront
Str
eet to
access the E
ast-
West C
onnecto
r (a
s o
pposed
to u
sin
g the
Moff
at B
rid
ge);
As s
ho
wn in F
igu
re 3
.4,
ap
pro
xim
ate
ly 3
,70
0 v
pd w
ou
ld u
se t
he E
ast W
est
Conn
ecto
r, b
ut m
an
y of
the
se v
ehic
les w
ou
ld c
ontinue
to/f
rom
their
destin
ation s
outh
of
do
wnto
wn Q
uesn
el in
ste
ad o
f usin
g the
Moff
at B
rid
ge
cro
ssin
g;
By
204
2, th
e v
olu
mes o
n F
ront
Str
eet
could
incre
ase f
rom
a f
utu
re b
ase le
vel
of
15,3
00 v
pd t
o 1
7,5
00 v
pd, re
sultin
g in w
ors
en
ed c
onditio
ns o
n H
igh
wa
y 9
7
in d
ow
nto
wn Q
uesne
l;
Som
e h
ea
vy
vehic
le tra
ffic
on F
ront
Str
eet
would
be r
educed;
ho
wever,
th
is
would
only
inclu
de tru
cks tra
velli
ng b
etw
een B
lackw
ate
r R
oad
an
d T
wo M
ile
Fla
t;
There
are
man
y oth
er
he
avy
truck m
ove
ments
betw
ee
n S
outh
Quesne
l and
Nort
h Q
uesn
el th
at
wo
uld
continue
to u
se H
igh
wa
y 97 in t
he d
ow
nto
wn t
o
access in
dustr
ial s
ites in a
nd a
rou
nd T
wo M
ile F
lat an
d C
arib
oo P
ulp
and
Pap
er;
The n
um
ber
of
public
and p
riva
te a
ccesses o
n t
he H
igh
wa
y w
ould
mostly
go
unchan
ged
, except fo
r th
e a
dd
ition o
f a n
ew
inte
rsection a
t H
igh
wa
y 97 in
Tw
o M
ile F
lat
to s
upport
this
route
;
Safe
ty
Hig
hw
ay
safe
ty m
ay
observ
e s
om
e m
odera
te im
pro
vem
ents
as this
connection w
ou
ld r
educe m
an
y of
the h
ea
vy
veh
icle
s t
hat tr
ave
l betw
een
West Q
uesnel a
nd th
e T
wo
Mile
Fla
t are
a;
ho
wever
this
benefit m
ay
be
off
set
by
the incre
ase in p
assen
ger
vehic
le tra
ffic
that m
ay
choose t
o take F
ront
Str
eet
to a
ccess B
lackw
ate
r R
oad f
rom
are
as s
outh
of
do
wnto
wn Q
uesne
l;
So
cia
l / C
om
mu
nit
y
The C
ity
of
Quesne
l revie
wed th
is o
ptio
n a
nd s
up
port
s it
s d
eve
lopm
ent w
hen t
he v
olu
me o
f in
dustr
ial t
raff
ic justif
ies the
cost;
Fig
ure
3.4
: F
ore
cast U
sag
e o
f th
e E
ast-
West C
onnecto
r (2
042
Hori
zon,
0.5
% B
ackgro
und
Gro
wth
)
Oth
er
Reha
bili
tation a
nd/o
r re
pla
cem
ent of
the Q
uesne
l Riv
er
Brid
ge a
nd Q
uesne
l Overh
ead b
rid
ge w
ould
still
be
require
d, d
espite th
is a
ltern
ate
rou
te o
ption;
Opera
tion a
nd m
ain
tena
nce c
osts
wou
ld incre
ase
substa
ntially
to m
ain
tain
ap
pro
xim
ate
ly 3
.5km
of
new
road
wa
y surf
ace a
nd th
e 6
00
-mete
r-lo
ng b
ridg
e d
eck
surf
ace a
rea;
the g
eote
chnic
al c
onditio
ns o
f th
is r
oute
are
ch
alle
ngin
g,
as d
escribe
d A
med F
oste
r W
heele
r E
nvironm
ent an
d
Infr
astr
uctu
re’s
Technic
al M
em
ora
ndum
inclu
de
d in
Ap
pen
dix
L;
Optio
n A
R-3
tra
vers
es f
ive k
now
n g
eoh
aza
rd c
onstr
ain
ts
inclu
din
g t
he G
rave
l Pit
Slid
e, G
arb
age D
um
p S
lide, W
est
Bank o
f F
raser
Riv
er,
Upp
er
Fra
ser
Riv
er
Va
lley
Slo
pe,
and t
he T
err
ace S
lop
e A
lon
g Y
arg
ea
u R
oad
;
Each k
no
wn g
eo
ha
zard
re
quires f
urt
her
site
investig
ation
;
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
AR
-3
Ove
rall,
Op
tion A
R-3
is a
sig
nific
ant
infr
astr
uctu
re p
roje
ct
with a
sig
nific
an
t cost th
at pro
vid
es f
ew
be
nefits
to h
igh
wa
y u
sers
and w
ould
be
used
by
a s
mall
volu
me o
f lo
cal users
tra
velli
ng
betw
ee
n B
lackw
ate
r R
oad a
nd t
he
Tw
o M
ile F
lat
are
a. T
his
optio
n d
oes n
ot ad
dre
ss the e
xis
ting c
ha
lleng
es o
n
Hig
hw
ay
97
such a
s th
e n
eed to
repla
ce t
he Q
uesnel R
iver
Bri
dg
e a
nd Q
uesn
el
Ove
rhe
ad,
nor
does it
ad
dre
ss the s
afe
ty issues thro
ugh d
ow
nto
wn Q
uesne
l.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
AR
-3:
$163
,29
5,8
71
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n A
R-3
:
S
cre
en o
ut fr
om
furt
her
revi
ew
an
d im
ple
menta
tion.
3.5.
3.5
Opt
ion
AR-4
: Nor
th-S
outh
Byp
ass
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
The p
revi
ous p
lan
nin
g s
tud
y T
he
Quesne
l H
ighw
ay 9
7
Local Im
pro
ve
me
nt S
tudy (
Reid
Cro
wth
er,
1998)
looked a
t
the o
ption
to p
rovid
e a
full
byp
ass o
f do
wnto
wn Q
uesnel
and T
wo M
ile F
lat fo
r H
igh
wa
y 97 tra
ffic
. T
his
byp
ass
option w
as r
evis
ite
d t
o f
urt
her
und
ers
tand t
he d
esig
n
consid
era
tions, be
nefits
an
d d
raw
backs a
s a
pote
ntia
l
solu
tion.
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
This
optio
n b
ypasses the c
ity
with
a 4
-lan
e h
igh
wa
y fr
om
the N
ort
h S
tar
Inte
rchan
ge t
o th
e H
igh
wa
y 26 inte
rsectio
n.
Hig
hw
ay
97
thro
ugh d
ow
nto
wn Q
uesnel an
d T
wo M
ile F
lat
could
be c
onvert
ed t
o t
he C
ity’s
local ro
ad n
etw
ork
, and
this
con
nection w
ou
ld b
e b
ecom
e the n
ew
alig
nm
ent fo
r
Hig
hw
ay
97
.
The o
ptio
n r
ep
laces t
he N
ort
h S
tar
inte
rchan
ge w
ith a
round
abo
ut in
terc
ha
nge
tha
t allo
ws f
or
the h
igh
wa
y to
have
free f
low
move
ment and
avoid
s t
he e
xis
ting c
ity
wa
ter
infr
astr
uctu
re.
Up
on f
urt
her
desig
n, th
e e
xis
ting
inte
rch
ange
may
be a
ble
to b
e incorp
ora
ted
.
De
sig
n C
onsid
era
tio
n:
The a
lignm
ent w
ill r
equir
e a
n e
xte
nsio
n t
o t
he e
xis
ting
ove
rpass o
n N
ort
h S
tar
Ro
ad f
rom
the m
ill. T
he Q
uesnel
Riv
er
bri
dge c
rossin
g is
at
2.5
% g
rade a
nd
the
hill
up
tow
ard
s H
igh
wa
y 26
is a
t 6.1
%. T
he a
lignm
ent cro
ss
Barl
ow
Cre
ek, C
N r
ailw
ay
and H
igh
wa
y 26 o
n a
n
appro
xim
ate
ly 2
00 –
30
0 m
ete
r lo
ng s
tructu
re into
a r
ou
nda
bou
t in
terc
ha
nge.
Co
nsid
era
tio
n w
ill n
eed t
o b
e t
aken in
to a
ccount fo
r th
e p
roxim
ity
of
the
airport
and
the
requ
ired
cle
ara
nces w
ith r
eg
ard
s to t
he
str
uctu
re a
nd lig
htin
g h
eig
hts
.
Rep
lacem
en
t o
f N
ort
h S
tar
Inte
rch
an
ge w
ith
new
In
terc
ha
ng
e
an
d R
ou
nd
ab
ou
t R
am
p In
ters
ecti
on
s
New
In
terc
ha
ng
e w
ith
Ro
un
da
bo
ut
Ram
p In
ters
ecti
on
s a
nd
a 2
00
-300 m
ete
r
str
uctu
re o
ver
Barl
ow
Cre
ek a
nd
CN
Railw
ay.
New
400 m
ete
r B
rid
ge o
ver
the
Qu
esn
el R
iver
Sig
nific
an
t pro
pert
y acqu
isitio
ns w
ould
be r
eq
uire
d a
s t
his
route
follo
ws a
n a
lignm
ent th
roug
h
the ind
ustr
ial s
ite o
f C
arib
oo P
ulp
an
d P
aper
(on s
om
e e
xis
ting inte
rnal r
oads)
an
d thro
ugh
ind
ustr
ial l
ands o
n th
e n
ort
h s
ide
of
the Q
uesne
l riv
er.
G
iven t
he inte
rnal ro
ad n
etw
ork
on the
Carib
oo P
ulp
and P
ap
er
site s
erv
es a
variety
of
private
tra
nsport
atio
n f
unctio
ns (
e.g
. he
avy
equ
ipm
ent and
machin
ery
move
ments
), there
is p
ote
ntia
l th
at a t
hird
str
uctu
re w
ould
be
require
d to
main
tain
gra
de s
epara
tion b
etw
een
a p
ub
lic r
ight of
wa
y a
nd p
riva
te u
ses.
This
alig
nm
ent, a
long w
ith O
ptio
n A
R-2
b s
up
port
s turn
ing m
ove
ments
for
WB
-24 d
esig
n
veh
icle
s.
Op
tion
AR
-4: E
valu
atio
n S
um
mary
Mo
bilit
y
This
optio
n s
up
port
s r
eg
ion
al c
on
nectivity
an
d w
ould
reduce tra
vel t
imes f
or
drive
rs
passin
g t
hro
ugh Q
uesne
l w
itho
ut sto
ppin
g;
ho
wever,
only
a s
mall
perc
enta
ge o
f tr
ips
are
actu
ally
pass-t
hro
ug
h tri
ps;
Ben
efits
to h
igh
wa
y m
obili
ty w
ould
be
observ
ed
as a
n e
stim
ate
of
8,1
00 v
pd d
ay
could
be r
ed
istr
ibute
d o
nto
th
e n
ew
ro
ute
by
20
42 u
nd
er
the 0
.5%
backgro
und g
row
th r
ate
,
as s
ho
wn in F
igu
re 3
.5;
While
this
altern
ate
route
would
becom
e the n
ew
Hig
hw
ay
97 a
lignm
ent, o
nly
a p
ort
ion
of
the e
xis
ting h
igh
wa
y tr
aff
ic in
the
do
wnto
wn w
ould
be r
edis
trib
ute
d t
o th
is n
ew
route
;
Safe
ty
Safe
ty issues a
t in
ters
ectio
ns in
do
wn
tow
n Q
uesn
el a
nd a
ccess m
anagem
ent is
sues in
the T
wo
Mile
Fla
t are
a w
ou
ld b
e p
art
ially
alle
via
ted; b
ut
not com
ple
tely
elim
inate
d;
Hea
vy
vehic
le tra
ffic
ente
ring Q
uesn
el f
rom
west of
the F
raser
Riv
er
would
still
require
usin
g F
ront
Str
eet
an
d/o
r th
e Q
uesne
l Riv
er
an
d Q
uesnel O
verh
ead
brid
ges; th
us n
ot
all
he
avy
veh
icle
impacts
in the d
ow
nto
wn
could
be e
limin
ate
d;
So
cia
l / C
om
mu
nit
y
There
are
no n
ota
ble
impro
vem
ents
or
chang
es to p
ed
estr
ian a
nd b
icyc
le c
ond
itio
ns
with
this
option
;
This
optio
n is
not su
pport
ed b
y th
e C
ity
of
Quesnel as it
does n
ot d
ivert
industr
ial tr
aff
ic fro
m W
est of
the d
ow
nto
wn
(W
est
Quesnel) o
ff o
f F
ront
Str
eet;
Fig
ure
3.5
: F
ore
cast
Usag
e o
f th
e N
ort
h-S
outh
Bypass (
2042
Hori
zon,
0.5
% B
ackgro
und
Gro
wth
)
If the M
inis
try
were
to im
ple
ment th
is o
ption a
nd s
eek to
relo
cate
the
Hig
hw
ay
97 r
oute
onto
the N
ort
h-S
outh
Byp
ass,
the C
ity
wo
uld
be u
nw
illin
g t
o take o
wn
ers
hip
of
the e
xis
ting
hig
hw
ay
assets
inclu
din
g t
he Q
uesne
l Ove
rhe
ad a
nd Q
uesne
l
Riv
er
Bri
dg
e;
Oth
er
While
this
option
wou
ld r
ealig
n H
igh
wa
y 9
7 a
round
the
east
sid
e o
f Q
uesn
el,
the Q
uesn
el R
iver
Bri
dg
e a
nd Q
uesn
el
Ove
rhe
ad s
tructu
res w
ou
ld n
eed
to b
e r
eta
ined f
or
loca
l road
netw
ork
connectivity;
th
us,
rehab
ilita
tio
n o
r re
pla
cem
ent of
the
exis
ting s
tructu
res w
ould
still
be r
eq
uire
d;
Sim
ilar
to O
ption A
R-2
(a&
b),
the g
eote
chn
ical c
onditio
ns o
f
this
route
are
challe
ng
ing,
as d
escribe
d f
urt
her
within
the
geote
chnic
al r
evi
ew
com
ple
ted b
y A
med F
oste
r W
heele
r
En
viro
nm
ent and I
nfr
astr
uctu
re,
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
F;
The a
lignm
ent of
this
op
tion tra
vers
es the Q
uesne
l Riv
er
Slid
e
Com
ple
x that
is lo
ca
ted o
n t
he n
ort
h s
ide o
f th
e Q
uesn
el R
iver
cro
ssin
g;
wh
ich is
a k
now
n g
eote
chnic
al h
aza
rd. T
hus,
constr
ucta
bili
ty o
f th
is o
ptio
n m
ay
be s
eve
rely
restr
icte
d;
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
AR
-4
The N
ort
h-S
outh
Byp
ass is
a r
evis
ited s
olu
tion t
hat
has b
ee
n e
xp
lore
d m
an
y tim
es p
rior
to th
is s
tud
y. T
his
op
tion
do
es n
ot
pro
vid
e a
so
lutio
n to r
educin
g
all
pass-t
hro
ugh h
ea
vy
veh
icle
s f
rom
Fro
nt S
treet
as h
eavy
trucks f
rom
West Q
uesnel a
re u
nlik
ely
to u
se th
is a
ltern
ate
route
. T
his
op
tion h
as s
om
e m
ajo
r
geote
chnic
al c
ha
llen
ges th
at cou
ld f
urt
her
incre
ase c
onstr
uctio
n c
osts
pen
din
g f
urt
her
site
inve
stig
ations. W
hile
these
challe
nges c
ould
be a
ddre
ssed,
this
route
is n
ot su
pp
ort
ed b
y th
e C
ity
of
Quesnel and
it w
ould
not
be p
ossib
le f
or
the
MoT
I to
de
volv
e t
he e
xis
ting Q
uesne
l Riv
er
Bri
dg
e, Q
uesnel O
verh
ead
and h
igh
wa
y a
lignm
ent th
rough d
ow
nto
wn
an
d T
wo M
ile F
lat
are
a. T
hus, th
e M
oT
I w
ou
ld incur
respo
nsib
ility
for
repla
cin
g the
exis
ting b
ridges, a
nd f
or
build
ing t
his
byp
ass r
oute
that a
lrea
dy
has a
conceptu
al p
roje
ct cost
of
$426
Mill
ion. A
s a
resu
lt, t
he c
ost
of
this
pro
ject
wou
ld b
e p
rohib
itive
com
pare
d t
o
the b
enefits
that co
uld
be a
chie
ved.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
AR
-4:
$425
,97
9,4
19
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n A
R-4
:
S
cre
en o
ut fr
om
furt
her
revi
ew
an
d im
ple
menta
tion.
A s
et of
6 im
pro
vem
ent
options w
ere
identified f
or
Hig
hw
ay
97
within
Stu
dy
Segm
ent A
– S
outh
Quesnel, a
s p
revio
usly
defined
fro
m the
inte
rsection o
f B
asalt R
oad
/ H
igh
wa
y 9
7 to
Racin
g
Road /
Hig
hw
ay
97. T
hese
options w
ere
de
velo
ped t
o
addre
ss the
exis
ting
transport
atio
n c
ha
lleng
es
and issues id
entified f
rom
the e
xis
ting c
ond
itio
ns
assessm
ent and a
s d
efine
d in
the p
roble
m d
efiniti
on
sta
tem
ent. In
sum
mary
, th
e is
sues inclu
de d
ifficult
geom
etr
ic c
onstr
ain
ts w
ith t
he inte
rface o
f fr
onta
ge r
oa
ds
and inte
rsectio
ns w
ith H
igh
wa
y 97,
and
hig
her
tha
n
ave
rage c
olli
sio
n r
ate
s a
t ke
y in
ters
ectio
ns inclu
din
g M
ap
le
Drive
, C
edar
Avenu
e, a
nd R
acin
g R
oa
d.
Ov
era
ll S
ou
th Q
uesn
el
Acces
s M
an
ag
em
en
t S
olu
tio
n
A s
um
mary
gra
phic
of
impro
vem
ent
Options A
1,
A2
, A
3
and A
4 is p
rovi
ded in F
igu
re 3
.6 a
nd
Fig
ure
3.7
(at ri
ght)
,
and is a
lso
pro
vided in A
pp
en
dix
G. T
hese ind
ivid
ual
options f
orm
an o
vera
ll access m
anagem
ent
solu
tio
n f
or
the S
outh
Quesn
el are
a a
nd s
hou
ld b
e d
evelo
pe
d in
colla
bora
tio
n w
ith t
he C
ity
of
Quesnel. T
hese o
ptions m
ay
be p
hased a
nd
imple
mente
d o
ver
time.
In a
dditio
n to t
he a
ccess m
anag
em
ent options, th
e C
ity
of
Quesne
l has id
entified a
ne
ed f
or
an o
ff-h
ighw
ay
truck p
ark
ing a
rea in t
he S
ou
th Q
uesn
el are
a
to r
em
ove
he
avy
vehic
les f
rom
park
ing o
n t
he h
igh
wa
y should
er.
T
he C
ity
ma
y pu
rsue this
pro
ject
and
seek to c
olla
bora
te w
ith th
e M
oT
I as the p
riori
ty f
or
this
pro
ject
incre
ases.
Fig
ure
3.6
: O
ption A
1 a
nd
Optio
n A
2 A
ccess M
anag
em
ent
from
Basa
lt R
oad t
o M
ap
le D
rive
F
igure
:
Option A
1 a
nd
Optio
n A
2 A
ccess M
anag
em
ent
from
Basa
lt R
oad t
oM
ap
le D
rive
Fig
ure
3.7
: O
ption A
3 A
cce
ss M
anag
em
ent fr
om
Ce
da
r A
venu
e to J
unip
er
Rd
3.5.
4.1
Opt
ion
A1: B
asal
t Roa
d an
d Go
ok R
oad
Acce
ss M
anag
emen
t (2-
Lane
)
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
There
are
know
n d
esig
n issues tha
t exis
t on H
igh
wa
y 9
7 b
etw
ee
n B
asalt
Road a
nd
Ma
ple
Dri
ve.
The h
igh
wa
y fr
onta
ge r
oads p
rovi
de m
inim
al
veh
icle
qu
euin
g s
tora
ge a
t hig
hw
ay
inte
rsections a
nd inhib
its tru
cks fro
m
makin
g turn
ing m
ove
ments
with
out
over-
trackin
g in
to a
dja
cent la
nes a
nd
the r
oa
d s
ho
uld
er.
F
urt
her,
the h
igh
wa
y is
4 lanes w
ide o
n t
he s
egm
ents
both
nort
h a
nd s
outh
of
this
stu
dy
segm
ent, w
hic
h th
is o
ption d
oes n
ot
addre
ss.
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
This
optio
n m
ain
tain
s a
2-la
ne m
ain
line c
ross-s
ectio
n o
n H
igh
wa
y 97 a
nd
invo
lves a
ccess m
anagem
ent
impro
vem
ents
inclu
din
g the f
ollo
win
g:
Inte
rse
cti
on
Im
pro
vem
en
ts:
Hig
hw
ay
97
an
d B
asalt R
oad (
Agate
Ave
) -
Pro
tecte
d ‘T
’
configura
tion s
erv
ing left
tu
rnin
g m
ove
ments
on e
ast le
g, a
nd r
ight-
in / r
ight-
out
only
move
ments
on w
est
leg; a
nd,
Hig
hw
ay
97
/ G
ook R
oa
d (
Lust R
oad)
– L
eft
-in t
urn
re
str
ictio
n
configura
tion s
erv
ing left
tu
rn-in m
ove
ments
and r
ight-
in / r
ight-
ou
t
only
move
ments
on b
oth
sid
e s
treet
legs;
Lo
cal C
on
necti
on
Im
pro
vem
en
ts:
Incre
ase thro
at sto
rage len
gth
betw
een t
he f
ronta
ge r
oad / s
ide
str
eet in
ters
ectio
ns a
nd th
e s
ide
-str
eet
/ H
igh
wa
y 97 in
ters
ectio
ns
to s
upp
ort
desig
n v
ehic
le t
urn
ing m
ove
ments
;
Conn
ect F
lint R
oad
to B
ery
l S
tree
t to
im
pro
ve b
ackage r
oad
connection;
Clo
se J
ade F
ron
tag
e R
oad a
ccess a
t G
ook R
oad to
use M
aple
Heig
hts
Dri
ve a
s b
ackage r
oad c
onnecting t
o M
ap
le D
rive;
Clo
se s
ub
-sta
nd
ard
fro
nta
ge r
oad a
ccess a
t H
igh
wa
y 97 / R
ed
Will
ow
Ro
ad (
Flin
t R
oad)
inte
rsectio
n;
Hig
hw
ay 9
7
Pro
tecte
d T
Inte
rse
cti
on
Jad
e R
oad
Left
-in
On
ly
Restr
icti
on
Bery
l S
treet
New
Backag
e R
oad
De
sig
n C
on
sid
era
tio
n:
The p
rote
cte
d ‘T
’ in
ters
ection a
t B
asa
lt R
oa
d / H
igh
wa
y 9
7 h
as b
ee
n s
ele
cte
d t
o s
upport
the h
igher
turn
ing v
olu
mes a
ccessin
g the e
ast le
g o
f th
e
inte
rsection w
ith m
inim
al i
mpacts
to t
he lo
w t
urn
ing v
olu
mes a
ccess
ing th
e w
est
leg. L
eft
turn
-out
vehic
les o
n the
west le
g a
re r
ed
istr
ibu
ted a
lon
g th
e
fronta
ge r
oa
d c
on
nections t
o the
tra
ffic
sig
nal at M
ap
le D
rive
. T
he f
ronta
ge r
oad
inte
rsections o
n B
asalt R
oa
d c
onsis
ting o
f Jade R
oad w
est of
Hig
hw
ay
97 a
nd
Jasper
Roa
ds e
ast of
Hig
hw
ay
97 a
re r
ea
ligne
d 2
5 m
ete
rs b
ack f
rom
the s
ide
-
str
eet / fr
onta
ge r
oa
d inte
rsectio
ns t
o s
up
port
WB
-24 d
esig
n v
ehic
le turn
ing
move
ments
.
The le
ft-i
n turn
restr
ictio
n a
t G
ook R
oad / H
igh
wa
y 9
7 s
upport
s h
igher
left
turn
-in
volu
mes a
ccessin
g b
oth
legs o
f th
e inte
rsection. L
eft
turn
-out
vehic
les o
n t
he
west le
g a
re r
edis
trib
ute
d a
long t
he M
ap
le H
eig
hts
Dri
ve b
ackage r
oa
d
connection t
o th
e tra
ffic
sig
nal at M
ap
le D
rive. L
eft
turn
-out
veh
icle
s o
n t
he e
ast
leg a
re r
ed
istr
ibute
d o
n the
fro
nta
ge r
oa
d n
etw
ork
to th
e P
rote
cte
d ‘T
’ in
ters
ectio
n
at B
asalt
Roa
d. T
he f
ronta
ge r
oa
d inte
rsections o
n G
ook R
oad a
t Jade R
oa
d
west of
Hig
hw
ay
97 a
nd J
asper
Roa
ds e
ast of
Hig
hw
ay
97 a
re r
ealig
ned 2
5
mete
rs b
ack
fro
m the e
xis
ting s
ide
-str
eet / fr
onta
ge r
oad inte
rsections to
supp
ort
WB
-24 d
esig
n v
ehic
le t
urn
ing m
ove
ments
.
Op
tion
A1 E
valu
atio
n S
um
mary
:
Sup
port
s turn
ing m
ove
ments
for
WB
-24 d
esig
n v
eh
icle
s;
Main
tain
s n
etw
ork
connectivi
ty w
hile
im
pro
vin
g a
ccess m
anagem
ent;
Access r
estr
ictio
ns a
nd a
ccele
ratio
n / d
ecele
ration im
pro
vem
ents
incre
ase inte
rse
ctio
n s
afe
ty;
Left
-out an
d le
ft-in turn
s c
an
be m
ade for
at le
ast on
e in
ters
ectio
n, w
ith th
e fro
nta
ge
road n
etw
ork
support
ing r
edis
trib
ute
d le
ft turn
s w
here
necessary
;
Desirab
le m
obili
ty s
erv
ice c
an b
e m
ain
tain
ed
with th
e 2
-lane o
ptio
n o
ver
the 2
5 y
ear
hori
zon w
itho
ut th
e n
eed
for
additio
nal th
rou
gh la
ne
s;
Wid
enin
g the
thro
at le
ng
th b
etw
een f
ronta
ge r
oad / s
ide s
treet
inte
rsections a
nd t
he h
igh
wa
y re
quires p
ropert
y acq
uis
itio
n;
Does n
ot supp
ort
4-l
an
ing
as the f
ronta
ge r
oads w
ould
ne
ed t
o b
e r
elo
cate
d a
nd w
ould
req
uire s
ubseq
uent
reconstr
uctio
n;
Does n
ot ad
dre
ss e
xis
ting s
afe
ty is
sue w
ith H
igh
wa
y 97 tra
ffic
tra
velli
ng f
rom
adja
cent 4
-lan
e w
ide s
egm
ents
to th
is s
hort
2-l
ane
segm
ent;
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
A1:
Optio
n A
1 p
rovi
des a
pote
ntia
l solu
tion t
o a
ddre
ss the e
xis
ting a
ccess m
anagem
ent is
sues in t
he s
tud
y are
a.
Ho
we
ver,
the f
ata
l fla
w w
ith this
option is tha
t it d
oes a
ddre
ss the e
xis
ting s
afe
ty issues o
f hig
hw
ay
traff
ic
trave
llin
g o
n a
4-l
an
e h
igh
wa
y do
wn
to a
2-l
ane
hig
hw
ay,
and b
ack to a
4-l
ane h
igh
wa
y in
bo
th d
irections. T
his
flaw
co
ntr
ibute
s t
o s
afe
ty issues in
clu
din
g v
ehic
le w
ea
ving, sp
eed d
iffe
rentia
ls a
nd p
oor
dri
ver
exp
ecta
ncy
/
beha
vio
ur.
T
hus,
it re
com
mended that
this
option
be s
cre
ened
-out.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
A1:
$14,4
87,2
16
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n A
1:
S
cre
en
-Out
3.5.
4.2
Opt
ion
A2: B
asal
t Roa
d an
d Go
ok R
oad
Acce
ss M
anag
emen
t (4-
Lane
)
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
The s
am
e is
sues id
entif
ied f
or
Optio
n A
1 a
re c
onsis
ten
t w
ith O
ption A
2.
In
add
ition, H
igh
wa
y 9
7 is
alre
ad
y 4
-la
ne
d to t
he s
outh
at
Dra
gon L
ake R
oa
d a
nd
to th
e n
ort
h a
t M
aple
Dri
ve;
thus, a
ny
impro
vem
ents
to
this
section o
f H
igh
wa
y
97 s
ho
uld
co
nsid
er
4 lan
es a
s p
art
of
a lon
g-t
erm
solu
tion.
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
This
optio
n w
ide
ns the e
xis
ting
2-la
ne m
ain
line c
ross-s
ectio
n o
n H
igh
wa
y 97 t
o
a 4
-la
ne s
ection
betw
ee
n M
aple
Dri
ve a
nd
Basalt
Roa
d. It a
lso inclu
des th
e
access m
anagem
ent im
pro
vem
ents
as d
escribe
d in O
ptio
n A
1 inclu
din
g t
he
follo
win
g:
Inte
rse
cti
on
Im
pro
vem
en
ts:
Hig
hw
ay
97
an
d B
asalt R
oad (
Agate
Ave
) -
Pro
tecte
d ‘T
’ configura
tion
serv
ing left
turn
ing m
ove
ments
on
east
leg
, an
d r
ight-
in / r
ight-
ou
t on
ly
move
ments
on w
est
leg
; an
d,
Va
rian
t 1:
Hig
hw
ay
97 / G
ook R
oad (
Lust
Roa
d)
– L
eft
-in turn
restr
ictio
n c
onfigura
tio
n s
erv
ing left
turn
-in m
ove
ments
and r
ight-
in /
right-
out o
nly
move
ments
on b
oth
sid
e s
treet
legs;
Or,
Vari
an
t 2:
Hig
hw
ay
97
/ G
ook R
oad (
Lust R
oad)
– T
raff
ic s
ignal w
ith
full
turn
ing m
ove
ments
onto
an
d o
ff H
igh
wa
y 97 t
o s
ide
-str
eets
;
Lo
cal C
on
necti
on
Im
pro
vem
en
ts:
Incre
ase thro
at sto
rage len
gth
betw
een t
he f
ronta
ge r
oad / s
ide s
tree
t
inte
rsections a
nd t
he s
ide
-str
eet / H
igh
wa
y 9
7 inte
rsections t
o s
upp
ort
desig
n v
eh
icle
tu
rnin
g m
ovem
ents
;
Conn
ect F
lint R
oad
to B
ery
l S
tree
t to
im
pro
ve b
ackage r
oad
connection;
Clo
se J
ade F
ron
tag
e R
oad a
ccess a
t G
ook R
oad to
use M
aple
He
igh
ts
Drive
as b
ackage r
oad c
on
nectin
g to
Ma
ple
Dri
ve;
Hig
hw
ay 9
7
Jad
e R
oad
Pro
tecte
d T
Inte
rse
cti
on
Left
-in
On
ly
Restr
icti
on
Hig
hw
ay 9
7
Fu
ll M
ov
em
en
t
Tra
ffic
Sig
nal
Hig
hw
ay 9
7
De
sig
n C
on
sid
era
tio
n:
In a
dditio
n to t
he inte
rsectio
n a
nd a
ccess m
anagem
ent desig
n c
onsid
era
tio
ns
liste
d u
nder
Optio
n A
1, th
is 4
-lan
e d
esig
n w
as d
evelo
ped in c
onsid
era
tio
n o
f th
e
regio
na
l Cari
bo
o C
onnecto
r 4-lan
ing p
roje
ct th
at
will
eventu
ally
pro
vid
e f
our
contin
uous tra
vel la
nes o
n H
igh
wa
y 97
betw
ee
n C
ach
e C
reek a
nd P
rince
Georg
e. T
his
option inclu
des a
varia
nt im
pro
vem
ent a
t G
ook R
oad / H
igh
wa
y 9
7.
Inste
ad
of
a left
-in turn
restr
ictio
n, a f
ull
move
ment tr
aff
ic s
igna
l w
as in
vestigate
d
follo
win
g f
ee
dback r
eceiv
ed b
y th
e C
ity
of
Quesnel an
d the
Cari
boo
Reg
ional
Dis
tric
t th
at le
ft turn
outs
ou
t of
Gook R
oad n
eed t
o b
e m
ain
tain
ed to
supp
ort
busin
esses a
nd r
esid
ences. A
tra
ffic
sig
na
l is
warr
ante
d b
ased o
n p
rese
nt d
ay
traff
ic v
olu
mes, as d
ocum
ente
d in A
pp
en
dix
K.
4-lan
ing o
f H
igh
wa
y 9
7 b
etw
een M
aple
Dri
ve a
nd B
asalt
Road
requ
ires th
at th
e
fronta
ge r
oa
ds a
dja
ce
nt to
Hig
hw
ay
97
inclu
din
g J
ade
Road,
Jasper
Ro
ad,
and
Che
w R
oad
be p
ush
ed o
utw
ard
to m
ain
tain
the
exis
tin
g d
itch d
rain
age a
rea a
long
the h
igh
wa
y corr
idor.
F
urt
her,
the c
onceptu
al d
esig
n f
or
this
option d
oes n
ot
inclu
de a
cle
ar
zone,
wh
ich
wou
ld r
equire
an a
dditio
n 3
-4 m
ete
rs o
f offset
betw
een t
he h
igh
wa
y sh
ould
er
an
d f
ronta
ge r
oa
d.
Op
tion
A2 E
valu
atio
n S
um
mary
:
This
optio
n e
xte
nds th
e e
xis
ting 4
-la
nin
g f
rom
Maple
Drive
to t
he r
ece
ntly
com
ple
ted 4
-lan
ed s
ection a
t D
rag
on L
ake R
oad;
Tra
ffic
volu
mes u
p to the 2
5-y
ear
hori
zon d
o n
ot re
quire
4 la
nes o
f tr
aff
ic to m
ain
tain
desirab
le m
obili
ty p
erf
orm
ance; ho
we
ver,
with 4
lanes p
rovid
ed
to th
e s
outh
an
d n
ort
h o
f th
is o
ption,
4 lanes is s
upp
ort
ed to
pro
vid
e a
consis
tent d
esig
n t
o m
ain
tain
safe
dri
ve
r expecta
tions a
nd b
eh
avio
ur;
Wid
enin
g t
he
hig
hw
ay
to 4
lan
es a
nd
wid
en
ing t
he
thro
at
length
betw
ee
n f
ron
tage
roa
d /
sid
e s
treet
inte
rsectio
ns a
nd t
he
hig
hw
ay
requ
ires
sig
nific
an
tly
more
pro
pert
y acquis
itio
n f
rom
adja
cent pro
pert
ies;
The in
cre
ased s
etb
ack b
etw
een t
he h
igh
wa
y and
fro
nta
ge r
oads s
up
port
s turn
ing
move
ments
for
WB
-24 d
esig
n v
eh
icle
s;
The c
om
bin
ation o
f tu
rnin
g m
ove
ment contr
ols
main
tain
s n
etw
ork
connectiv
ity
wh
ile im
pro
ving a
ccess m
anag
em
ent;
Incre
ased s
afe
ty w
ith t
he t
ypes o
f in
ters
ectio
n d
esig
ns s
ele
cte
d a
nd p
rovi
sio
n o
f decele
ratio
n a
nd a
cce
lera
tio
n la
nes;
The le
ft-in r
estr
iction v
ari
an
t fo
r G
ook R
oad / H
igh
wa
y 97 m
ain
tain
s h
igh
wa
y tr
aff
ic f
low
; ho
wever,
it r
educes d
irect con
nectivity
onto
th
e h
igh
wa
y;
The tra
ffic
sig
na
l option for
Gook R
oad / H
igh
wa
y 97 m
ain
tain
s d
irect conn
ectivi
ty o
nto
the
hig
hw
ay,
but a
dds s
om
e tra
ffic
de
lay
to h
igh
wa
y th
rou
gh
traff
ic.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
A2:
Optio
n A
2 o
ffers
a 4
-la
ne s
olu
tion
to a
ddre
ss t
he s
am
e e
xis
ting a
ccess m
anagem
ent
issues a
s O
ption
A1
pro
poses t
o a
ddre
ss.
Giv
en t
he s
imila
rities a
mong t
hese t
wo o
ptions,
it is r
ecom
mended t
hat
this
optio
n b
e
advanced
to t
he M
AE
for
furt
her
eva
luation
.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved S
om
ew
ha
t
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
A2 V
ari
an
t 1:
$22,2
60,0
23
Op
tio
n A
2 V
ari
an
t 2:
$22,2
98,2
85
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n A
2:
A
dva
nce t
o M
ultip
le A
ccou
nt E
valu
atio
n
3.5.
4.3
Opt
ion
A3: J
unip
er a
nd Ja
de F
ront
age
Road
Net
wor
k Im
prov
emen
ts
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
Junip
er
Roa
d inte
rsects
with L
arc
h A
venu
e a
nd p
rovid
es m
inim
al v
ehic
le
sto
rage f
or
vehic
les turn
ing
onto
the
hig
hw
ay
and
tru
cks o
ver-
track o
n
the s
ho
uld
er
and into
adja
cent
lan
es. S
imila
rly,
veh
icle
sto
rage
an
d tru
ck
ove
r-tr
ackin
g o
ccurs
on t
he
west sid
e o
f th
e inte
rsectio
n w
ith A
sh
Avenu
e inte
rsecting C
edar
Avenu
e b
efo
re H
igh
wa
y 9
7. T
hese is
sues
may
contr
ibute
to t
he h
ighe
r th
an a
vera
ge
colli
sio
n r
ate
an
d c
olli
sio
n
seve
rity
sta
tistic
s a
t th
e C
edar
Ave
nue /
Hig
hw
ay
97 in
ters
ectio
n.
The
right-
in / r
ight-
out access to
Junip
er
Ro
ad d
oes n
ot h
ave a
decele
ration
lan
e (
on
ly a
tap
er)
and r
eq
uires d
rive
rs t
o d
rastic
ally
reduce s
peed t
o
turn
off
the h
igh
wa
y.
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
This
optio
n inclu
des n
ew
ro
ads, im
pro
vem
ents
to th
e f
ronta
ge r
oad
netw
ork
betw
een M
ap
le D
rive
and J
unip
er
Ro
ad a
nd t
he c
losure
of
the
Junip
er
Roa
d r
ight-
in / r
ight-
out access to H
igh
wa
y 97
. T
he
impro
vem
ents
inclu
de:
Clo
sure
of
the s
ub
-sta
ndard
rig
ht-
in /
rig
ht-
out
access a
t Jun
iper
Road
/ H
igh
wa
y 97
;
Clo
sure
of
the n
ort
h leg a
t th
e J
un
iper
Roa
d / L
arc
h A
venue
(C
ed
ar
Ave
nue)
inte
rsection w
ith a
ham
merh
ead
co
nfigura
tion
;
Clo
sure
of
Ash A
venue
at
Cedar
Avenu
e;
Realig
nm
ent of
Junip
er
Ro
ad w
ith a
ne
w r
oa
d b
ehin
d e
xis
ting b
usin
esses to f
orm
a n
ew
inte
rsection w
ith L
arc
h A
venue (
Ce
dar
Avenu
e);
Cul-d
e-s
ac J
ade R
oad o
n t
he w
est sid
e o
f H
igh
wa
y 9
7 b
efo
re M
aple
Dri
ve (
in s
up
port
of
the b
ackage r
oad c
onnection o
n M
aple
He
ights
Dri
ve).
De
sig
n C
on
sid
era
tio
n:
The c
losure
of
the r
ight-
in / r
ight-
out access a
t Jun
iper
Road /
Hig
hw
ay
97 a
lso a
ssum
es the
rem
ova
l of
the s
ub
-sta
nd
ard
rig
ht-
turn
decele
ration t
ap
er.
C
onsid
era
tion s
ho
uld
be g
ive
n to
whe
ther
to r
em
ove
the a
ccess c
om
ple
tely
and r
ep
lace w
ith
sta
ndard
ditc
h d
rain
age,
or
to m
ain
tain
th
e e
xis
ting
pa
ved a
ccess f
or
em
erg
ency
situations a
nd/o
r oth
er
specia
l uses (
e.g
. sp
eed r
adar)
only
. W
hic
heve
r
New
Backag
e R
oad
Ham
me
rhead
Clo
su
re
New
Cu
l-
de-S
ac
desig
n c
onsid
era
tion
is m
ade, th
e c
oncre
te r
ais
ed m
edia
n s
hou
ld b
e r
em
ove
d f
or
safe
ty a
nd a
ph
ysic
al barr
ier
pro
vid
ed t
o s
epara
te H
igh
wa
y 97
fro
m
Junip
er
Roa
d w
ith e
ither
a d
itch o
r concre
te r
oadsid
e b
arr
ier.
Clo
sin
g t
he n
ort
h leg
of
the J
unip
er
Roa
d / L
arc
h A
ven
ue inte
rsection a
nd
realig
nin
g J
unip
er
Road w
ith a
ne
w r
oa
d c
on
nection b
ehin
d t
he e
xis
ting
busin
esses w
ill r
ed
uce turn
ing m
ove
ment conflic
ts, im
pro
ve s
afe
ty a
nd s
up
port
WB
-24 d
esig
n v
ehic
le t
urn
ing m
ove
ments
. W
hile
a c
ul-
de-s
ac c
onfigura
tion
was e
xplo
red f
or
the
clo
se
d e
nd o
f Junip
er
Roa
d, th
is t
ype
of
desig
n w
ould
have
impacts
to the p
ropert
y a
nd
the larg
e w
are
house b
uild
ing o
n th
e n
ort
heast
corn
er
of
the inte
rsection.
The c
losure
of
the n
ort
h le
g o
f th
e A
sh
Ave
nue /
Ce
dar
Avenu
e inte
rsection
rem
ove
s the s
ub
-sta
ndard
access d
esig
n t
hat curr
ently
results in
turn
ing
conflic
ts a
nd o
ver
trackin
g o
f heavy
vehic
les. T
his
clo
sure
wou
ld h
ave
a
min
imal i
mpact on c
onn
ectivi
ty a
s r
esid
ential pro
pert
y o
wners
can c
ontinue
to
use A
sh A
ven
ue,
Sh
ort
Ave
nue a
nd/o
r E
lm S
treet to
co
nnect to
Ce
dar
Ave
nue
and o
nto
Hig
hw
ay
97.
Op
tion
A3 E
valu
atio
n S
um
mary
:
Impro
ves s
afe
ty c
ond
itions a
t C
edar
Avenu
e / H
igh
wa
y 97, a k
now
n h
igh
colli
sio
n r
ate
an
d h
igh c
olli
sio
n s
everity
locatio
n,
by
reducin
g t
urn
ing
move
ment conflic
ts w
ith m
inim
ally
spaced f
ronta
ge r
oad inte
rsections;
Access m
anagem
ent allo
ws turn
ing m
ove
ments
and n
etw
ork
connectivi
ty t
o b
e m
ain
tain
ed;
Impro
ved s
afe
ty o
n H
igh
wa
y 9
7 w
ith r
em
ova
l of
sub
-sta
ndard
rig
ht-
in/r
ight-
out
at
Junip
er
Roa
d / H
igh
wa
y 9
7;
Ham
merh
ead tre
atm
ent on J
unip
er
Roa
d is
less d
esir
able
for
em
erg
ency
vehic
le m
ove
ments
;
The in
cre
ased s
etb
ack b
etw
een t
he h
igh
wa
y and
fro
nta
ge r
oads s
up
port
s turn
ing
move
ments
for
WB
-24 d
esig
n v
eh
icle
s.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
A3:
Optio
n A
3 o
ffers
a g
ood lo
ng
-term
solu
tion f
or
impro
vin
g a
ccess a
nd s
afe
ty in t
he v
icin
ity
of
the C
edar
Avenu
e /
Hig
hw
ay
97 inte
rsectio
n. It is
recom
mended th
at th
is o
ption b
e a
dva
nced t
o th
e im
ple
menta
tion p
lan a
s a
long
-term
impro
vem
ent in
conju
nctio
n w
ith e
ither
Op
tion A
1 o
r O
ptio
n A
2.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
A3:
$1,7
26,8
37
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n A
3:
A
dva
nce t
o Im
ple
menta
tion
Pla
n
3.5.
4.4
Opt
ion
A4: S
igna
l Opt
imiz
atio
n at
Map
le D
rive
and
Ced
ar A
venu
e In
ters
ectio
ns
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
The in
ters
ection o
f M
aple
Drive
and
Ce
dar
Ave
nue
with H
igh
wa
y 97 e
xp
erie
nce
hig
her
than a
vera
ge
colli
sio
n r
ate
s th
an o
ther
locatio
ns in
the p
rovin
ce
. M
ore
specific
ally
, le
ft turn
co
llisio
n t
ypes a
re m
ore
pro
nounced a
t th
e t
wo inte
rsectio
ns.
The d
esig
n o
f th
ese inte
rsectio
ns c
urr
ently
meets
th
e r
ura
l desig
n c
rite
ria f
or
Hig
hw
ay
97
in the
South
Quesn
el A
rea. B
oth
inte
rsectio
ns h
ave
advance
d w
arn
ing
flashers
(A
WF
) lig
hts
in a
dvance o
f both
inte
rsections a
nd in b
oth
directions o
f tr
avel.
Pro
tective p
lus p
erm
issiv
e p
hasin
g f
or
the
left
turn
move
ments
is p
rovi
ded,
wh
ich
giv
en t
he h
igh r
ate
s o
f ve
hic
le s
pee
ds o
n t
he h
igh
wa
y, m
ay
be
contr
ibuting
to t
he
hig
her
colli
sio
n r
ate
s.
Add
ition
ally
, m
ore
than 4
00
stu
den
ts a
nd
teach
ers
at
Quesnel Junio
r S
ch
oo
l are
relo
cating
to t
he M
ap
le D
rive M
idd
le S
choo
l in
Marc
h o
f 2018. G
iven t
he p
roxim
ity
of
the c
om
merc
ial s
erv
ices o
n the e
ast sid
e o
f H
igh
wa
y 9
7 a
nd th
e s
choo
l on
the
we
st
sid
e o
f th
e h
igh
wa
y, a
n incre
ase in c
ross-h
igh
wa
y pe
destr
ian tra
ffic
is e
xpecte
d.
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
This
optio
n involv
es r
e-t
imin
g th
e tra
ffic
sig
na
ls a
t b
oth
inte
rsectio
ns t
o p
rovi
de h
ighe
r le
vels
of
safe
ty w
hile
main
tain
th
e g
ood m
obili
ty le
vels
of
serv
ice.
Re-t
imin
g m
easure
s m
ay
inclu
de
Incre
asin
g th
e y
ello
w a
nd
all-
red t
imin
gs f
or
each p
hase
;
Optim
izin
g th
e tim
e d
ela
y b
etw
ee
n th
e A
WF
lights
and t
he tra
ffic
sig
na
ls;
Rem
ovi
ng t
he p
erm
issiv
e p
hase o
f le
ft turn
move
ments
off
the h
igh
wa
y an
d p
rovi
din
g o
nly
a p
rote
ctive p
hase f
or
the left
turn
s;
Optim
ize p
edestr
ian p
hase
s a
cro
ss H
igh
wa
y 97 a
nd s
ide
-str
eets
(M
aple
Dri
ve a
nd C
ed
ar
Ave
nue);
Op
tion
A4 E
valu
atio
n S
um
mary
:
Impro
ves h
igh
wa
y an
d loca
l sid
e-s
treet tr
aff
ic c
onditio
ns;
Main
tain
s e
xis
ting
mobili
ty leve
ls w
hile
pro
vided
incre
ase tim
e-s
epara
tion o
f ty
pic
ally
hig
her-
seve
rity
turn
ing
move
ments
;
Sup
port
s incre
ase in p
edestr
ian tra
ffic
cro
ssin
g H
igh
wa
y 97 a
t M
aple
Dri
ve.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
A4:
This
optio
n p
rovi
des a
short
-term
solu
tion a
s p
art
of
ge
nera
l on
goin
g tra
ffic
sig
na
l optim
izatio
n im
pro
vem
ents
on
pro
vin
cia
l hig
hw
ays
. T
his
optio
n im
pro
ves s
afe
ty c
ond
itio
ns f
or
the
inte
rsectio
ns o
f M
ap
le D
rive a
nd C
edar
Avenue
with
Hig
hw
ay
97 in th
e S
ou
th Q
uesn
el are
a. T
hese im
pro
vem
ents
shou
ld b
e a
dvanced f
or
imple
menta
tion.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n A
4:
A
dva
nce t
o Im
ple
menta
tion
Pla
n
3.5.
4.5
Opt
ion
A5: R
acin
g Ro
ad a
nd Q
uesn
el-H
ydra
ulic
Roa
d Ac
cess
Man
agem
ent
Op
tio
n A
5(i
): S
ign
alize R
acin
g R
oad
In
ters
ecti
on
Op
tio
n A
2(i
i):
Sig
nalize Q
uesn
el-
Hyd
rau
lic R
oad
Op
tio
n A
3(i
ii):
Ac
ce
ss L
eft
-Ou
t T
urn
Restr
icti
on
s
Ba
ckgro
und:
Thre
e v
ari
ant
desig
ns w
ere
consid
ere
d t
o im
pro
ve a
ccess
managem
ent and s
afe
ty a
t th
e R
acin
g R
oa
d a
nd Q
uesnel-
Hyd
raulic
Roa
d inte
rsection
s.
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
: O
pti
on
A5-i
: S
igna
lize t
he R
acin
g R
oa
d inte
rsection a
nd
restr
ict access a
t th
e Q
uesnel H
ydra
ulic
Ro
ad inte
rsectio
n.
Op
tio
n A
5-i
i: S
igna
lizatio
n o
f th
e Q
uesn
el-
Hyd
rau
lic R
oad
inte
rsection a
nd
restr
ict access a
t th
e R
acin
g R
oad
inte
rsection
Op
tio
n A
5-i
ii:
Rem
ove
left
-out tu
rnin
g m
ove
ments
at b
oth
Racin
g R
oa
d a
nd Q
uesne
l-H
ydra
ulic
Roa
d inte
rsection
s
and r
equ
ire left
turn
ing tra
ffic
to d
eto
ur
to in
ters
ectio
ns
furt
her
south
inclu
din
g C
ed
ar
Ave
nue.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
A5*
This
optio
n h
as b
ee
n a
dva
nced f
or
furt
her
deta
iled d
esig
n
as a
short
-term
priority
pro
ject*
to a
ddre
ss the h
igh
colli
sio
n s
everity
and r
oad s
afe
ty c
oncern
s a
t th
ese
inte
rsections. T
he p
refe
rred d
esig
n v
ari
ant
will
be
ide
ntif
ied a
fter
the c
om
ple
tion o
f a r
oa
d s
afe
ty a
udit
by
a
third p
art
y re
tain
ed b
y th
e M
oT
I.
Hig
hw
ay 9
7
Hig
hw
ay 9
7
Hig
hw
ay 9
7
*Refe
ren
ce:
Refe
r to
Hig
hw
ay 9
7 –
Racin
g R
oa
d a
nd
Quesne
l-H
ydra
ulic
Ro
ad
Inte
rsectio
n I
mpro
vem
ents
mem
ora
ndum
(M
ay,
20
17,
Urb
an S
yste
ms)
for
furt
her
deta
iled e
valu
ation t
hat
wa
s u
ndert
aken o
f th
ese thre
e im
pro
vem
ent options.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n A
5:
A
dva
nce t
o Im
ple
menta
tion
Pla
n
A s
et of
two
impro
vem
ent o
ptio
ns w
ere
id
entified f
or
Stu
dy
Se
gm
ent B
on H
igh
wa
y 9
7 a
rou
nd t
he N
ort
h S
tar
Are
a a
nd Q
uesne
l Riv
er
Bri
dge
. A
s iden
tifie
d
in t
he e
xis
ting c
ond
itio
ns r
evi
ew
, th
e Q
uesnel R
iver
Bri
dge a
nd t
he Q
uesne
l O
verh
ead
requ
ires s
ignific
ant
an
d c
ha
llengin
g r
ehab
ilita
tion o
r fu
ll bri
dg
e
repla
cem
ent in
th
e n
ext
5 t
o 1
0 y
ears
. T
he Q
uesne
l O
verh
ead
in p
art
icu
lar
is r
anked a
s a
hig
h p
riori
ty f
or
impro
vem
ent am
ong s
tructu
res a
cro
ss the
pro
vin
ce d
ue t
o its
po
or
bri
dge c
onditio
n r
ating
. T
he Q
uesnel R
iver
Brid
ge is in
slig
htly
better
co
nditio
n; h
ow
ever,
th
is b
rid
ge h
as k
now
n c
onstr
ain
ts
inclu
din
g t
hat
it can
not sup
port
ove
rsiz
e o
r o
verw
eig
ht
hea
vy
veh
icle
move
ments
; th
e lan
es a
re n
arr
ow
than c
urr
ent desig
n s
tandard
s a
nd th
ere
are
no
should
ers
. T
here
is a
hori
zonta
l curv
e just
west
of
the Q
uesnel O
verh
ea
d in w
hic
h there
is e
vide
nce s
om
e v
ehic
les m
ay
be g
oin
g o
ff p
ave
ment.
3.5.
5.1
Opt
ion
B1(a
&b)
: Que
snel
Ove
rhea
d an
d Q
uesn
el R
iver
Bri
dge
Repl
acem
ent
1
Ba
ckgro
un
d
Str
uctu
ral c
on
ditio
n a
ssessm
ents
for
the Q
uesne
l Riv
er
Bridg
e a
nd t
he Q
uesne
l Ove
rhe
ad w
ere
re
vie
we
d to d
ete
rmin
e th
e c
ond
itio
n a
nd life e
xpecta
ncy
of
the s
tructu
res,
wh
ich f
ou
nd th
at th
e Q
uesnel O
verh
ead is in
po
or
cond
ition w
ith a
rep
lacem
ent of
the b
rid
ge o
r sig
nific
ant
reh
ab
ilita
tion r
eq
uire
d in th
e
next 5 t
o 1
0 y
ears
. T
he Q
uesnel R
iver
Brid
ge a
lso p
oses s
afe
ty c
ha
llenge
s d
ue
to
its d
esig
n a
nd
ag
e. T
wo s
ub
-optio
ns w
ere
explo
red. O
ptio
n B
1-a
consis
ts o
f tw
o 4
-lane
str
uctu
res a
nd
Option B
1-b
consis
ts o
f tw
o 2
-lane s
tructu
res, w
hic
h is
consid
ere
d th
e d
o-m
inim
um
impro
vem
ent fo
r th
ese b
ridg
es.
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
This
optio
n e
xp
lore
s r
ep
lacin
g th
e Q
uesn
el R
iver
Brid
ge a
nd Q
uesn
el O
verh
ead s
tructu
re w
ith e
ither
4-la
ne o
r 2
-lan
e w
ide
str
uctu
res w
hile
main
tain
ing
the a
lignm
ent of
Hig
hw
ay
97 o
n e
ither
sid
e o
f th
e r
iver
cro
ssin
g. T
wo n
ew
brid
ge s
tructu
res w
ould
be c
onstr
ucte
d p
ara
llel to
the e
xis
ting s
tructu
res to
min
imiz
e p
ropert
y im
pacts
and lan
d r
eq
uire
d. T
he n
ew
cro
ssin
g w
ould
pro
vide a
n im
pro
ved p
ed
estr
ian a
nd b
icyc
le c
on
nection u
p t
o th
e J
ohnsto
n
Neig
hbo
urh
ood a
rea e
ast o
f th
e N
ort
h S
tar
Inte
rcha
ng
e.
New
200 m
ete
r F
ou
r-L
an
e
Bri
dg
e o
ver
the Q
uesn
el
Riv
er
New
100 m
ete
r F
ou
r-L
an
e
Ov
erh
ead
of
the C
N R
ailw
ay
De
sig
n C
on
sid
era
tio
n:
As d
iscussed, th
is o
ption in
volv
es t
wo s
tructu
res w
ith
the b
ridg
e o
ver
the Q
uesnel
Riv
er
com
ing to a
length
of
appro
xim
ate
ly 2
00 m
ete
rs a
nd t
he s
tructu
re o
ver
the
rail
cro
ssin
g c
om
ing to a
le
ngth
of
appro
xim
ate
ly 1
00 m
ete
rs. T
he o
ver-
he
ad
str
uctu
re s
ho
wn w
ith a
tang
ent, s
piral, a
nd c
urv
e o
f hig
hw
ay
alig
nm
ent is
more
challe
ng
ing to d
esig
n a
nd c
onstr
uct th
an a
sta
nd
ard
hig
hw
ay
curv
e.
The e
xis
ting h
igh
wa
y str
uctu
res w
ou
ld r
em
ain
open
to t
raff
ic d
uring c
onstr
uction
of
the n
ew
str
uctu
res a
nd t
ie-ins to t
he e
xis
ting a
lignm
ent. T
raff
ic w
ould
be
rero
ute
d o
nto
th
e n
ew
str
uctu
res o
nce c
om
ple
te, fo
llow
ed b
y d
ecom
mis
sio
nin
g o
f
the e
xis
ting s
tructu
res. A
pedestr
ian a
nd b
icyc
le f
acili
ty c
ou
ld b
e p
rovid
ed o
n th
e
bridg
e to p
rovi
de c
on
nectio
ns to th
e r
iverf
ront tr
ail
sys
tem
on b
oth
sid
es o
f th
e
Quesnel R
iver,
and
to t
he J
ohnsto
n N
eig
hbo
urh
oo
d a
rea o
n th
e e
ast sid
e o
f th
e
rive
r.
Op
tion
B1(a
&b
): E
valu
atio
n S
um
ma
ry:
The 4
-lane b
ridg
e r
ep
lacem
ent w
ould
incre
ase tra
ffic
capacity
and le
vel o
f
serv
ice w
here
as a
2-l
ane
str
uctu
re w
ou
ld n
ot;
Hig
hw
ay
safe
ty w
ou
ld i
mpro
ve g
iven
man
y pro
pert
y dam
age a
nd i
nju
ry
rela
ted c
olli
sio
ns h
ave
occu
rred o
n t
his
segm
ent;
Hig
hw
ay
ge
om
etr
y w
ou
ld im
pro
ve w
ith t
he r
em
ova
l and r
ep
lacem
ent of
the t
ight
hori
zonta
l curv
e just
west o
f th
e Q
uesne
l Overh
ead
;
Com
pare
d to the a
ltern
ate
route
optio
ns, th
is o
ptio
n w
ould
be lo
wer
in r
ela
tive c
ost sin
ce th
e s
tructu
res w
ou
ld c
onnect back in
to the
exis
tin
g h
igh
wa
y
alig
nm
ent
with less p
ropert
y acq
uis
itio
n a
nd im
pacts
;
This
optio
n d
oes n
ot re
duce h
igh
wa
y tr
aff
ic v
olu
mes o
r tr
ucks a
nd d
angero
us g
oo
ds f
rom
movi
ng thro
ugh
do
wnto
wn Q
uesn
el;
This
optio
n h
elp
s t
o m
itig
ate
he
avy
veh
icle
im
pacts
on t
he e
xis
ting Q
uesn
el
Riv
er
Brid
ge,
in w
hic
h t
he t
russ s
tructu
re i
s o
cc
asio
na
lly s
cra
ped,
impacte
d a
nd
dam
aged b
y hea
vy
vehic
les tra
velli
ng t
hro
ugh t
he n
arr
ow
passage o
ver
the e
xis
ting s
tructu
re;
This
optio
n w
ould
rem
ove
the h
ea
vy
vehic
le r
estr
iction
s in
pla
ce o
n t
he e
xis
ting b
ridg
es f
or
ove
rsiz
ed
veh
icle
s;
This
optio
n c
ou
ld b
e p
aire
d w
ith O
ption C
1 to
elim
inate
hig
hw
ay
traff
ic f
rom
Cars
on A
ven
ue
.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
B1(a
&b
):
Optio
n B
1 o
ffers
the d
o-m
inim
um
solu
tion t
o r
ep
lace t
he e
xis
ting a
ge
d s
tructu
res o
ver
the Q
uesn
el R
iver
and t
he Q
uesne
l Overh
ea
d. T
his
option s
hou
ld b
e c
om
pare
d w
ith O
ptio
n A
R-1
Nort
h S
outh
Inte
rconn
ecto
r R
oute
, an
d a
s p
art
of
an o
nlin
e c
om
bin
atio
n o
f O
ptions B
1, C
1 a
nd C
2-b
. T
hus, it
is
recom
mended th
at th
is o
ption b
e a
dva
nced t
o th
e M
AE
for
furt
her
evalu
ation.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
B1 (
2-l
an
e):
$41,3
89,6
00
Op
tio
n B
1 (
4-l
an
e):
$62,3
71,0
00
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n B
1(a
&b
):
A
dva
nce t
o M
ultip
le A
ccou
nt E
valu
atio
n
as in
div
idua
l option.
A
dva
nce t
o M
ultip
le A
ccou
nt E
valu
atio
n in
Com
bin
ation w
ith O
ptions C
1 a
nd C
2-b
3.5.
5.2
Opt
ion
B2: Q
uesn
el R
iver
Bri
dge
to N
adea
u St
reet
Sid
ewal
k Im
prov
emen
t
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
The C
ity
of
Quesne
l ha
ve indic
ate
d t
he a
spha
lt sid
ew
alk
exte
nd
ing
south
fro
m the Q
uesne
l Riv
er
Bri
dge
to N
ad
eau
Str
eet
has d
ete
riora
ted a
nd
is in
ne
ed o
f up
gra
de. T
he
City
als
o e
xpre
ssed s
afe
ty c
oncern
s f
or
pedestr
ians u
sin
g
this
route
and h
as indic
ate
d a
ne
ed f
or
bett
er
sep
ara
tio
n
betw
een p
ed
estr
ians a
nd v
ehic
les.
Tw
o s
hort
-term
options h
ave b
een d
eve
lop
ed th
at
impro
ve p
edestr
ian
facili
ties a
long
th
is s
egm
ent of
Hig
hw
ay
97.
Concre
te L
ow
Barr
ier
with A
sphalt
Sid
ew
alk
Curb
& G
utt
er
with C
oncre
te S
idew
alk
Optio
n B
2-ii
Optio
n B
2-i
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
Op
tio
n B
2-i
– C
on
cre
te L
ow
Barr
ier
wit
h A
sp
halt
Sid
ew
alk
: T
o in
cre
ase p
ede
str
ian
safe
ty a
nd s
epara
tion f
rom
the h
igh
wa
y it is
pro
pose
d t
hat a
low
concre
te b
arr
ier
be
insta
lled a
lon
g th
e s
egm
ent.
To e
nsure
th
e b
arr
ier
sits
flu
sh o
n th
e r
oa
dw
ay,
the e
xis
ting
rais
ed a
spha
lt is
pro
posed t
o b
e r
em
ove
d, a
nd a
road
wa
y s
hould
er
be c
onstr
ucte
d that
is
leve
l w
ith th
e e
xis
ting
road
surf
ace.
Op
tio
n B
2-i
i – C
urb
& G
utt
er
wit
h C
on
cre
te S
idew
alk
: T
o f
orm
alis
e the p
edestr
ian
facili
ties a
long
the
hig
hw
ay,
it is
pro
pose
d th
at th
e s
outh
roadsid
e b
e u
rban
ised w
ith c
urb
and g
utt
er,
with a
n a
dja
cen
t concre
te s
ide
walk
.
De
sig
n C
on
sid
era
tio
n:
Op
tio
n B
2-i
- C
on
cre
te L
ow
Barr
ier
wit
h A
sp
halt
Sid
ew
alk
:
o
Barr
ier
sh
ould
be insta
lled t
o a
lignm
ent w
ith e
xis
ting d
rain
age s
yste
m;
o
Repla
ced g
ranu
lar
base h
as b
een a
ssum
ed;
o
100m
m a
sphalt
sid
ew
alk
is p
ropose
d, consid
era
tio
ns c
ould
als
o inclu
de
concre
te;
Op
tio
n B
2-i
i -
Cu
rb &
Gu
tter
wit
h C
on
cre
te S
idew
alk
:
o
Exis
ting c
atc
h b
asin
s p
rop
osed to b
e inte
gra
ted w
ith f
ace o
f curb
;
o
100m
m c
oncre
te s
ide
wa
lk is
pro
posed,
consid
era
tions c
ould
als
o inclu
de
aspha
lt.
City
Tra
il C
onn
ectio
n:
Consid
era
tions t
o c
onn
ect th
e s
ide
wa
lk f
rom
the Q
uesnel R
iver
Brid
ge t
o th
e C
ity’s
tra
il netw
ork
south
of
the h
igh
wa
y h
ave a
lso b
een e
valu
ate
d. H
ow
ever,
this
has b
ee
n d
eem
ed c
ostly
due t
o th
e s
ignific
ant
gra
de d
iffe
rence th
at exis
ts b
etw
een t
he t
wo f
acili
ties. T
o c
onstr
uct a c
onn
ection a
t th
e a
ppro
pri
ate
gra
de w
ou
ld r
equ
ire a
ram
p in
excess o
f 100 m
ete
rs, w
ith c
om
ple
x g
rad
ing, p
ath
wa
y la
ndin
g a
reas, a
nd p
ossib
le r
eta
inin
g w
alls
.
Eva
luatio
n S
um
ma
ry:
The c
urr
ent
roadsid
e c
onfig
ura
tion o
ffers
litt
le p
rote
ctio
n f
or
pedestr
ians f
rom
the a
dja
cent h
igh
wa
y tr
ave
l lane
;
Form
aliz
ing
and
impro
ving
the
sep
ara
tion
alo
ng
th
is
roadsid
e w
ill c
reate
a s
afe
r environm
ent fo
r both
ro
ad u
sers
;
Althou
gh
gre
ate
r sh
ould
er
wid
th can
be
ach
ieve
d w
ith
in
Optio
n B
2-i
i, O
ption B
2-i p
rovi
des t
he g
reate
st
separa
tion
and s
afe
ty f
or
ped
estr
ians;
Optio
n B
2-i is a
lso p
rop
ose
d to b
e r
ela
tively
cost eff
ectiv
e.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
B2
While
the t
wo s
ub
-optio
ns c
ould
be
imple
mente
d w
ith
in a
short
timefr
am
e a
nd a
t a lo
w c
ost,
it is a
kno
wn issue th
at th
e Q
uesne
l
Riv
er
Bri
dg
e a
nd Q
uesn
el O
verh
ead
will
req
uire
rep
lacem
ent
within
the n
ext five
to t
en y
ears
. R
epla
cem
ent of
the b
ridg
e w
ill r
eq
uire
substa
ntial re
constr
uction w
ork
s o
f th
e a
ppro
aches t
o the r
iver
cro
ssin
g. T
hus, th
is o
ption m
ay
ha
ve a
short
lifespa
n a
nd w
ould
need
to b
e r
eco
nstr
ucte
d o
nce the
brid
ge r
epla
cem
ent pro
ject is
advanced
to c
onstr
uctio
n.
Thus, th
is o
ption
pro
vides lim
ited v
alu
e
for
the p
ote
ntia
l investm
ent th
at
wou
ld b
e r
equire
d.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
B2
-i:
$134
,76
1
Op
tio
n B
2-i
i:
$247
,43
0
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n B
2:
S
cre
en o
ut fr
om
furt
her
revi
ew
an
d im
ple
menta
tion.
A s
et of
four
main
impro
vem
ent optio
ns w
ere
ide
ntif
ied f
or
Stu
dy
Segm
ent C
on H
igh
wa
y 97
thro
ugh t
he d
ow
nto
wn o
f Q
uesne
l as d
efined b
y th
e Q
uesne
l
Ove
rhe
ad
(w
est
end)
to t
he
Suth
erl
and A
ven
ue /
Hig
hw
ay
97 inte
rsectio
n. T
hese o
ptions w
ere
iden
tifie
d to a
ddre
ss the issues identifie
d in
the p
roble
m
definitio
n s
tate
ment in
clu
din
g s
afe
ty c
oncern
s a
t do
wn
tow
n inte
rsectio
ns,
and
sid
e-s
treet tr
aff
ic d
ela
ys o
n a
ppro
aches to
th
e h
igh
wa
y.
3.5.
6.1
Opt
ion
C1: H
ighw
ay 9
7 Re
alig
nmen
t ont
o Le
gion
Dri
ve
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
Tra
ffic
volu
mes o
n H
igh
wa
y 9
7 a
re a
t th
eir h
ighest e
nte
ring t
he d
ow
nto
wn o
nto
Cars
on A
venue a
nd
Fro
nt
Str
eet, o
f w
hic
h a
sig
nific
ant
port
ion c
onsis
ts o
f
hea
vy
vehic
les. A
s a
resu
lt, colli
sio
n r
ate
s a
t in
ters
ections a
re h
igher
than a
vera
ge a
nd c
om
munity
concern
s e
xis
t aro
und t
he a
mount an
d t
ype o
f tr
aff
ic
passin
g t
hro
ugh t
he d
ow
nto
wn.
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
This
optio
n e
xp
lore
s th
e p
ossib
ility
of
main
tain
ing
Hig
hw
ay
97
in the
do
wnto
wn p
enin
su
la o
f Q
uesne
l,
but re
alig
nin
g to t
he s
outh
of
the d
ow
nto
wn’s
core
busin
ess a
rea t
o r
educe c
olli
sio
n r
ate
s a
t do
wn
tow
n
inte
rsections a
nd m
itig
ate
heavy
vehic
le im
pacts
on
Cars
on A
venue
. T
his
optio
n p
rop
oses to c
lose th
e
east en
d o
f C
ars
on A
ven
ue
to H
igh
wa
y 9
7 a
nd
bri
ng
traff
ic d
ow
n t
he M
off
at B
rid
ge A
ppro
ach r
oute
and
connect d
irectly
to th
e F
ron
t S
tre
et bri
dge
loop v
ia
Leg
ion D
rive
with
an inte
rsectio
n c
onn
ectin
g th
e
Johnsto
n B
ridge a
nd th
e M
off
at B
ridge t
o W
est
Quesnel. A
multi
-la
ne r
ou
ndabo
ut
is p
rop
ose
d a
t th
e
inte
rsection o
f th
ese s
treets
due t
o t
he b
ala
nced
am
ount of
traff
ic e
nte
ring t
he r
oun
dab
out fr
om
each
appro
ach. H
ow
eve
r, a
tra
ffic
sig
nal is
als
o a
feasib
le
option.
De
sig
n C
onsid
era
tio
n:
This
optio
n w
ould
involv
e s
ignific
ant
chan
ges to t
raff
ic p
attern
s in t
he d
ow
nto
wn b
y re
str
icting h
igh
wa
y tr
aff
ic f
rom
usin
g C
ars
on A
venu
e,
and inste
ad r
e-
directing s
outh
of
the d
ow
nto
wn a
nd o
nto
Fro
nt
Str
ee
t.
This
optio
n o
ffers
opport
un
ities f
or
the C
ity
of
Quesne
l to
re
-incorp
ora
te C
ars
on
Ave
nue into
its
local do
wnto
wn s
treet
netw
ork
and p
rovid
e a
dditio
nal on
-str
eet p
ark
ing, pe
destr
ian a
nd c
ycle
am
eniti
es a
nd local s
erv
ices.
New
Mu
lti-
Lan
e
Ro
un
da
bo
ut
Clo
se
Hig
hw
ay 9
7 /
Ca
rso
n A
ve
nu
e
Inte
rse
cti
on
New
50
m R
ail
Ove
rpa
ss
Co
nve
rt M
off
at
Bri
dg
e A
pp
roa
ch
to
Do
wn
tow
n S
tre
et
Ne
two
rk
Giv
en th
e u
rban location
in t
he d
ow
nto
wn,
this
optio
n s
hou
ld f
ollo
w t
he u
rban
desig
n
crite
ria w
ith s
pee
ds b
etw
ee
n 5
0 t
o 6
0 k
m/h
. A
multi
-la
ne r
ou
nda
bou
t te
mpla
te a
nd a
4-lan
e c
onfig
ura
tion is r
eco
mm
ended to p
rovi
de d
esira
ble
mobili
ty p
erf
orm
ance u
p
to th
e 2
5 y
ear
hori
zon.
Nort
h o
f th
e r
ound
abo
ut, t
he M
off
at B
ridge o
verp
ass o
f F
ront
Str
eet
constr
ain
s the h
igh
wa
y to
red
uce f
rom
4 la
nes w
ide
to 2
lanes w
ide.
Follo
win
g f
urt
her
mobili
ty p
erf
orm
ance a
ssessm
ent of th
is o
ption,
it m
ay
be
dete
rmin
ed t
hat
a m
ulti
-la
ne r
oun
dab
out
is r
eq
uired
. If
the tra
ffic
dem
and e
xceed
s
the c
ap
acity
for
a m
ulti
-la
ne
round
abo
ut, a
tra
ffic
sig
nal option w
ill b
e in
vestig
ate
d.
This
optio
n p
roposes a
ne
w s
tructu
re o
ver
the C
N r
ail
that
would
con
nect to
the
Johnsto
n B
ridge L
oop R
oa
d a
nd J
ohnsto
n N
eig
hb
ourh
ood
subd
ivis
ion o
n th
e e
ast
sid
e o
f th
e Q
uesn
el R
iver.
C
urr
ently,
the s
pri
ng
fre
shet on t
he Q
uesne
l Riv
er
flo
ods
the J
oh
nsto
n B
ridge L
oop R
oad f
or
up
ward
s o
f th
ree m
onth
s e
ach y
ear.
D
rive
rs
trave
llin
g b
etw
ee
n d
ow
nto
wn Q
uesn
el and t
he J
ohnsto
n n
eig
hbo
urh
ood m
ust use a
tem
pora
ry d
eto
ur
on
to D
avie
Str
eet a
nd a
cro
ss the C
N g
rade r
ail
cro
ssin
g.
The
pro
pose
d s
tructu
re w
ould
off
er
a p
erm
anent solu
tion t
o p
rovid
e a
ccess b
etw
een t
he
do
wnto
wn a
nd
Johnsto
n n
eig
hbourh
ood
are
as,
and
miti
gate
th
e p
roble
ms a
nd
challe
ng
es a
ssocia
ted w
ith t
he e
xis
ting f
reshet de
tour.
Op
tion
C1:
Eva
luatio
n S
um
mary
Local a
nd r
eg
ion
al tr
aff
ic p
attern
s a
re im
pro
ved b
y co
nsolid
ating t
hem
to a
n im
pro
ved
hig
hw
ay
alig
nm
ent
with f
ew
er
accesses a
nd w
ith
out
two 9
0
degre
e turn
s a
s c
urr
en
tly
exis
ts o
n th
e C
ars
on
Ave
nue
and F
ront
Str
eet
alig
nm
ent;
Safe
ty c
ond
itions a
t th
e e
xis
ting h
igh
wa
y in
ters
ections o
n C
ars
on A
venue w
ou
ld b
e im
pro
ved w
ith r
ed
uced tra
ffic
volu
mes;
Tra
vel c
ond
itio
ns f
or
pe
destr
ians a
nd b
icyc
lists
usin
g C
ars
on A
venue
wo
uld
impro
ve w
ith lo
wer
vehic
le tra
ffic
volu
mes a
nd turn
ing c
onflic
ts;
The n
ew
alig
nm
ent w
ith r
ed
uced a
ccesses w
ou
ld im
pro
ve c
orr
idor
mobili
ty a
nd tra
vel t
imes;
Hea
vy
vehic
le tra
ffic
wo
uld
not b
e r
em
ove
d f
rom
Fro
nt S
treet;
Hea
vy
vehic
le tra
ffic
wo
uld
be r
em
ove
d f
rom
Cars
on A
ven
ue a
nd o
ffer
som
e r
elie
f to
local m
oto
rists
an
d th
e d
ow
nto
wn b
usin
ess c
om
munity;
This
optio
n c
ou
ld b
e p
aire
d w
ith O
ption B
1 t
o p
rovid
e m
ore
eff
icie
nt tr
avel t
hro
ug
h the
do
wnto
wn;
The n
ew
rail
ove
rpass s
tructu
re a
nd r
oa
d c
on
nection e
limin
ate
s the a
nnua
l Fre
she
t deto
ur
route
;
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
C1:
Optio
n C
1 o
ffers
a s
olu
tion t
o p
art
ially
addre
ss t
he h
igh
wa
y tr
aff
ic a
nd h
ea
vy
veh
icle
im
pacts
in t
he Q
uesne
l
do
wnto
wn. T
his
op
tion s
hould
be c
om
pare
d a
s p
art
of an o
nlin
e c
om
bin
atio
n o
f O
ptio
ns B
1, C
1 a
nd C
2-b
to
Optio
n A
R-1
Nort
h S
outh
In
terc
onnecto
r R
oute
. T
hus, it is
recom
mended th
at th
is o
ption b
e a
dva
nce
d to
the
MA
E f
or
furt
her
evalu
ation.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
C1:
$34,3
19,2
97
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n C
1:
A
dva
nce t
o M
ultip
le A
ccou
nt E
valu
atio
n in
Com
bin
ation w
ith O
ptions C
1 a
nd C
2-b
3.5.
6.2
Opt
ion
C2 (a
& b
): F
ront
Str
eet (
Hig
hway
97)
Lan
ing
Reco
nfig
urat
ion
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
Safe
ty is th
e p
redom
inant
concern
with
Hig
hw
ay
97 o
n F
ront S
treet
with h
igh
er
than a
vera
ge c
olli
sio
n r
ate
s a
t ke
y in
ters
ectio
ns a
nd t
he
consis
tent fe
edback r
eceiv
ed f
rom
the p
ublic
an
d th
e C
ity
ab
out
hea
vy
veh
icle
s c
arr
yin
g d
ang
ero
us g
oods p
ast G
.R. B
aker
Mem
ori
al H
ospita
l
and t
hro
ugh t
he d
ow
nto
wn.
Op
tion
s D
escriptio
n:
Tw
o im
pro
vem
ent optio
ns o
n F
ront
Str
eet
were
iden
tifie
d t
o im
pro
ve m
obili
ty a
nd s
afe
ty c
ond
itions. O
ptio
n C
2-a
explo
res th
e p
ote
ntia
l for
4-la
ne
configura
tion o
f F
ront S
tree
t and
Option C
2-b
ide
ntif
ies a
3-l
ane c
onfigura
tio
n c
on
sis
ting o
f tw
o thro
ug
h tra
vel la
nes a
nd a
ce
ntr
e t
wo-w
ay
left
turn
lane.
As d
escribe
d in t
he f
ollo
win
g o
ption
description a
nd
eva
luatio
n, th
ere
is lim
ited r
oom
on F
ront
Str
ee
t to
accom
mo
date
the
4-l
an
e
Optio
n C
2-a
, an
d f
urt
her
de
sig
n is n
ecessary
to d
ete
rmin
e if
pro
pert
y acq
uis
itio
n is r
equir
ed. I
f pro
pe
rty
is r
eq
uired,
it co
uld
be s
ignific
ant
giv
en
num
ero
us p
riva
te s
tructu
res a
nd b
uild
ings r
esid
e im
media
tely
adja
cent
to t
he c
orr
idor.
O
ptio
n C
2-b
pro
vide
s g
reate
r flexib
ility
as it fits
with
in t
he
exis
ting tra
vel s
urf
ace w
idth
an
d w
ould
not
requ
ire p
ropert
y acqu
isitio
n.
3.5.
6.3
Opt
ion
C2-a
: Fro
nt S
tree
t Lan
ing
Reco
nfig
urat
ion
(4-L
ane)
De
sig
n C
on
sid
era
tio
n
This
optio
n inclu
des u
sin
g t
he e
xis
ting
tra
vel surf
ace o
n F
ront
Str
ee
t an
d
pote
ntially
requ
ires w
iden
ing the
road r
igh
t of
wa
y to
accom
modate
4
lan
es o
f tr
ave
l. T
he e
xte
nts
of
this
option
are
fro
m n
ort
h o
f th
e M
off
at
Brid
ge s
tructu
re t
o n
ort
h o
f S
uth
erla
nd A
ven
ue w
here
Hig
hw
ay
97
curr
ently
retu
rns t
o 4
la
nes.
The o
ptio
n to
4-l
ane F
ront
Str
eet
off
ers
som
e p
ote
ntial ad
vanta
ges a
nd
challe
ng
es; ho
we
ver,
4-l
an
ing is
not re
qu
ired t
o p
rovi
de d
esira
ble
mobili
ty
serv
ice u
p to
25 y
ear
hori
zon. C
apacity
wou
ld b
e incre
ased in
the
nort
hb
oun
d d
irection o
nly
, sin
ce 2
lan
es a
re c
urr
en
tly
pro
vid
ed
south
boun
d. B
ased
on t
he c
adastr
al in
form
atio
n, th
ere
are
som
e s
ectio
ns
where
it a
ppe
ars
4-la
nin
g w
ill f
it w
ithin
th
e e
xis
ting
rig
ht
of
wa
y;
ho
we
ver,
this
co
uld
stil
l re
quire m
ovi
ng th
e c
urb
, gutt
er,
sid
ew
alk
, str
eet
lighting,
and
str
eet fu
rniture
to f
it th
e c
ross-s
ectio
n w
ith
in a
n a
lrea
dy
constr
ain
ed c
orr
idor.
In
so
me c
ases, th
e 4
-lan
e c
ross-s
ectio
n w
ould
require
pro
pert
y acqu
isitio
n a
nd c
ould
ha
ve m
ajo
r im
pacts
to a
dja
ce
nt
build
ings a
nd s
tructu
res.
The p
edestr
ian h
alf s
ignal at S
hep
herd
Ave
nue w
ould
be m
ain
tain
ed;
ho
we
ver
full
sig
na
lizatio
n o
f th
e h
alf s
ignal at
McN
au
gh
ton A
venu
e h
as
been
consid
ere
d t
o p
rovid
e im
pro
ved a
ccess f
or
em
erg
ency
vehic
les,
pedestr
ians a
nd loca
l cro
ss-h
igh
wa
y tr
aff
ic in
to t
he G
.R. B
aker
Mem
orial
Hospital.
This
inte
rsectio
n w
as a
ssessed w
ith a
tra
ffic
sig
na
l w
arr
ant,
whic
h f
oun
d th
at a
full
sig
nal is
not
warr
ante
d d
ue t
o lo
w s
ide
-str
eet
appro
ach v
olu
mes (
see A
pp
en
dix
K).
Giv
en th
e im
port
ance o
f th
is
access, fu
rther
consid
era
tio
n f
or
a tra
ffic
sig
nal is
reco
mm
ended.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
C2-a
:
$11,5
44,2
07
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Fro
nt
Str
eet
(Hig
hw
ay 9
7)
Op
tion
C2-a
: E
valu
atio
n S
um
mary
This
optio
n p
rim
arily
pro
vid
es in
cre
ase
d c
apacity
to th
e h
igh
wa
y th
rou
gh d
ow
nto
wn Q
uesn
el,
whic
h im
pro
ves c
onditio
ns for
loca
l and r
egio
nal t
raff
ic
usage;
ho
wever,
4-l
an
ing is n
ot re
quir
ed t
o s
erv
e tra
ffic
dem
ands;
Safe
ty c
onditio
ns w
ou
ld b
e u
nlik
ely
to c
hang
e,
an
d p
edestr
ian c
ond
itions w
ould
be i
mpacte
d g
ive
n t
he p
ed
estr
ian c
rossw
alk
dis
tances w
ould
be
lon
ger
and t
here
is a
kno
wn is
sue o
f pedestr
ian
-rela
ted
colli
sio
ns a
lon
g th
is c
orr
idor;
This
optio
n lea
ves n
o r
oom
to p
rovi
de a
media
n p
ed
estr
ian c
rossw
alk
refu
ge a
rea
;
Hea
vy
vehic
le im
pacts
could
wors
en w
ith m
ore
lanes b
ringin
g tru
cks c
loser
to th
e s
ide
wa
lk a
nd b
usin
ess f
ronta
ges a
long F
ron
t S
treet.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
C2-a
While
this
option
ma
y pro
vid
e a
va
lid s
olu
tion t
o im
pro
ve tra
ffic
capacity
alo
ng F
ront S
treet, t
his
option w
ou
ld n
ega
tive
ly i
mpact pedestr
ian s
afe
ty,
whic
h is
a k
ey
issue f
or
com
munity
mem
bers
in Q
uesne
l. O
f n
ote
, th
ere
was a
ped
estr
ian
fata
lity
in N
ovem
ber,
2016 w
here
the p
ed
estr
ian w
as u
sin
g t
he
cro
ssw
alk
. In a
dd
ition,
hea
vy
vehic
le tra
ffic
is a
no
ther
sig
nific
an
t com
munity
concern
an
d r
econfig
urin
g F
ront
Str
ee
t to
4 lanes w
ide
wo
uld
ha
ve a
notic
eab
le e
ffect of
shiftin
g h
ea
vy
vehic
les to t
he o
uts
ide lane
tha
t is
clo
sest to
th
e s
ide
walk
and a
dja
cen
t bu
sin
esses a
nd
land u
ses. 4
lan
es w
ou
ld a
lso
be e
xp
ecte
d t
o incre
ase s
peeds, n
ois
e,
an
d r
ed
uce s
afe
ty.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n C
2-a
:
S
cre
en o
ut fr
om
furt
her
revi
ew
an
d im
ple
menta
tion.
3.5.
6.4
Opt
ion
C2-b
: Fro
nt S
tree
t Lan
ing
Reco
nfig
urat
ion
(3-L
ane)
De
sig
n C
on
sid
era
tio
n
This
optio
n involv
es r
eco
nfigurin
g th
e lan
ing o
n t
he
exis
ting tra
vel s
urf
ace o
n F
ront S
treet
with
out
the n
ee
d f
or
road w
ide
nin
g,
as is
th
e c
ase w
ith O
ption C
2-a
. T
he
exte
nts
of
this
option
are
fro
m n
ort
h o
f th
e M
off
at B
rid
ge
str
uctu
re to n
ort
h o
f S
uth
erl
and A
ven
ue w
here
Hig
hw
ay
97 c
urr
ently
retu
rns t
o 4
lan
es.
The o
ptio
n to
con
vert
the e
xis
ting 2
-la
ne s
outh
boun
d a
nd
1-lan
e n
ort
hbo
un
d c
onfigura
tion to
1-la
ne n
ort
hbou
nd,
1-
lan
e s
outh
bo
und a
nd
a c
en
tre turn
lan
e o
ffers
man
y
advanta
ges in c
om
parison t
o the
challe
nges n
ote
d f
or
Optio
n C
2-a
. T
he e
xis
ting insid
e s
outh
bou
nd lan
e a
lre
ad
y
acts
as a
turn
la
ne f
or
south
bou
nd tra
ffic
, so p
rovi
din
g a
centr
e turn
lane w
ou
ld n
ot
sig
nific
an
tly
red
uce s
outh
bou
nd
thro
ug
h tra
ffic
level of
serv
ice,
whic
h c
arr
ies th
e s
am
e
volu
me a
s n
ort
hb
oun
d tra
ffic
. A
centr
e turn
la
ne a
llow
s f
or
left
turn
move
ments
to b
e m
ade in
both
directions into
pub
lic a
nd p
riva
te a
ccess w
ithout
impedin
g thro
ugh t
raff
ic. T
he c
entr
e turn
lan
e a
lso p
rovid
es
opport
un
ities f
or
pedestr
ian
refu
ge a
reas t
o b
e insta
lled,
wh
ich w
ould
impro
ve p
edestr
ian
an
d s
afe
ty c
ond
itio
ns a
long F
ront S
treet
The p
edestr
ian h
alf s
ignal at S
hep
herd
Ave
nue w
ould
be m
ain
tain
ed; h
ow
eve
r fu
ll sig
naliz
ation o
f th
e h
alf s
ignal at M
cN
aug
hto
n A
venue
has b
een
consid
ere
d to
pro
vide im
pro
ved a
ccess f
or
em
erg
ency
vehic
les, pe
destr
ians a
nd local c
ross-h
igh
wa
y tr
aff
ic in
to t
he G
.R.
Baker
Mem
orial H
ospital.
This
inte
rsection w
as a
ssessed w
ith a
tra
ffic
sig
na
l w
arr
an
t, w
hic
h f
ou
nd t
hat
a f
ull
sig
nal is
not
warr
ante
d d
ue t
o lo
w s
ide
-str
eet a
ppro
ach
volu
mes (
see
Ap
pen
dix
K).
Giv
en th
e im
port
ance o
f th
is a
ccess, fu
rther
consid
era
tion f
or
a t
raff
ic s
igna
l is r
ecom
mended.
Fro
nt
Str
eet
(Hig
hw
ay 9
7)
Op
tion
C2-b
: E
valu
atio
n S
um
mary
Local and
reg
ion
al t
raff
ic c
ontin
ues to
be s
upport
ed w
ith im
pro
ved
access f
or
traff
ic turn
ing into
the
do
wnto
wn;
Safe
ty c
ond
itions a
re e
xpe
cte
d to im
pro
ve w
ith b
ett
er
separa
tion o
f
turn
ing m
ove
ments
fro
m tra
vel la
nes;
Opport
un
ity
to im
pro
ve p
ed
estr
ian c
rossw
alk
s w
ith r
efu
ge a
reas to
serv
e h
ospital and
senio
r p
opu
lations c
rossin
g the
hig
hw
ay;
Hea
vy
vehic
le im
pacts
wou
ld n
ot see
a s
ignific
an
t cha
nge f
rom
the
sta
tus q
uo, except
tha
t tr
ucks w
ou
ld b
e r
estr
icte
d t
o tra
velli
ng in 2
lan
es o
n F
ront S
treet fr
om
3 la
nes c
urr
ently;
Sin
ce
th
is o
ptio
n c
onsis
ts o
f re
configuring t
he lan
ing w
ithin
the
exis
ting p
ave
d r
ight
of
wa
y on F
ront
Str
eet, o
pera
tio
n a
nd
main
tenance c
osts
are
not
expecte
d t
o c
ha
nge
fro
m e
xis
ting
;
This
optio
n is
str
on
gly
sup
port
ed b
y th
e C
ity
of
Quesn
el a
s a
sh
ort
-
term
optio
n t
hat ca
n h
elp
im
pro
ve p
edestr
ian s
afe
ty a
nd tra
ffic
conditio
ns;
Furt
her,
th
e C
ity
identified t
his
op
tion a
s a
hig
h p
riori
ty s
afe
ty
impro
vem
ent pro
ject th
at can o
ccur
in th
e s
hort
-term
to m
itigate
exis
ting s
afe
ty a
nd m
obili
ty c
oncern
s a
long t
his
do
wn
tow
n s
ectio
n
of
Hig
hw
ay
97
.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
C2-b
This
optio
n p
rovi
des a
short
-term
solu
tion t
o im
pro
ving
ve
hic
le a
nd p
edestr
ian s
afe
ty a
long F
ront
Str
eet
witho
ut sig
nific
ant
ph
ysic
al chan
ges t
o t
he e
xis
ting
geom
etr
ic d
esig
n o
f th
e c
orr
idor.
F
urt
her,
this
option c
an p
air w
ith a
ny
of
the
oth
er
options d
evelo
ped
in the
stu
dy
inclu
din
g O
ptions B
1,
C1, A
R-1
, C
3, a
nd
C4.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
C2
-b:
$9,3
76,8
01 (
ori
gin
al p
lan
nin
g e
stim
ate
only
)
No
te:
Cost is
bein
g r
efine
d in p
relim
inary
desig
n.
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n C
2-b
:
A
dva
nce t
o Im
ple
menta
tion
Pla
n
A
dva
nce t
o M
ultip
le A
ccou
nt E
valu
atio
n in
Com
bin
ation w
ith O
ptions C
1 a
nd C
2-b
3.5.
6.5
Opt
ion
C3: R
eloc
ate
Traf
fic S
igna
l fro
m R
eid
Stre
et to
McL
ean
Stre
et
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
A tra
ffic
sig
nal exis
ts a
t th
e R
eid
Str
eet /
Hig
hw
ay
97 (
Cars
on A
venue)
inte
rsectio
n a
nd
is u
nd
eru
tiliz
ed. I
t serv
es o
nly
on
e-w
ay
traff
ic n
ort
hbo
und o
n R
eid
Str
eet, a
nd t
wo
-wa
y
traff
ic to o
nly
a f
ew
busin
esses lo
cate
d s
outh
of
the inte
rsectio
n.
The M
cLe
an S
treet
inte
rsection f
urt
her
east
is s
top c
on
trolle
d o
n t
he s
ide
-str
eet a
ppro
ach
es; ho
we
ver,
this
inte
rsection o
bserv
es h
igh
er
turn
ing v
olu
mes a
nd p
rovi
des a
ccess to th
e M
off
at B
ridg
e
and s
ubsequ
ently
to W
est Q
uesnel fo
r drivers
tra
velli
ng o
n H
igh
wa
y 9
7 s
outh
bou
nd.
Op
tion
C3 D
escriptio
n:
This
short
term
optio
n in
volv
es d
ecom
mis
sio
nin
g th
e tra
ffic
sig
nal a
t R
eid
Str
eet
and
insta
lling a
ne
w s
igna
l at
McLean S
tree
t to
bett
er
serv
e lo
ca
l and r
egio
na
l tra
ffic
pattern
s.
De
sig
n C
onsid
era
tio
n:
The tra
ffic
sig
nal at R
eid
Str
eet shou
ld b
e c
onsid
ere
d f
or
rem
ova
l and c
on
vert
ed b
ack
to a
tw
o-w
ay
sto
p-c
ontr
olle
d in
ters
ectio
n o
n th
e s
ide s
treet ap
pro
ach
es. A
tra
ffic
sig
nal
at M
cLe
an S
tree
t in
ters
ection a
nd is w
arr
ante
d a
s d
ocum
ente
d in
Ap
pen
dix
K. A
round
abo
ut o
ption w
as c
on
sid
ere
d;
ho
we
ver,
due t
o th
e p
resence o
f str
uctu
res o
n the
south
and n
ort
h s
ides o
f th
e in
ters
ectio
n inclu
din
g a
n a
ctiv
e g
as s
tation,
a tra
ffic
sig
na
l
is a
more
feasib
le s
olu
tio
n.
Relo
cation w
ould
resu
lt in
tw
o c
lose
ly s
paced s
ign
als
(100m
) at M
cLean a
nd
Kin
chant.
New
Tra
ffic
Sig
nal
at
McL
ean
Str
eet
Sto
p C
on
tro
l In
ters
ecti
on
at
Reid
St
Op
tion
C3:
Eva
luatio
n S
um
mary
A tra
ffic
sig
nal w
ou
ld p
rovi
de im
pro
ved c
onnectivity
an
d
leve
l of
serv
ice f
or
local t
raff
ic a
nd s
om
e r
egio
nal hig
hw
ay
traff
ic that is
destined
for
West Q
uesne
l;
Safe
ty c
ond
itions w
ould
impro
ve a
s turn
ing m
ove
ments
at
the inte
rsection w
ou
ld b
e s
upport
ed b
y sig
nal phasin
g a
nd
contr
ols
;
This
optio
n d
oes n
ot ap
pea
r to
ha
ve s
ign
ific
ant
eff
ects
on
pedestr
ian,
bic
ycle
and
he
avy
vehic
le c
on
ditio
ns;
Sig
na
l coord
ination w
ould
be r
ecom
mended b
etw
een
the
clo
sely
space
d s
igna
ls a
t M
cLean a
nd K
incha
nt;
Opera
tion a
nd m
ain
tena
nce c
osts
wou
ld n
ot
incre
ase a
s the
O&
M c
osts
for
the n
ew
tra
ffic
sig
nal at M
cL
ean
Str
eet
would
repla
ce t
he O
&M
costs
of
opera
ting t
he e
xis
ting tra
ffic
sig
na
l;
The C
ity
su
pp
ort
s this
optio
n a
s a
sh
ort
-term
pro
ject.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
C3
Optio
n C
3 p
rovi
des a
good
lo
w-c
ost solu
tion t
o im
pro
ve
transport
atio
n c
ond
itio
ns o
n H
igh
wa
y 97,
part
icu
larl
y fo
r lo
ca
l tra
ffic
ente
ring a
nd
exitin
g the
hig
hw
ay
to/f
rom
the d
ow
nto
wn
and t
o/f
rom
West Q
uesnel.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
C3:
$488
,14
4
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n C
3:
A
dva
nce t
o Im
ple
menta
tion
Pla
n
3.5.
6.6
Opt
ion
C4: S
igna
lize
Suth
erla
nd A
venu
e /
Hig
hway
97
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
Safe
ty is a
co
ncern
at
the
Suth
erl
an
d A
venue in
ters
ection g
iven its
location o
n t
he insid
e o
f a h
ori
zonta
l curv
e a
nd o
n a
modera
te v
ert
ica
l
curv
e. L
eft
turn
s into
and
out of
Suth
erl
and
Ave
nue a
re c
halle
ngin
g f
or
passenger
vehic
les a
nd f
or
school b
usses that com
e to
and f
rom
St.
Ann
e’s
Cath
olic
Scho
ol.
Op
tion
C4 D
escriptio
n
A tra
ffic
sig
nal has b
een
identif
ied a
s a
short
term
impro
vem
ent to
addre
ss s
ightlin
e is
sues a
nd im
pro
ve a
ccess in
to a
nd o
ut of
Suth
erla
nd A
ven
ue.
De
sig
n C
onsid
era
tio
n:
The h
ori
zonta
l curv
e p
rese
nts
a c
ha
lleng
e f
or
passeng
er
ve
hic
les a
nd
school b
usses a
ttem
ptin
g t
o turn
left
or
rig
ht o
ut of
the
inte
rsectio
n.
Furt
her,
buses a
nd p
assen
ger
vehic
les turn
ing left
onto
Su
therl
an
d
Avenu
e s
om
etim
es h
ave
to
pause in t
he s
outh
bou
nd t
hro
ug
h tra
vel
lan
e, cre
ating
an u
ncom
fort
able
situ
ation f
or
these d
rivers
wh
en
thro
ug
h tra
ffic
is p
assin
g a
t hig
her
spe
eds. A
tra
ffic
sig
na
l is
warr
ante
d a
t th
is locatio
n a
s d
ocum
ente
d in A
pp
en
dix
K.
It is
import
ant
to n
ote
that
the n
ort
h-s
outh
inte
rconn
ecto
r ro
ute
ide
ntif
ied in S
ecti
on
3.5
.3.1
of
this
mem
o w
ould
both
connect b
ack
onto
the e
xis
ting H
igh
wa
y 9
7 a
lignm
ent at th
e S
uth
erl
and A
venu
e
inte
rsection u
nd
er
a d
iffe
rent configura
tion. T
hus, th
is o
ption s
hou
ld
not pro
ce
ed t
o im
ple
menta
tion u
ntil a d
ecis
ion h
as b
ee
n m
ade a
bo
ut
the im
ple
menta
tion o
f th
e n
ort
h-s
outh
inte
rconn
ecto
r.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/ Lo
cal
Con
ne
ctiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
C4:
$250
,00
0
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
New
Tra
ffic
Sig
nal
at
Su
therl
an
d A
ven
ue
Op
tion
C4:
Eva
luatio
n S
um
mary
Local tr
aff
ic t
o a
nd f
rom
Suth
erla
nd A
venu
e w
ou
ld m
ost
benefit
from
a t
raff
ic s
ignal at
this
in
ters
ectio
n,
with litt
le t
o n
o b
en
efit
for
regio
nal th
rough
traff
ic;
Safe
ty c
ond
itions w
ould
impro
ve w
ith p
reve
nting left
tu
rns o
ut o
nto
Hig
hw
ay
97 f
rom
a s
top c
ontr
olle
d a
ppro
ach o
n t
he insid
e o
f a c
urv
e;
Level of
serv
ice w
ou
ld im
pro
ve f
or
sid
e-s
treet tr
aff
ic; h
ow
eve
r, a
tra
ffic
sig
nal or
round
abo
ut
wou
ld lik
ely
red
uce thro
ugh m
ove
ment serv
ice;
This
optio
n d
oes n
ot im
pro
ve a
ccess m
anagem
ent or
change
cond
itions f
or
ped
estr
ians, cyc
lists
, or
hea
vy
vehic
le im
pacts
;
The a
lignm
ent
of
Optio
n A
R-1
Nort
h-S
ou
th I
nte
rcon
necto
r ru
ns t
hro
ugh t
his
in
ters
ectio
n a
nd i
f constr
ucte
d,
access t
o p
ropert
ies s
erv
ices b
y
Suth
erla
nd A
ven
ue w
ould
chang
e.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
C4
Optio
n C
4 p
rovi
des a
short
-term
im
pro
vem
ent to
addre
ss s
afe
ty c
oncern
s a
nd
con
nectivity t
o S
uth
erla
nd A
ve
nue,
and
part
icula
rly a
ccess to S
t. A
nn’s
Cath
olic
Scho
ol.
Ho
wever,
this
option s
hould
be s
cre
ened
-out u
ntil O
ption
AR
-1 N
ort
h S
outh
In
terc
onn
ecto
r has b
een f
ully
explo
red a
nd a
decis
ion m
ade
on w
heth
er
to im
ple
ment or
elim
inate
it. If
Option A
R-1
does p
roce
ed,
it w
ill in
volv
e a
sig
na
lize
d inte
rsection a
t F
ront
Str
eet in
a s
imila
r lo
catio
n t
o the
exis
ting S
uth
erlan
d A
venu
e / H
igh
wa
y 97 inte
rsection,
but u
nder
a d
iffe
rent configura
tion th
at su
pport
s a
ccess to d
ow
nto
wn Q
uesn
el f
rom
the
inte
rcon
necto
r.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n C
4:
S
cre
en o
ut fr
om
furt
her
revi
ew
an
d im
ple
menta
tion.
Tw
o im
pro
vem
ent optio
ns w
ere
iden
tifie
d f
or
Stu
dy
Se
gm
ent D
on H
igh
wa
y 97
thro
ugh
the
Tw
o M
ile F
lat
ind
ustr
ial are
a o
f Q
uesnel.
Bo
th o
ptio
ns p
rovi
de
a s
olu
tion to
ad
dre
ss the a
ccess m
anagem
ent challe
ng
es id
entif
ied o
n th
is s
egm
ent in
clu
din
g th
e n
um
ero
us p
rivate
dri
vew
ays
th
at pro
vid
e d
irect access
to b
usin
esses a
nd a
dja
cent
lan
d u
ses. B
oth
options e
ncom
pass the w
hole
stu
dy
segm
ent fr
om
the in
ters
ection o
f S
uth
erl
an
d A
venue
to
Hig
hw
ay
26.
3.5.
7.1
Opt
ion
D1
(.1, .
2, .3
, .4, .5
): T
wo
Mile
Fla
t Acc
ess M
anag
emen
t
Ba
ckgro
un
d:
The s
ectio
n o
f H
igh
wa
y 97 w
hic
h r
uns thro
ugh t
he T
wo M
ile F
lat
are
a o
f Q
uesne
l fr
om
Suth
erla
nd A
ven
ue t
o H
igh
wa
y 2
6 p
rese
nts
a f
ew
nota
ble
challe
ng
es f
or
develo
pin
g im
pro
vem
ent solu
tio
ns. W
hile
colli
sio
n r
ate
s a
re g
en
era
lly lo
wer
on t
his
section,
there
are
a n
um
ber
of
constr
ain
ts inclu
din
g t
he
pro
xim
ity
of
the C
N r
ail
corr
idor,
ind
ustr
ial l
an
d u
ses th
at ab
ut th
e h
igh
wa
y, a
nd n
um
ero
us p
riva
te d
rive
wa
ys w
ith d
irect
hig
hw
ay
access. A
t th
e inte
rsection
of
Bro
wnm
iller
Road,
he
avy
vehic
les tra
ck o
ff the p
ave
ment due to t
he p
oor
geom
etr
y o
n th
e s
ide
-str
eet
appro
ach to
the
hig
hw
ay.
In a
dd
ition, th
e H
igh
wa
y
26 inte
rsection e
xperi
ences a
hig
h c
olli
sio
n s
eve
rity
ra
te.
Op
tion
Desc
rip
tion
:
This
optio
n iden
tifie
s a
lo
ng
-term
pla
n t
o im
pro
ve a
cce
ss
managem
ent th
rough
out th
e w
ho
le T
wo M
ile F
lat
seg
ment of
Hig
hw
ay
97
fro
m S
pears
Road t
o H
igh
wa
y 26.
In t
his
segm
ent, H
igh
wa
y 97
serv
es n
um
ero
us p
rivate
ind
ustr
ial
busin
esses, serv
ices a
nd a
ctiv
ities in
clu
din
g t
he C
VS
E tru
ck
weig
h s
cale
, an
d th
e Q
uesnel A
irport
. M
an
y of
these
busin
esses a
nd s
erv
ices h
ave
direct
dri
vew
ay
access o
ff
Hig
hw
ay
97
, w
hic
h is 4
lan
es w
ide a
nd h
as a
poste
d s
peed
of
70 k
m/h
. F
ew
or
no d
ed
icate
d t
urn
lanes a
re p
rovi
ded to
separa
te h
igher
sp
eed
thro
ugh tra
ffic
fro
m tra
ffic
turn
ing in
to
these d
rive
wa
ys. T
hus, th
is o
ption ide
ntifies a
netw
ork
of
possib
le f
ronta
ge a
nd b
ackage r
oads th
at
were
de
velo
ped
based o
n a
vaila
ble
pub
lic r
ight-
of-
wa
y and p
riva
te
unde
velo
ped la
nd w
ith a
s f
ew
impacts
to e
xis
ting s
tructu
res
as p
ossib
le.
New
Ro
ad
s S
ho
wn
in
Blu
e
This
optio
n is
se
para
ted into
fiv
e s
ub
-are
as b
y th
eir c
onnection t
o th
e n
eare
st m
ajo
r in
ters
ectio
n a
t S
pears
Road,
Hilb
orn
Roa
d,
Pin
ecre
st R
oad,
Quesne
l-
Hix
on R
oad
, an
d H
igh
wa
y 26
. A
ll five
sub-a
reas a
re d
escribed a
nd
eva
luate
d in
furt
her
deta
il in
Ap
pen
dix
L.
De
sig
n C
onsid
era
tio
n:
Optio
n D
1 p
rop
oses to c
ha
nge m
an
y of
the
pri
vate
accesses to
busin
esses o
n b
oth
sid
es o
f H
igh
wa
y 9
7. C
urr
ently,
man
y of
these
busin
esses h
ave d
irect access to H
igh
wa
y 97 b
y dri
vew
ay
and
th
is
options w
ould
move
man
y of
these d
irect accesses o
ff H
igh
wa
y 9
7 a
nd
onto
the b
ackage / f
ronta
ge
Road
netw
ork
. T
here
are
man
y d
esig
n
challe
ng
es r
ela
ted
to O
ptio
n D
1 inclu
din
g p
ropert
y im
pacts
and
acquis
itio
n, u
tilit
y im
pacts
, environm
enta
l constr
ain
ts,
pre
sence o
f
exis
ting c
onta
min
ate
d s
ites, and
the
pre
sence
of
pote
ntia
l
arc
haeo
log
ical site
s. T
he c
onceptu
al desig
n m
ust support
WB
-24
desig
n v
eh
icle
s.
Op
tion
D1 O
vera
ll E
valu
atio
n S
um
ma
ry:
Pro
vid
ing a
fro
nta
ge /
backage road re
duces a
ccesses a
nd li
mits
local tr
aff
ic to a
ccess the h
igh
wa
y;
Consolid
ating p
rivate
dri
vew
ays
can
impro
ve tra
ffic
safe
ty;
Level of
serv
ice a
nd h
ea
vy
veh
icle
impacts
wo
uld
no
t chang
e b
y a
consid
era
ble
le
vel;
Pro
pert
y constr
ain
ts o
n t
he e
ast sid
e o
f th
e h
igh
wa
y ne
ar
Sp
ears
Roa
d lim
its a
bili
ty t
o c
onsolid
ate
accesses;
While
few
colli
sio
ns h
ave
occurr
ed o
n this
segm
ent, red
ucin
g the n
um
be
r of accesse
s in
this
section w
ould
pro
vid
e a
be
nefit t
o road s
afe
ty c
ond
itions.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
D1:
Optio
n D
1 o
ffers
a lon
g-t
erm
solu
tion
to
addre
ss t
he
am
ount
of
hig
hw
ay
traff
ic a
nd h
ea
vy
veh
icle
s a
ccessin
g
private
busin
esses a
nd
in
dustr
y d
irectly
off
Hig
hw
ay
97 i
n t
he
Tw
o M
ile F
lat
are
a.
T
his
option
sho
uld
be
com
pare
d t
o O
ption D
2,
whic
h ide
ntif
ies im
pro
vem
ents
with
in t
he e
xis
ting h
igh
wa
y ri
ght
of
wa
y th
roug
h T
wo
Mile
Fla
t. T
hus, it is
recom
mended that
this
option
be a
dvanced
to t
he M
AE
for
furt
her
eva
luation
.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/
Lo
cal C
onn
ectiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
D1:
$34,3
02,3
69
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n D
1:
A
dva
nce t
o M
ultip
le A
ccou
nt E
valu
atio
n
3.5.
7.2
Opt
ion
D2:
Tw
o M
ile F
lat H
ighw
ay 9
7 Re
conf
igur
atio
n
Ba
ckgro
un
d
A d
iffe
rent appro
ach w
as e
xplo
red t
o a
ddre
ss th
e
hig
hw
ay
safe
ty,
access a
nd
pro
pert
y con
str
ain
t
issues o
n H
igh
wa
y 9
7 thro
ugh T
wo M
ile F
lat as
described
in O
ption D
1.
Op
tion
D2 D
escriptio
n
This
optio
n p
rese
nts
a s
hort
to m
ediu
m term
appro
ach
to im
pro
ve a
ccess m
anagem
ent th
rou
gho
ut
the w
hole
Tw
o M
ile F
lat
by
reconfigurin
g H
igh
wa
y 97
from
a 4
-lane r
ura
l art
eria
l und
ivid
ed h
igh
wa
y in
to a
3-lan
e u
rban a
rteria
l und
ivid
ed h
igh
wa
y. T
his
option
was id
entified d
ue t
o th
e c
halle
ng
es o
f build
ing a
fronta
ge / b
ackage r
oad n
etw
ork
thro
ugh T
wo
Mile
Fla
t in
clu
din
g p
ropert
y constr
ain
ts, to
po
gra
ph
y and
conta
min
ate
d s
ites. B
y re
configuri
ng t
he e
xis
ting
wid
th o
f th
e h
igh
wa
y, it
is p
ossib
le to p
rovid
e
ded
icate
d le
ft turn
lanes a
nd r
igh
t tu
rn d
ece
lera
tio
n
and a
ccele
ratio
n lanes a
t lo
cal r
oad
inte
rsectio
ns a
nd
at m
ajo
r drive
wa
y accesses that serv
e m
ulti
ple
busin
esses a
nd la
nd u
ses.
This
optio
n a
lso a
llow
s
for
a m
ulti
-use p
ath
wa
y to
be p
rovi
de
d in p
ara
llel to
the h
igh
wa
y b
etw
een S
uth
erlan
d A
venue
an
d
Hig
hw
ay
26
.
A f
ull
se
t of
pla
n v
iew
conceptu
al dra
win
gs o
f th
is
option is in
clu
ded in A
pp
en
dix
G.
De
sig
n C
onsid
era
tio
n:
Hig
hw
ay
97
is r
econfig
ure
d to a
n u
rba
n c
ross-s
ectio
n w
ith c
urb
gutt
er
and
sid
ew
alk
. T
he tra
vel l
ane
and c
entr
e t
wo w
ay
left
turn
lane
wid
th is
3.6
mete
rs.
Sin
ce th
is d
esig
n e
ffectiv
ely
narr
ow
s t
he h
igh
wa
y and
supp
ort
s
access to a
dja
cent
land u
se, th
e h
igh
wa
y spe
ed w
ould
be r
educe
d to 5
0
km
/h. T
he m
ulti
-use p
ath
wa
y is
3.0
mete
rs w
ide
and is s
epara
ted
fro
m the
road
wa
y w
ith a
2.0
mete
r b
oule
vard
. T
here
is a
dd
itio
nal s
pace
within
th
e
hig
hw
ay
right
of
wa
y to
pro
vide a
cce
lera
tion
an
d d
ece
lera
tion lan
es a
t ke
y
inte
rsections a
nd m
ajo
r acce
sses; or
to a
dju
st th
e d
esig
n d
eta
ils f
or
the w
idth
of
the lane,
bo
ule
vard
, a
nd m
ulti
-use p
ath
wa
y.
Op
tion
D2:
Eva
luatio
n S
um
mary
This
optio
n im
pro
ves t
he d
esig
n a
nd s
afe
ty o
f access t
o a
dja
ce
nt
land
uses a
nd p
rovi
des s
om
e o
pport
un
ity
to c
onsolid
ate
accesses;
Hea
vy
vehic
le a
nd
tru
cks m
ove
ments
are
im
pro
ved w
ith d
edic
ate
d left
turn
lanes a
nd r
ight
turn
de
cele
ration
an
d a
ccele
ration lan
es;
Hig
hw
ay
thro
ug
h c
ap
acity
is r
educed;
ho
we
ver,
the d
edic
ate
d left
turn
and r
ight
turn
lan
es h
elp
main
tain
thro
ugh
tra
ffic
speeds;
Passin
g o
pport
unitie
s a
re r
estr
icte
d w
ith t
he r
eduction o
f th
rough la
ne c
apacity
from
2 la
nes to 1
lane in e
ach d
irection;
This
optio
n im
pro
ves p
ed
estr
ian a
nd b
icyc
le c
ond
itions a
s there
is n
o a
ctive
tra
nsp
ort
ation c
on
nection c
urr
ently
in e
xis
tence b
etw
een the d
ow
nto
wn
and T
wo M
ile F
lat;
Safe
ty c
ond
itions f
or
pedestr
ians a
nd c
yclis
ts w
ould
impro
ve a
s th
ese m
odes w
ould
not
be r
equ
ired t
o s
hare
the s
ho
uld
er
an
d/o
r tr
ave
l la
nes a
long
Hig
hw
ay
97
;
There
should
be f
ew
ch
alle
nges w
ith t
he c
onstr
ucta
bili
ty o
f th
is o
ptio
n g
iven t
he d
esig
n f
its w
ith
in t
he e
xis
ting
rig
ht
of
wa
y;
Min
imal i
mpacts
to p
ropert
ies a
nd a
dja
cent
land u
ses.
Re
vie
w o
f O
ption
D2:
Optio
n D
2 p
rovi
des a
diffe
rent so
lution t
o a
ddre
ss th
e a
mount of
direct access tha
t lo
ca
l tra
ffic
has to
Hig
hw
ay
97
in the
Tw
o M
ile F
lat
are
a b
y re
ducin
g t
hro
ugh lane
capacity
to im
pro
ve s
ide
-str
eet
access
capacity.
T
his
option s
hou
ld b
e c
om
pare
d to O
ptio
n D
1,
wh
ich iden
tifie
s a
lo
ng
-te
rm fro
nta
ge a
nd b
ackage
road n
etw
ork
to a
ddre
ss th
e s
am
e p
roble
m. T
hus, it
is r
ecom
mended th
at th
is o
ptio
n b
e a
dva
nced t
o th
e
MA
E f
or
furt
her
evalu
ation.
Re
lation
ship
to
Gu
idin
g P
rin
cip
les
Im
pro
ved
So
me
wh
at
Imp
rove
d
Sta
tus
Qu
o
So
me
wh
at
Po
ore
r P
oo
rer
Lo
cal &
Re
gio
na
l T
raff
ic
✓
Imp
rove
Safe
ty
✓
Pe
d /
Bik
e C
on
diti
ons
✓
Le
vel o
f S
erv
ice
✓
Access M
an
ag
em
ent
/ Lo
cal
Con
ne
ctiv
ity
✓
Mitig
ate
He
avy
Ve
hic
le
Imp
acts
✓
Co
nce
ptu
al P
lann
ing
-Leve
l P
roje
ct C
ost E
stim
ate
: O
pti
on
D2:
$24,7
10,4
66
The c
onceptu
al d
esig
n d
raw
ing
is p
rovid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
G.
The c
ost
estim
ate
bre
akdow
n is
pro
vid
ed in A
pp
en
dix
H.
Re
co
mm
en
da
tio
n f
or
Op
tio
n D
2
A
dva
nce t
o M
ultip
le A
ccou
nt E
valu
atio
n
Table 3.2 summarizes the recommendations for each option as previously evaluated according to the guiding
principles. It is noted that Options B1, C1 and C2-b advance to the MAE for further evaluation as a combined
downtown online solution.
Table 3.2: Summary of Option Development Recommendations based on Guiding Principles Evaluation
Study
Segment Option Name Screening Outcome
Alternate
Route
Option AR-1a North-South Interconnector (4-Lane)
Advance to MAE
Option AR-1b: North South Interconnector (2-Lane) Screen-Out
Option AR-2 (a&b):
North South Industrial Connector Screen-Out
Option AR-3: East-West Connector Screen-Out
Option AR-4: North-South Bypass Screen-Out
A
South
Quesnel
Option A1: Basalt Rd. and Gook Rd. Access Management (2-lane) Screen-Out
Option A2: Basalt Rd. and Gook Rd. Access Management (4-lane)
Advance to MAE
Option A3: Juniper Road and Jade Road Network Improvements
Advance to Implementation Plan
Option A4: Signal Optimization of Maple Drive and Cedar Avenue Intersections
Advance to Implementation Plan
Option A5: Racing Rd. and Quesnel-Hydraulic Rd. Access Management
Advance to Implementation Plan
B
North Star
Option B1: Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead Replacement
Advance to MAE individually and in combination with Options C1, C2-b
Option B2: Quesnel River Bridge to Nadeau Street Sidewalk Screen-Out
C
Downtown
Quesnel
Option C1: Highway 97 Realignment onto Legion Drive
Advanced to MAE in combination with Options B1, C2-b
Option C2-a: Front Street 4-Laning Reconfiguration Screen-Out
Option C2-b: Front Street 3-Lane Reconfiguration
Advance to Implementation Plan and to MAE in combination with Options B1, C1
Option C3 Relocate Traffic Signal from Reid St. to McLean St.
Advance to Implementation Plan
Option C4: Signalize Sutherland Ave / Highway 97 Screen-Out
D
Two Mile
Flat
Option D1: Two Mile Flat Frontage and Backage Road Network
Advance to MAE
Option D2: Two Mile Flat Highway 97 Reconfiguration to Urban 3-Lane Design
Advance to MAE
As previously outlined, a set of 14 on-highway improvement options and 6 alternate route options were developed
to a conceptual level. The options were evaluated against the project’s six guiding principles to understand how
well each of the options support the objectives of the overall Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan. Of the
total 20 options that were previously identified, 7 options have been advanced for further evaluation within the
MAE framework including a benefit-cost analysis (Note: Option B1 is assessed in the MAE twice). Table 3.3
summarizes the options that have been evaluated within the MAE.
Table 3.3: Summary of Options Assessed in the MAE
Study Area Option Name
Alternate Route Option AR-1a: North-South Interconnector (4-Lane)
A - South Quesnel Option A2: Basalt Rd. and Gook Rd. Access Management (4-lane)
B - North Star Option B1: Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead Replacement
D - Two Mile Flat Option D1: Frontage and Backage Road Network
Option D2: Highway 97 Reconfiguration to Urban 3-Lane Design
Online Downtown
Solution
(Evaluated as 1
Option)
Option B1: Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead Replacement
Option C1: Highway 97 Realignment onto Legion Drive
Option C2-b: Front Street 3-Lane Reconfiguration
The MAE was applied to 7 of the 20 options developed in this study. The primary purpose to advance these
options into the MAE was to determine a preferred option among the competing options. Further, the benefits
and costs were quantified to obtain an overall benefit-cost ratio that was used to identify the preferred options.
The MAE consists of five accounts including the Financial, Customer Service (Mobility and Safety), Social /
Community, Environmental, and Economic Indicators accounts. The assumptions and methodology applied to
quantifying the benefits and costs of each account is described as follows:
Financial Account
The financial account includes the conceptual planning level project cost estimate which includes the capital
investment costs for planning, project management, property acquisition, design and engineering, environmental,
construction, First Nations accommodation and regional recoveries. These high-level planning cost estimates
include a contingency of 35% for each of the cost elements. Quantities for the cost estimate have been
developed from the conceptual designs and items and unit rates are based on similar BC MoTI projects.
This account also includes annual maintenance and rehabilitations costs, and the salvage value (based on 20%
of the construction cost only) at the end of the project’s life cycle. These future annual costs are discounted at a
rate of 6% to calculate the net present value of the overall net project cost.
Customer Service Account
The customer service account represents the cost to intersection users over the life cycle of the project. This
includes values for travel time, vehicle operating costs, and collisions accrued and discounted over 25 years.
Given that the customer service account reflects the benefits of proposed improvements to highway users over 25
years, this account is particularly sensitive to traffic growth rate assumptions. Thus, the options that are
evaluated in the MAE have been assessed with the normal 0.5% background traffic growth rate, and with the
1.5% sensitivity analysis traffic growth rate.
The mobility (travel time savings) have been calculated using Synchro and SimTraffic models for the selected
options to measure the level of improvement or reduction in vehicle travel time, travel distance and fuel consumed
that the option offers in comparison to existing conditions. The travel time savings have been calculated using the
MoTI Default Values for Benefit Cost Analysis (2012), which were factored up to account for inflation. An annual
inflation rate of 1.47%, as supplied by Statistics Canada, was applied to these default values.
Vehicle operating costs are measured based on the type and percentage of passenger vehicles and heavy
vehicles travelling on the highway, and their fuel usage, which is factored into an actual cost and discounted over
the 25 year lifecycle.
The safety benefits have been calculated based on a high-level comparison of the main differences that the
option provides over existing conditions (e.g. unsignalized intersection vs. signalized). A simplified collision
prediction model (CPM) was developed for the base highway conditions and collision modification factors (CMF)
were applied for the option to obtain a relative safety benefit for the option.
Social Community Account
The social / community account assesses the potential effect of the option on community and social values. The
criteria used to evaluate this account include vehicle connectivity, pedestrian and cyclist connectivity, and
consistency with community plans. Input provided by technical representatives from the City of Quesnel and the
Cariboo Regional District has been incorporated into this account.
Environmental Account
The environmental account describes the potential for biophysical and natural resource impacts of a project. This
is not intended to replace an environmental assessment, if required, but as a qualitative and quantitative measure
of potential impacts. Qualitative criteria including noise, visual and pollution impacts have been used to evaluate
the options. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been quantified based on the SimTraffic analysis results for
traffic fuel use, which is based on the rate of vehicle stopping, travel time and delays. A calculation of carbon
dioxide, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon emissions for the option in comparison to existing conditions is provided.
Economic Indicators Account
The economic indicators account represents a summation of the quantitative benefits and costs from each of the
four preceding accounts to obtain a benefit-cost ratio (b/c ratio) and a net present value (NPV) of the project costs
in today’s dollars. Typically a b/c ratio of 1.0 or greater is needed to justify the economic feasibility for a project to
proceed to implementation. At the end of the MAE of each option, an outcome is provided with a clear
recommendation of whether to implement the option or to not implement the option.
3.6.2.1 Option AR-1a: North-South Interconnector
This option consists of providing a new alignment for Highway 97 around the north side of the downtown Quesnel
and replacing the Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead with a 4-lane highway design. The MAE is
provided for Option AR-1a as summarized in Table 3.4.
Option AR-1a is compared to the downtown online improvement solution that is formed by the combination of
Options B1, C1 and C2-b. The costs and benefits of these combined improvements are evaluated here in
comparison to Option AR-1a.
Financial Account
Option AR-1a - The conceptual project cost estimate for Option AR-1a (4-lane) North-South Interconnector is
$162,959,887 and an estimate breakdown is provided in Appendix H. Operation and maintenance costs are
approximately $2.6M to maintain the new travel lanes and bridge structures (at this time, additional operational
costs for retaining walls have not been incorporated). However, if the existing highway alignment along Carson
Avenue and Front Street can be devolved to the City, this new route could result in less overall O&M costs than
existing. The salvage value, based on construction costs, is $19.3M.
Options B1, C1, C2-b – The conceptual project cost estimate for all three options combined to form a downtown
improvement solution is $104,287,695. Operation and maintenance costs account for cost to maintain the new
structures over the Quesnel River Bridge, additional travel lane resurfacing, and the new Rail overpass structure
as part of Option C1. The salvage value, based on construction costs, is $12.6M.
Customer Service Account (Safety and Mobility Benefits)
Option AR-1a – This options provides a significant safety benefit as it reduces the number of major intersections
on the highway from eleven to two and shortens the overall length of Highway 97. The safety benefits amount to
$23.4M under normal growth and $25.6M under the sensitivity growth scenario.
Mobility benefits are also significant as an estimate of 10,300 vpd could be redistributed onto the new route by
2042 under the 0.5% background growth rate, as previously shown in Figure 3.2. The forecast usage of this route
is based on the analysis of origin-destination data collected as part of the existing conditions study. Further, traffic
volumes on Front Street would reduce from 15,300 vpd to as low as 5,000 vpd and volumes on Highway 97 east
of Carson Avenue before the Quesnel Overhead could be reduced to as low as 10,500 vpd.
Option AR-1a is 1.4 km shorter in distance compared to the existing Highway 97 alignment through downtown,
and has 11 fewer intersections. This shorter and more direct route leads to an average estimated travel time
savings of 2 minutes and 38 seconds per vehicle or 52% travel time savings over the existing route. This
estimate is based on average travel conditions and is considered conservative. This redistribution of highway
traffic to a faster and more direct route is estimated to result in $93.1M of mobility benefits under the normal
growth scenario, and $113.6M under the sensitivity scenario.
Options B1, C1, C2-b – Unlike Option AR-1a, the downtown solution provides only an incremental improvement
in mobility and safety benefits as the number of major intersections which highway traffic must pass through
reduces from 11 to 8 intersections. This translates to a safety benefit of $3.2M under normal growth conditions,
and $4.1M under the sensitivity growth scenario. Mobility benefits amount to $7.1M under normal growth
conditions, and $14.3M under the sensitivity growth scenario.
Table 3.4: MAE for Option AR-1a in comparison with Options B1, C1, C2-b
Social / Community Account
Option AR-1a - Since the north-south industrial connector would provide an alternate route to the existing
alignment, vehicle connectivity would improve. Both local and regional travellers would have two route options to
travel north-south across the City, as opposed to only one currently. Pedestrian and cyclist connectivity would
Option AR-1a Option B1, C1, C2-b Option AR-1a Option B1, C1, C2-b
North-South
Interconnector
4 Lanes
Online Downtown
Highway Improvements
North-South
Interconnector
4 Lanes
Online Downtown
Highway Improvements
FINANCIAL
162,959,887$ 143,363,306$ 162,959,887$ 143,363,306$
94,257,794$ 74,661,213$ 94,257,794$ 74,661,213$
2,638,583$ 2,439,900$ 2,638,583$ 2,439,900$
19,344,370$ 16,779,550$ 19,344,370$ 16,779,550$
146,254,100$ 129,023,656$ 146,254,100$ 129,023,656$
84,547,247$ 67,316,803$ 84,547,247$ 67,316,803$
SAFETY BENEFITS
38,574,832$ 38,574,832$ 41,457,048$ 41,457,048$ 15,146,002$ 35,291,696$ 15,809,369$ 37,380,824$
23,428,830$ 3,283,136$ 25,647,679$ 4,076,224$
MOBILITY BENEFITS
100,211,723$ 100,211,723$ 122,642,178$ 122,642,178$ 47,873,348$ 94,886,115$ 58,539,644$ 112,708,662$ 52,338,375$ 5,325,608$ 64,102,534$ 9,933,516$
82,935,021$ 82,935,021$ 99,305,508$ 99,305,508$ 42,127,942$ 81,182,492$ 49,797,854$ 94,874,763$
OPERATING COST BENEFIT 40,807,080$ 1,752,529$ 49,507,654$ 4,430,745$
93,145,455$ 7,078,137$ 113,610,188$ 14,364,261$
SOCIAL/COMMUNITY
Vehicle Connectivity
Pedestrian and Cyclist Connectivity
Consistency with Community Plan
ENVIRONMENTAL
Noise Impacts
Visual Impacts
Pollution Impacts
GHG EMISSIONS
EXISTING GHG (tonnes/yr) 8,930.42 8,930.42 10,026.96 10,026.96IMPROVED GHG (tonnes/yr) 4,309.35 8,312.02 4,757.95 9,068.10ANNUAL SAVINGS (tonnes/yr) 4,621.07 618.40 5,269.01 958.86
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
1.38 0.15 1.65 0.27
32,027,037.96$ (56,955,530.19)$ 54,710,619.95$ (48,876,318.06)$ NET PRESENT VALUE - NET OF DO-
MINIMUM
Project Cost - Net of Do-Minimum Option B1-b
TOTAL LIFE CYCLE COSTS - NET OF DO-
MINIMUM
BENEFIT COST RATIO - NET OF DO-
MINIMUM
0.5% Annual Traffic GrowthSensitivity Analysis
1.5% Annual Traffic Growth
MAE - 25 Year Benefit Cost Analysis
TOTAL MOBILITY BENEFITS
Existing Safety CostsImproved SafetyCosts
TOTAL SAFETY BENEFITS
Existing Mobility CostsImproved Mobility CostsMOBILITY BENEFIT
Vehicle Operating Existing Costs
Project Cost - Actual
Vehicle Operating Improved Costs
MaintenanceSalvage ValueTOTAL LIFE CYCLE COSTS - ACTUAL
also improve with the addition of new pedestrian and cycle facilities on the new Quesnel River Bridge and
Quesnel Overhead structures.
While this option is not discussed or shown in existing community plans, the City of Quesnel has expressed
strong support for this option. Some of the community benefits it offers include moving most heavy vehicles and
highway traffic off of Front Street and the downtown core to improve safety and accessibility. Moving heavy
vehicles off of Front Street also reduces the risk of chemical spills in the downtown and improved air quality. This
option also provides significant opportunity for redevelopment of the downtown and for the City to consider
acquiring Front Street and Carson Avenue back into the downtown street network.
Options B1, C1, C2-b – The combination of improvements to Highway 97 on the existing alignment would have
little improvement to vehicle connectivity and actually reduces connectivity to Carson Avenue. Similar to Option
AR-1a, pedestrian and cyclist connectivity would improve with a new facility that would be provided on the new
Quesnel River crossing structures for these users. As previously discussed for Option C1, the City does not see
significant value with this solution as it does not address the key objectives of reducing highway and heavy truck
traffic on Front Street.
Environmental
Option AR-1a – This option could potentially have impacts to noise levels in the residential areas that would be
located closest to this route; however, these impacts could be mitigated by sound barrier walls. The route would
follow parallel to the CN railway and be located about half-way between the plateau on which downtown Quesnel
is built on, and the waterfront. Thus, visual impacts would be relatively contained. Pollution and GHG emissions
would be reduced by up to 4,621 tonnes per year as a result of lower vehicle operating costs and fuel
consumption.
This option does traverse known geotechnical issues along the embankment between downtown Quesnel and the
Quesnel River including the PGE Railway Mile 385 Slide and the PGE Railway Texaco Slide. Both slides require
further site investigation as the existing slope stability is uncertain. The description of these slides is discussed
further within the technical memorandum Terrain Stability (Geohazard) Constraints – Summary, Highway 97
Quesnel Transportation Plan, completed by Amed Foster Wheeler Environment and Infrastructure and included in
Appendix F.
Options B1, C1, C2-b – Environmental impacts as a result of this downtown network solution would be relatively
minimal. While Option C1 would have a visual impact on the south downtown Quesnel area, the overall solution
maintains Highway 97 on a very similar alignment to how it exists today. Some incremental reductions to GHG
emissions and pollution could be achieved with this solution.
Economic Indicators Account
The benefit-cost ratio and net present value for both Option AR-1a and the downtown combined solution (Option
B1, C1 and C2-b) were calculated based the assumption that the existing Quesnel River Bridge and the Quesnel
Overhead must be replaced. The do-minimum cost to replace these bridges is the same as the conceptual
project cost estimate for Option B1-b.
Option AR-1a -The b/c ratio net of the do-minimum cost (Option B1-b) is a ratio of 1.38 under normal growth
conditions, and 1.65 under sensitivity growth conditions. This is equal to a positive net present value of $32.027M
under normal growth conditions or $54.711M under sensitivity growth conditions.
Options B1, C1, C2-b - The b/c ratio net of the do-minimum cost (Option B1-b) is a ratio of 0.15 under normal
growth conditions, and 0.27 under sensitivity growth conditions. This is equal to a negative net present value of
$(56.956M) under normal growth conditions or $(48.876M) under sensitivity growth conditions.
Review of Option AR-1a and Downtown Options (B1, C1, C2-B)
Overall, Option AR-1a provides great value, benefits and a b/c ratio that is justified as a positive economic project,
and which supports the objectives of the City of Quesnel, the MoTI, and community organizations. Option B1, C1,
and C2-b provides only a fraction of the value that Option AR-1a provides, but at a similar order of magnitude cost
and with a negative net present value.
Outcome for Option AR-1a:
Recommended for Implementation as a Short-Term Project.
Outcome for Downtown Solution - Options B1, C1 and C2-b
Not Recommended.
3.6.3.1 Option A2: Basalt Road and Gook Road Access Management (4-Lane)
Option A2 consists of upgrading Highway 97 from 2 lanes to 4 lanes of traffic with turn lanes at the intersections
of Basalt Road and Gook Road. Two design variants are explored at the Gook Road / Highway 97 intersection
including a left-turn in restricted intersection (Variant 1), and a full movement signalized intersection (Variant 2). A
protected ‘T’ intersection is proposed at the Basalt Road / Highway 97 intersection. The MAE for Option A2 is
summarized in Table 3.5.
Financial Account
The conceptual project cost estimate for Option A2 Variant 1 is $22,260,023 and the cost estimate for Option A2
Variant 2 is $22,298,285. An estimate breakdown for both design variants is provided in Appendix H. In
comparison to Option A1, this option requires more property to widen the existing 2-lane highway to a 4-lane
highway, and it requires offsetting the existing frontage roads further back from the existing highway shoulder.
Operation and maintenance costs would be expected to increase by an additional $828,500 over the 25 year
project lifecycle for both variants due to the wider paved right of way on Highway 97. The salvage value at the
end of the lifecycle for design variant 1 with turn restricted intersections is $1,473,630; and for design variant 2 is
$1,514,130.
Customer Service Account (Safety and Mobility Benefits)
Highway traffic safety would be improve under both design variants. Consistent among both design options, three
existing accesses to the frontage roads would be closed, which results in fewer turning movements on and off the
highway and safety benefits. The left-turn in restriction at Gook Road / Highway 97 would restrict all left turns and
cross highway turns from the side-streets onto Highway 97. Similarly, the protected ‘T’ restricted intersection at
Basalt Road / Highway 97 would restrict left turns into and out of the east leg of the intersection. The net safety
benefit with design variant 1 is estimated to be $2,155,000 over existing conditions.
Design variant 2 with a traffic signal proposed at Gook Road / Highway 97 would also observe a safety benefit,
albeit slightly less than variant 1 as no turning restrictions would be implemented, and because traffic signals
have a limited effectiveness of reducing collisions. The net safety benefit with design variant 2 is estimated to be
$1,391,600 over existing conditions. Further, the design of these intersections includes greater throat spacing
between the highway intersections and the frontage road intersections, which improves heavy vehicle turning
movements and prevents vehicle over-tracking into opposing lanes.
Highway mobility is expected to improve with both design variants. A2 with design variant 1 (turn restrictions) was
calculated to have a mobility benefit of $6,280,500 under normal growth. The mobility benefit for design variant 2
(signalization) is $2,226,500 under normal growth. Clearly, the traffic signal would incur some additional delay to
highway through volumes, which results in the lower mobility benefit compared to variant 1 with the restricted
intersection designs at Basalt Road and Gook Road.
Table 3.5: Option A2 MAE Evaluation
Variant 1
Left-in Only
Restriction' at Gook
Road / Highway 97
Variant 2
Signal at Gook
Road / Highway 97
Variant 1
Left-in Only
Restriction' at Gook
Road / Highway 97
Variant 2
Signal at Gook Road
/ Highway 97
FINANCIAL
$22,260,023 $22,298,285 $22,260,023 $22,298,285
828,473.16$ 828,473.16$ 828,473.16$ 828,473.16$
1,473,630.00$ 1,514,130.00$ 1,473,630.00$ 1,514,130.00$
21,614,866.16$ 21,612,628.16$ 21,614,866.16$ 21,612,628.16$
SAFETY BENEFITS
$12,711,256 $12,711,256 $13,610,964 $13,610,964$10,556,127 $11,319,622 $11,283,353 $12,065,175
2,155,129.00$ 1,391,634.00$ 2,327,611.00$ 1,545,789.00$
MOBILITY BENEFITS
21,166,000.00$ 21,166,000.00$ 21,931,000.00$ 21,931,000.00$ 16,199,000.00$ 19,790,000.00$ 17,110,000.00$ 21,002,000.00$
4,967,000.00$ 1,376,000.00$ 4,821,000.00$ 929,000.00$
7,062,546.19$ 7,062,546.19$ 7,462,048.01$ 7,462,048.01$ 5,749,000.00$ 6,212,000.00$ 6,048,000.00$ 6,575,000.00$
OPERATING COST BENEFIT 1,313,546.19$ 850,546.19$ 1,414,048.01$ 887,048.01$
6,280,546.19$ 2,226,546.19$ 6,235,048.01$ 1,816,048.01$
SOCIAL/COMMUNITY
Vehicle Connectivity
Pedestrian and Cyclist Connectivity
Consistency with Community Plan
ENVIRONMENTAL
Noise Impacts
Visual Impacts
Pollution Impacts
GHG EMISSIONS
EXISTING GHG (tonnes/yr) 990.61 990.61 1,063.89 1,063.89IMPROVED GHG (tonnes/yr) 806.12 870.70 861.30 936.36ANNUAL SAVINGS (tonnes/yr) 184.49 119.90 202.59 127.53
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Benefit Cost Ratio 0.39 0.17 0.40 0.16
Net Present Value (13,179,190.97)$ (17,994,447.97)$ (13,052,207.16)$ (18,250,791.16)$
Good
Fair
Poor
Sensitivity Analysis
1.5% Annual Traffic Growth
Option A2: 4-Lane Basalt Road to Gook MAE - 25 Year Benefit Cost
Analysis
TOTAL MOBILITY BENEFITS
Existing Safety CostsImproved SafetyCosts
TOTAL SAFETY BENEFITS
Existing Mobility CostsImproved Mobility CostsMOBILITY BENEFIT
Vehicle Operating Existing Costs
Project Cost
Vehicle Operating Improved Costs
MaintenanceSalvage Value (20%)TOTAL LIFE CYCLE COSTS
0.5% Annual Traffic Growth
Option A2: 4-Lane Basalt Road to Gook
Road
Social / Community Account
Variant 1 with the turn restricted intersections would result in reduced vehicle connectivity for traffic entering and
leaving some of the businesses and land uses adjacent to Highway 97. Further, variant 1 would provide
improved pedestrian and cycle connectivity on either side of Highway 97 as a result of the frontage and backage
road network improvements; however these users would not observe any changes with respect to crossing the
highway. The City has expressed concern that the turn restrictions at Gook Road / Highway 97 would make it
challenging for nearby businesses to access the highway.
Variant 2 would provide improved vehicle connectivity across the highway with the traffic signal at Gook Road.
This design variant would also result in improved pedestrian and cycle conditions with the addition of new
signalized crosswalks that would be provided in conjunction with a traffic signal at Gook Road / Highway 97 and
the associated frontage and backage road improvements. This design variant is supported by the City.
Environmental
Impacts to the environment are expected to be incrementally positive in general. No significant noise impact is
expected with variant 1; however, the traffic signal under variant 2 will lead to increased vehicle stopping and
starting noise on highway through movements. Pollution and GHG emissions are forecast to reduce on an
incremental level as vehicle fuel and operating costs are expected to reduce.
Economic Indicators
The benefit cost analysis of both design variants indicates that neither option has a b/c ratio greater than 1.0.
Design variant 1 has the highest b/c ratio of 0.39 and design variant 2 has a b/c ratio of 0.17 under normal growth
conditions. Further, the net present value of each design option is considerably negative despite the mobility and
safety benefits that are applied. The b/c ratio and net present value of the options would likely be much higher if
the traffic usage of the highway and side-streets was higher and if there was a history of more collisions than is
currently present and forecast over the project lifecycle.
Review of Option A2
Despite the low b/c ratio that this option provides, there is still good long-term value in providing a consistent
design to the Highway 97 corridor in the South Quesnel area. As such, we recommend reviewing the economic
feasibility of this project, and revisiting detailed access / intersection configurations in the future as a long-term
implementation project.
Outcome for Option A2:
Recommended for Implementation as a Long-Term Project.
3.6.4.1 Option B1(a&b): Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead Replacement
Option B1-b consists of replacement of the existing 2-lane wide Quesnel River Bridge and the Quesnel Overhead
bridges while maintaining Highway 97 on its existing alignment into downtown Quesnel. Option B1-a consists of
the same replacement, but with two 4-lane wide structures to match the laning and capacity of Highway 97 south
of the bridges. The MAE for Option B1(a&b) is summarized in Table 3.6. Option B1-a has also been assessed in
conjunction with Option C1 and C2-b as a downtown online Highway 97 improvement solution and is compared
with Option AR-1: North-South Interconnector. This comparison is provided with the MAE for Option AR-1.
Financial Account
The conceptual project cost estimate for Option B1-a is $99,667,206 to replace the existing 2-lane structures with
4-lane wide structures, as shown in the estimate breakdown provided in Appendix H. The conceptual project
cost estimate for Option B1-b, otherwise known as the do-minimum option, is $68,702,093 to replace the existing
2-lane structures with new 2-lane structures. Operation and maintenance costs would observe an increase over
the existing facility by approximately $1.2M to $2.3M to maintain the additional pavement surface and bridge deck
surface area. The salvage value of the new structures is estimated at $8.3M for Option B1-b and $12.4M for
Option B1-a.
Customer Service Account (Safety and Mobility Benefits)
The safety and mobility benefits for replacing the existing structures are relatively low in comparison to the project
costs. The safety benefits of the proposed improvements account for the wider 4-lane cross-section with Option
B1-a, wider shoulders and a wider median along the highway and bridge decks since there is no shoulder or
median on the existing structures. Under the normal 0.5% traffic growth scenario, the safety benefits amount to
$7.6M for Option B1-a and $7.2M for Option B1-b.
The mobility benefits were calculated for Option B1-a based on the additional lane capacity that the structures
would provide. The analysis was run in SimTraffic to calculate the travel time savings under both normal and
sensitivity growth scenarios. The normal growth scenario lead to a mobility benefit of $10.7M and the sensitivity
scenario lead to a benefit of $3.7M. No mobility benefits are anticipated for Option B1-b as this option does not
increase traffic capacity or mobility compared to the existing bridges.
Social / Community Account
Vehicle connectivity on the Highway would be maintained as this option does not provide any additional
connections to local and regional routes in comparison to the existing infrastructure. However, this criteria is
especially important as the Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead provide critical connectivity to the whole
BC interior region that is connected by Highway 97. Pedestrian and cyclist connectivity is improved as new
sidewalk and pathway facilities would be provided on the structures that would provide improved accessibility and
safety for these users to cross the Quesnel River. Further, this option is consistent with the existing OCP and
transportation network, though it is noted that it does not provide any new opportunities for changing the role and
function of local streets and land uses that connect with the highway in downtown Quesnel. The City supports the
replacement of the bridges, but prefers that this replacement occurs in support of Option AR-1a: North South
Interconnector.
Environmental
Impacts to the environment are generally neutral as this option is essentially a replacement of existing
infrastructure; thus, visual and noise impacts are considered minimal. Pollution and GHG emissions are forecast
to reduce as a result of the additional laning capacity that reduces vehicle fuel consumption over the 25-year
project lifecycle.
Table 3.6: Option B1(a&b) MAE
Option B1-a Option B1-b Option B1-a Option B1-b
4-Lane Quesnel River
Bridge and Overhead
Replacement
2-Lane Quesnel River
Bridge and Overhead
Replacement
4-Lane Quesnel River
Bridge and Overhead
Replacement
2-Lane Quesnel River
Bridge and Overhead
Replacement
FINANCIAL
99,667,208$ 68,702,093$ 99,667,208$ 68,702,093$
2,335,439$ 1,232,680$ 2,335,439$ 1,232,680$
12,474,200$ 8,277,920$ 12,474,200$ 8,277,920$
89,528,446.72$ 61,656,852.83$ 89,528,446.72$ 61,656,852.83$
SAFETY BENEFITS
$18,094,438 $18,094,438 $19,155,768 $19,155,768$10,430,108 $10,899,072 $11,010,681 $11,538,383
7,664,330.00$ 7,195,366.00$ 8,145,087.00$ 7,617,385.00$
MOBILITY BENEFITS
23,254,000.00$ 23,254,000.00$ 25,668,000.00$ 25,668,000.00$ 13,851,000.00$ 23,254,000.00$ 22,947,000.00$ 25,668,000.00$
9,403,000.00$ -$ 2,721,000.00$ -$
4,629,439.65$ 4,629,439.65$ 4,764,423.46$ 4,764,423.46$ 3,323,000.00$ 4,629,439.65$ 4,308,000.00$ 4,764,423.46$
OPERATING COST BENEFIT 1,306,439.65$ -$ 456,423.46$ -$
10,709,439.65$ -$ 3,177,423.46$ -$
SOCIAL/COMMUNITY
Vehicle Connectivity
Pedestrian and Cyclist Connectivity
Consistency with Community Plan
ENVIRONMENTAL
Noise Impacts
Visual Impacts
Pollution Impacts
GHG EMISSIONS
EXISTING GHG (tonnes/yr) 650.13 650.13 682.96 682.96IMPROVED GHG (tonnes/yr) 469.88 650.13 619.91 682.96ANNUAL SAVINGS (tonnes/yr) 180.25$ -$ 63.05$ -$ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
0.21 0.12 0.13 0.12
(71,154,677.07)$ (54,461,486.83)$ (78,205,936.26)$ (54,039,467.83)$
Vehicle Operating Existing Costs
Project Cost
Vehicle Operating Improved Costs
MaintenanceSalvage ValueTOTAL LIFE CYCLE COSTS
NET PRESENT VALUE
BENEFIT COST RATIO
Sensitivity Analysis - 1.5% Annual Traffic Growth
0.5% Annual Traffic Growth
MAE - 25 Year Benefit Cost Analysis
TOTAL MOBILITY BENEFITS
Existing Safety CostsImproved SafetyCosts
TOTAL SAFETY BENEFITS
Existing Mobility CostsImproved Mobility CostsMOBILITY BENEFIT
Economic Indicators
Option B1-a with a b/c ratio of 0.21 and Option B1-b with a b/c ratio of 0.12 under normal growth conditions
suggests that these options are not economically feasible. However, it should be considered that this option is
essentially a long-term asset management cost as the existing Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead
provide immense economic value and support to multiple communities located throughout the BC Interior region,
stretching from Cache Creek up to Prince George. The cost of losing this vital economic link would be
significantly greater than the cost to replace both structures.
Review of Option B1(a&b)
Overall, Option B1(a&b) provides a straightforward approach to addressing the largest challenge with Highway 97
in Quesnel, which is the required replacement of the Quesnel River Bridge and Quesnel Overhead. The poor B/C
ratio may be hard to justify this option given that Option AR-1a North South Interconnector is able to retain a
much higher B/C ratio in comparison and can address many other challenges including highway safety on Front
Street, increased travel time savings, and improved connectivity. If Option AR-1a becomes unfeasible to
construct upon further highway planning and preliminary design, this option should move forward as the preferred
alternative.
Outcome for Option B1:
Not Recommended. However, Option B1 may be considered the preferred alternative to Option AR-1a if it is
found through further study that the North-South Interconnector is unfeasible for construction.
3.6.5.1 Option D1: Frontage and Backage Road Network
Option D1 consist of developing a network of frontage and backage roads that parallels Highway 97 through
adjacent local land uses and available public right-of-way to reduce the number of private driveways and
accesses on Highway 97. This option involves significant land impacts and constraints with existing business
operations. This option is intended to be a long term plan for further discussion. Option D1 is assessed in the
MAE as summarized in Table 3.7 in a more qualitative layout due to limited traffic count information to quantify
mobility and safety benefits.
Financial Account
The conceptual project cost estimate for this option is $34,302,369 and an estimate breakdown is provided in
Appendix H. Operating and maintenance costs would increase due to the increased length and paved surface
area of new roads and supporting
infrastructure.
Customer Service Account (Safety and
Mobility Benefits)
Highway traffic safety would improve by
removing many of the private driveways and
accesses, and consequently the turning
movements on and off the highway that are
currently permitted. Further, local traffic
would be directed to access the highway at
controlled access points that would also
result in improved local traffic safety. It
should be noted that collision rates are
relatively low along this segment of Highway
97 and the safety benefits may not outweigh
the cost of providing this local road network
system until traffic volumes and collision
rates increase. Pedestrian and cyclist safety
would improve considerably as these users
would be able to use the local frontage and
backage road network instead of using the
shoulder of Highway 97.
Highway and local traffic mobility would be
expected to improve. With fewer turning
movements onto and off the highway,
through traffic would observe fewer delays
and local traffic would be able to make
greater use of the dedicated left turn and right turn bays that are provided at the major intersections of Rome
Avenue, Pinecrest Avenue, Quesnel-Hixon Road and Highway 26.
Social / Community Account
Similar to the customer service account, vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist connectivity would also observe
improvements as these modes can only currently rely on Highway 97 as the main transportation route. Providing
Table 3.7: Option D1 MAE
ACCOUNT Two Mile Flat
Frontage and Backage Road Network
FINANCIAL Option D1
Project Cost $ 34,302,369.00
Operating & Maintenance Cost
SAFETY BENEFITS
Safety (highway and local traffic)
Safety (pedestrians / cyclists)
MOBILITY BENEFITS
Mobility (highway)
Mobility (local traffic)
Vehicle Operating Costs
SOCIAL/COMMUNITY
Vehicle Connectivity
Pedestrian and Cyclist Connectivity
Consistency with Community Plan
ENVIRONMENTAL
Noise Impacts
Visual Impacts
Pollution / GHG Emission Impacts
Good FairPoor
a frontage and backage road network would provide more options to these users for easier access to residences,
businesses and industry in the Two Mile Flat area.
The City has reviewed this option and feels that the network of frontage and backage roads is theoretical and
difficult to implement due to the existing amount of developed land use along the corridor. However, the City
supports MoTI’s plan for Option D1 where it is feasible to construct frontage / backage roads.
Environmental
Noise and visual impacts to the environment in the community would be the most noticeable since much of the
local traffic which currently accesses businesses from the highway would be re-directed to the new frontage and
backage road network where other businesses and residents may not be accustomed to. Pollution and GHG
emissions may or may not reduce for two reasons. First, removing the accesses and associated traffic from the
highway would reduce through traffic delay and result in improved emissions. However, local traffic may have to
take a longer route on the frontage and backage road network to access the highway, which would increase
emissions.
Review of Option D1
This option offers a long-term solution for access management on Highway 97 between Spears Road and
Highway 26. However, this option comes at a significant cost and with the typical challenges that are involved in
planning, designing and building new roads around existing developed land uses. This option could be
implemented in phases over time and as development occurs. This option would require the direct input and
collaboration with City staff and Council.
Option D2 provides an alternative solution that involves reconfiguring the existing highway design to better
support access to adjacent land uses. While Option D2 would be considered easier to implement due to fewer
property acquisitions, constraints and technical challenges, its review in the MAE indicates that such a solution
would come at the cost of highway traffic mobility.
3.6.5.2 Option D2: Reconfiguration to Urban 3-Lane Design
Option D2 consists of reconfiguring the existing rural arterial undivided 4-lane segment of Highway 97 between
Spears Road to Highway 26 into an urban arterial undivided 3-lane segment with turn lanes at intersections and
major accesses. While Option D1 provides a long-term, yet challenging, solution to address access issues along
the corridor, Option D2 provides a solution to address these access issues by considering that the existing high-
speed rural 4-lane highway may not be the best facility to support safe access to the adjacent land use that is
becoming more urbanized. The design of Option D2 includes 1 lane in each direction with a centre two-way left
turn lane and/or back-to-back left turn lanes, shoulders, curb and gutter, and a multi-use pathway that is
separated by a boulevard. The MAE for Option D2 is summarized in Table 3.8.
Financial Account
The conceptual project cost estimate for this option is $24,710,466 and an estimate breakdown is provided in
Appendix H. Operating and maintenance costs would decrease since the paved surface width of asphalt area of
the travel lanes and the multi-use pathway is approximately 4 metres less than the existing paved width of the
Outcome for Option D1:
Recommend for further study and consultation jointly with Option D2.
rural 4-lane highway over a distance of 3.5 kilometres. The salvage value at the end of the project’s 25-year
lifecycle is $2,750,980.
Table 3.8: Option D2 MAE
0.5% Annual Traffic
Growth
Sensitivity Analysis - 1.5%
Annual Traffic Growth
FINANCIAL
$24,710,466 $24,710,466
(353,617)$ (353,617)$
2,750,980$ 2,750,980$
21,605,869.41$ 21,605,869.41$
SAFETY BENEFITS
$19,301,171 $20,374,781$12,938,041 $13,420,331
6,363,130.00$ 6,954,450.00$
MOBILITY BENEFITS
66,881,000.00$ 69,832,000.00$ 77,951,000.00$ 86,555,000.00$ (11,070,000.00)$ (16,723,000.00)$
18,238,671.12$ 19,766,525.40$ 26,945,000.00$ 26,768,000.00$
OPERATING COST BENEFIT (8,706,328.88)$ (7,001,474.60)$
(19,776,328.88)$ (23,724,474.60)$
SOCIAL/COMMUNITY
Vehicle Connectivity
Pedestrian and Cyclist Connectivity
Consistency with Community Plan
ENVIRONMENTAL
Noise Impacts
Visual Impacts
Pollution Impacts
GHG EMISSIONS
EXISTING GHG (tonnes/yr) 2,567.28 2,814.30IMPROVED GHG (tonnes/yr) 3,808.04 3,905.62ANNUAL SAVINGS (tonnes/yr) (1,240.77)$ (1,091.32)$ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Benefit Cost Ratio -0.62 -0.78
Net Present Value (35,019,068.29)$ (38,375,894.01)$
Good
Fair
Poor
Option D2: 3-Lane Highway 97 With Multi-Use Path
and Sidewalks
MAE - 25 Year Benefit Cost Analysis
TOTAL MOBILITY BENEFITS
Existing Safety CostsImproved SafetyCosts
TOTAL SAFETY BENEFITS
Existing Mobility CostsImproved Mobility CostsMOBILITY BENEFIT
Vehicle Operating Existing Costs
Project Cost
Vehicle Operating Improved Costs
MaintenanceSalvage Value (20%)TOTAL LIFE CYCLE COSTS
Customer Service Account (Safety and Mobility Benefits)
Highway safety improves with this option with a safety benefit of $6,363,130 under the normal growth scenario
and $6,954,450 under the sensitivity growth scenario. These safety benefits are obtained by converting the
corridor into an urban 3-lane segment, which is characterized with having lower travel speeds compared to a 4-
lane rural highway. Thus, collision severity is reduced, which leads to lower collision costs and improved safety
on this segment.
While highway safety improves, highway mobility reduces as a result of the reduction in through travel lanes,
reduced vehicle speeds, and the elimination of passing opportunities. The mobility benefits under the normal
growth scenario are negative $(19,776,328), and under the sensitivity growth scenario are negative
$(23,724,474). The SimTraffic analysis that was used to calculate the mobility benefits assumed that the vehicles
speed limit would reduce from the existing 70 km/h posted limit to 60 km/h limit with the 3-lane cross-section.
However, it should be noted that the performance of the turning movements at key intersections in a 3-lane
design, including Rome Avenue, Pinecrest Road, Quesnel-Hixon Road and Highway 26, performs above MoTI
thresholds for acceptable traffic performance.
Social / Community Account
The 3-lane urban design option rates good for all three criteria for a few reasons. First, vehicle connectivity is
supported with this option by the provision of additional dedicated deceleration and acceleration lanes for left and
right turns at key intersections, and at major access points to adjacent industry and businesses. Pedestrian and
cyclist connectivity is improved by providing a multi-use pathway that provides a direct connection in parallel to
Highway 97 to support access between origin and destination points in downtown Quesnel and in the Two Mile
Flat area. Lastly, the multi-use pathway and urban design supports the City of Quesnel’s vision for a pedestrian
and cycle connection into Two Mile Flat as it is defined in the City’s Active Transportation Plan (2016) and in its
OCP.
Environmental
Environmental impacts as a result of the 3-lane design are mixed. In terms of noise and visual impacts, the
project would provide an improvement to these conditions as the urban design would provide an improved visual
aesthetic along the corridor while vehicle noise would reduce with a lower speed limit and fewer travel lanes for
vehicles to pass. However, this option would result in an increase to GHG emissions and pollution as vehicle fuel
use would observe an increase due to the lower travel speeds and moderate increase in vehicle travel times with
this option.
Economic Indicators
The benefit cost analysis of this option is -0.62 under the normal growth scenario, and -0.78 under the sensitivity
scenario. This significantly negative b/c ratio and net present value is mainly an outcome of the poor mobility
benefits that would be observed. However, this overall quantitative result should not completely distract from the
mostly positive, yet more qualitative benefits that this option could have for the local community and for safety on
the corridor.
Review of Option D2
This option can offer a relatively easy solution to address access management issues on Highway 97 and
improve highway safety and local community uses; albeit at a significant cost to vehicle mobility and economic
development. The sensitivity analysis confirms that growing traffic volumes will further reduce the cost
effectiveness of this option as a potential solution. Further, converting this section of Highway 97 to 3 lanes is
inconsistent with the recommended 4-lane improvements identified in Option A2 for South Quesnel, or with
Option AR-1a for the North-South Interconnector. In comparison, Option D1 would maintain 4 lanes for vehicle
mobility and address the need for improved pedestrian and cycle conditions by moving these users onto a
frontage / backage road network. Further study and consultation of Option D1 and Option D2 is recommended.
Recommendation for Option D2:
Recommend for further study and consultation jointly with Option D1.
Further to the guiding principles evaluation of all the options developed, and further to the multiple account
evaluation of advanced options, Table 3.9 summarizes the recommended options to be included in the
implementation plan. Options that were screened-out after each evaluation do not advance into the
implementation plan. The recommended options were reviewed with the project team`s input and a phasing
strategy has been developed as described in the next section of this report.
Table 3.9 Summary of Recommended Options and Phasing for the Implementation Plan
Project Phasing Option Name
Short Term
Projects
0 - 5 Years
Option A4: Signal Optimization of Maple Drive and Cedar Avenue Intersections
Option A5: Racing Rd. and Quesnel-Hydraulic Rd. Access Management
Option C2-b: Front Street 3-Lane Reconfiguration
Option C3: Relocate Traffic Signal from Reid St. to McLean St.
Option AR-1a: North-South Interconnector (4-Lane)
Medium to
Long-Term
Projects
6 - 25 Years
Option A2: Basalt Rd. and Gook Rd. Access Management (4-lane)
Option A3: Juniper Road and Jade Road Network Improvements
Option D1: Two Mile Flat Frontage and Backage Road Network
Option D2: Two Mile Flat Highway 97 Reconfiguration to Urban 3-Lane Design
Five improvement options have been advanced as short-term projects for implementation as part of the Highway
97 Quesnel Transportation Plan. A summary of each project including the conceptual planning level cost
estimate is provided in Table 3.10. Options A4, A5, C2-b and C3 address priority issues on the existing highway
alignment to improve road safety, access and mobility issues. These improvements are supported by the City of
Quesnel and the community for implementation over 2018 to 2019.
Option AR-1a is recommended as a short-term project as it is critical that further planning, site investigations,
preliminary and detailed design be completed within the next five years. These next steps, as described in
Section 3.10 of this report, are required to enable construction of the new alignment and Quesnel River Bridge
and Overhead replacement to be completed before the existing bridges reach their end-of-life. If Option AR-1
cannot proceed under this short-term timeline, the existing bridges will require significant rehabilitation in the 5-10
year timeframe (2022 – 2027) that could result in significant closures that would impact local and provincial trade,
goods movement and regional mobility. This improvement is supported by the City of Quesnel and the
community at large, as documented in Section 3.9 of this report.
Table 3.10: Summary of Short Term Implementation Projects (0 to 5 Years)
Option & Location Needs Description Improvement Class ‘D’
Conceptual Cost Estimate
Option A4
Highway 97 / Cedar
Avenue and Highway
97 / Maple Drive
• Above average collision rates
• Increase in pedestrian traffic in
area due to relocation of students
to Maple Drive Middle School
• Signal timing optimization
Ongoing Traffic
Operation
Maintenance
Option A5
Highway 97 / Racing
Road, Highway 97 /
Quesnel-Hydraulic
Road and connecting
Segment
• High collision severity and collision
rates;
• Sub-standard existing access
design.
• Access management and traffic
control improvements at both
intersections.
Cost being
Refined in
Preliminary
Design
Option C2-b
Front Street (Highway
97) from Carson
Avenue to Sutherland
Avenue.
• High collision frequency
intersections;
• Pedestrian safety challenges;
• Inefficient laning configuration for
turning movements;
• Reconfigure Front Street to 1 lane
each direction and a centre turn
lane;
• Pedestrian crossing
improvements.
Cost being
Refined in
Preliminary
Design
Option C3
Carson Avenue
(Highway 97) / Reid
Street and Carson
Avenue / McLean
Street
• Traffic capacity and network
mobility needs at McLean Street /
Carson Avenue;
• Inefficient use of traffic signal at
Reid Street / Carson Avenue;
• Remove traffic signal from Reid
Street / Carson Avenue;
• Install new traffic signal at McLean
Street / Carson Avenue
$488,144
Option AR-1a
Highway 97 from
Nadeau Street east of
Quesnel River to
Sutherland Avenue
northwest of
downtown Quesnel
• Required replacement of Quesnel
River Bridge and Quesnel
Overhead;
• High collision rates on highway
segment;
• Highway safety issues and traffic
congestion in downtown Quesnel;
• Heavy truck and dangerous goods
movement safety and pollution
concerns in downtown Quesnel
• Replacement of Quesnel River
Bridge and Quesnel Overhead on
new 4-lane highway alignment;
• Re-align Highway 97 north of
Quesnel downtown up to
Sutherland Avenue;
• Improve highway safety & design;
• Improve mobility and reduce travel
time by 50% through downtown
Quesnel;
• Remove most heavy vehicles and
dangerous goods from travel
through downtown Quesnel;
• Provide a Long-term solution for
Highway 97.
$162,959,887
Four improvement options have been advanced as medium to long-term projects for implementation as part of the
Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan. A summary of each project including the conceptual planning level
cost estimate is provided in Table 3.11.
Options A2 and A3 form a long-term access management solution for Highway 97 in the South Quesnel
commercial area between Basalt Road and Juniper Road and is support by the City of Quesnel and the
community. Options D1 and D2 each provide a possible solution for addressing the needs identified on the
segment of Highway 97 that runs through the Two Mile Flat area between Sutherland Avenue and Highway 26.
Both Option D1 and D2 should be studied further in consultation with the City of Quesnel to determine if either
one option or a combination of both frontage network and online improvements can provide a feasible and
practical solution to address the access management issues identified on this segment.
Table 3.11: Summary of Medium to Long-Term Implementation Projects (6 to 25 Years)
Option & Location Needs Description Improvement Class ‘D’
Conceptual Cost Estimate
Option A2
Highway 97 from
Basalt Road to South
of Maple Drive and
intersections at Basalt
Road and Gook Road
• Segment is 2 lanes wide and
highway segments both north and
south are 4 lanes wide;
• Driver expectancy and behaviour
challenged by changing highway
design;
• Side-street accesses are sub-
standard;
• Challenging turning movements
into and out of side-streets for
heavy trucks and vehicles with
trailers;
• Widen highway to 4 lanes for
consistent design with adjacent
segments;
• Realign frontage roads to improve
turning movements at intersections
and to accommodate wider
highway cross-section;
• Improve traffic control at Highway
97 / Basalt Road and Highway 97 /
Gook Road
o Variant 1 – Left-In Restriction at
Gook Rd / Highway 97
o Variant 2 – Traffic Signal at
Gook Rd / Highway 97
$22,260,023
(Variant 1)
$22,298,285
(Variant 2)
Option A3
Juniper Road and
Jade frontage and
interface with Highway
97
• Side-street accesses are sub-
standard at Juniper Road /
Highway 97, Juniper Road / Cedar
Avenue, and Jade Road / Cedar
Avenue
• High collision frequency at Cedar
Avenue / Highway 97 intersection;
• Challenging turning movements
into and out of side-streets for
• Close Juniper Road / Highway 97
access;
• Close north leg of Juniper Road at
Cedar Avenue intersection and
realign Juniper Road further east to
a new intersection with Cedar
Avenue;
• Close north leg of Jade Road /
Cedar Avenue intersection (traffic
redistributed on existing network)
$1,726,837
Option & Location Needs Description Improvement Class ‘D’
Conceptual Cost Estimate
heavy trucks and vehicles with
trailers.
Option D1
Highway 97 from
Sutherland Avenue to
Highway 26 • There are numerous private
driveways with direct access onto
Highway 97;
• Challenging turning movements
for heavy vehicles using some
accesses and the intersection of
Brownmiller Road / Highway 97;
• Develop a frontage and backage
road network and relocate
accesses to these local roads;
• Access management solutions
including closing and consolidating
accesses;
• Controlled access to Highway 97;
$34,302,369
Further Study
Recommended
Option D2
Highway 97 from
Sutherland Avenue to
Highway 26
• Reconfigure Highway 97 to an
urban street design with dedicated
turn lanes for accesses to major
driveways and intersections;
• Reduce from 4 lanes of traffic to 2
lanes of traffic with a centre turn
lane to accommodate right turn
lanes and a multi-use pathway
$24,710,466
Further Study
Recommended
As with any improvement project that the MoTI undertakes, there are typically risks associated related to design,
constructability, cost and many other elements. Further, it is important to identify potential risks as they can
impact the overall cost, schedule and feasibility of the recommended improvement options. A planning level
assessment of potential risks by study segment is provided in Table 3.12. Many of the risks identified apply to
Option AR-1a; thus, it is recommended that the MoTI undertake a complete risk register for Option AR-1a.
Table 3.12: Planning-Level Summary of Potential Project Risks for Option AR-1a
No. Risk Name Risk Description Applicable to
Options:
Engineering (Design)
ED1 Design Standards Design of structures and approaches must meet Transport Canada
railway requirements. • Option AR-1a
ED2 Design Standards Type of bridge (pier vs. clear span) to be determined upon further
design and First Nation consultation. • Option AR-1a
ED3 Estimated
Quantities
Retaining walls are included in conceptual design quantities and cost
estimate; however, there is a risk additional retaining wall structures
may be required upon further design.
• Option AR-1a
Geotechnical
G1
Technical
Geotechnical
Conditions
There are known slope geotechnical issues that require further site
investigations to confirm feasibility of construction, as documented in
Appendix F.
• Option AR-1a
G2
Site
Contamination
Investigation
There are many contaminated sites in the Two Mile Flat area,
including the Super Save Gast Station at the northeast corner of
Sutherland Avenue / Highway 97, that are known contaminated sites.
• Option AR-1a
• Option D1
G3
Site
Contamination
Remediation
There are many contaminated sites in the Two Mile Flat area including
the Super Save Gast Station at the northeast corner of Sutherland
Avenue / Highway 97, that are suspected sources of ground
contaminants that requires remediation.
• Option AR-1a
• Option D1
G4 Geotechnical
Investigations
Archaeological investigations will need to occur concurrently with the
geotechnical investigations. • Option AR-1a
Environmental
EN1 Environmental
Assessment
In-river and land wildlife species are present and require further
environmental assessment to confirm impacts and mitigation
measures.
• Option AR-1a
• Option D1
EN2 Environmental
Work Window
Environmental work windows likely to be required around fish
migration and spawning periods. • Option AR-1a
Archaeology
AR1 Archaeology Finds
During Design
Risk that archaeological finds are discovered during planning and
design phases of the project sites including First Nations artefacts and
Railway artefacts.
• Option AR-1a
• Option D1
AR2
Archaeology Finds
During
Construction
Risk that archaeological finds are discovered during construction
phase of the project including First Nations artefacts and Railway
artefacts.
• Option AR-1a
• Option D1
AR3 Geotechnical
Investigations
Archaeological investigations will need to occur concurrently with the
geotechnical investigations. • Option AR-1a
No. Risk Name Risk Description Applicable to
Options:
Properties
P1 Property
Acquisition
Loss of business to existing in-home businesses located along route
alignment. • Option AR-1a
P2 Property
Acquisition
Loss of commercially owned property located along frontage / backage
road alignment. • Option D1
P2 Property
Acquisition
Closure of the gas station at Sutherland Ave / Highway 97 could result
in expropriation. • Option AR-1a
P3 Project Delays Closure of the Super Save Gas Station at Sutherland Avenue /
Highway 97 could have potential impacts to project schedule. • Option AR-1a
P4 Property
Acquisition
Municipally owned greenspace and property at the west end of
existing Quesnel Overhead including existing monument / memorials
could require replacement value.
• Option AR-1a
P5 Property
Acquisition
Small amount of property acquisition from St. Ann’s Catholic School
property is requires that could require replacement value. • Option AR-1a
Construction (Access, Traffic Management, Weather)
C1 Access
Management
Project requires access changes to St. Ann’s Catholic school and
church both temporarily during construction and permanently as part of
the design.
• Option AR-1a
C2 Railway Traffic
Management
Working around railroads requires full-time flaggers and engineers for
railway operation safety.
• Option AR-1a
• Option D1
C3 Traffic
Management Construction on busy provincial highway route; • All Options
C4 Drainage Uncertainty regarding impacts to drainage along existing or proposed
highway alignment.
• Option AR-1a
• Option A2
• Option D1
C5 Weather Seasonal weather windows create shorter construction season. (Eg.
Late Spring thaw, early snow, summer thunderstorms) • All Options
First Nations
FN1 FN Consultation FN consultation inadequate to meet needs of FN groups. • Option AR-1a
FN2 Accommodation
Agreements
Accommodation Agreements take longer than anticipated to negotiate,
resulting in schedule delays. • Option AR-1a
FN3 Spiritual / Cultural
Monitors Project may require spiritual and / or cultural monitors.
• Option AR-1a
• Option A2
• Option D1
FN4 Increased
Expectations FNs have increased expectations based on other project precedents. • All Options
No. Risk Name Risk Description Applicable to
Options:
Third Parties (Municipalities, Utilities)
TP1 City of Quesnel Require property west of the existing Quesnel Overhead in area
designated as park. • Option AR-1a
TP2 Utility Relocations BC Hydro Distribution, Gas, Telus / Shaw require advanced
notification to relocate.
• Option AR-1a
• Option A2
• Option D1
Funding and Timing
FT1 Project Delays due
to Funding
Substantial rehabilitation of Quesnel Overhead and rehabilitation of
Quesnel River Bridge occurs to maintain service extending life without
addressing existing highway safety, traffic congestion and heavy truck
issues on the structure.
• Option AR-1a
FT2 Project Delays due
to Funding
Significant challenges for rehabilitation of Quesnel Overhead due to
the type of structure and the presence of an active railway.
Rehabilitation would require, at minimum, single-lane alternating
traffic.
• Option AR-1a
The development of the Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan involved significant consultation with the
community of Quesnel including municipal staff, elected officials, First Nations, community stakeholders and the
public. Over the course of the Phase II planning study, there were:
4 x meetings with technical representatives from the City of Quesnel and the Cariboo Regional District
3 x meetings with Elected Officials and Lhtako Dené First Nation
2 x Public Open Houses
1 x meeting with Stakeholder Organizations
Meetings with Individual Property Owners
The involvement of these various groups and communities in the planning study and the feedback and input
received is described as follows.
A group of technical representatives from the City of Quesnel and the Cariboo Regional District was formed to
provide direct input and feedback to the project team on the technical analysis and findings as the study
proceeded through the key tasks. Specifically, the MoTI project team and their consultant met with these
technical representatives on the following dates to discuss and provide input regarding the following topics of the
planning study:
Meeting Date Meeting Topics / Purpose
January 19th, 2017 Phase II Kick-Off Meeting
Future Economic and Traffic Forecasts
April 19th, 2017 Discuss Municipally Planned Improvements relevant to Highway 97
June 20th, 2017 Review Public Open House #1 Findings
Discuss Potential Improvement Options
September 19th, 2017 Review Options Developed and Incorporate technical representative input
Discuss Evaluation and Screening-Out of Options
In addition, the project team and their consultant met with the technical representative in advance of both public
open houses to provide a brief update on the study and to confirm the messaging and intent for both engagement
sessions.
The MoTI project team and their consultant met with elected officials three times throughout the study to provide
an update on the study’s progress and to gather input and feedback on the development of the Highway 97
Quesnel Transportation Plan. These elected officials included Mayor and Council from the City of Quesnel, and
the Directors from the Cariboo Regional District. Specifically, these meetings occurred on the following dates to
discuss the following topics:
Meeting Date Meeting Topics / Purpose
January 19th, 2017 Phase II Kick-Off Meeting
Present Future Economic and Traffic Forecasts
September 19th, 2017 Present Options Developed and Seek Input
March 28th, 2018 Present the Final Draft Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan
Further, the MoTI project team met with Lhtako Dené First Nation three times throughout the study to provide an
update on the study’s progress and to gather input and feedback on the Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation
Plan.
The MoTI project team and their consultant met with various local stakeholders individually throughout the study
to brief them on the purpose and direction of the Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan, and to gather their
input on the key transportation issues that their respective organizations have observed along Highway 97. Their
input was incorporated into the problem definition statement to inform the options developed and the solutions
recommended from this plan. Specifically, the MoTI project team and their consultant met with the following
stakeholders:
Staff from Ministry of Forests, Lands Natural Resources, Operations and Rural Development
Director and Staff from the G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital
Economic Development Officer of the City of Quesnel
Staff from BC Ambulance
To understand the needs, issues, concerns, and opportunities of Highway 97 in Quesnel, community and
stakeholder feedback was essential. To collect this information, the MoTI invited the public to participate in Public
Open House #1 on April 3rd, 2017 and provide their input by completing a feedback form at the open house,
through an online survey, and by submitting feedback by email. The public open house was held at the Quesnel
Senior’s Centre on Carson Avenue from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. In total, 81 residents and community members
attended the public open house and 123 survey responses were completed. The full results and findings of
Public Open House #1 are documented in the Community Engagement Summary Report – June 2017, provided
in Appendix M.
On February 7th, 2018 and February 19th, 2018, the MoTI invited the public to participate in the study’s second
Public Open House held over these two days. Community members were invited to provide their input on the
conceptual improvement options that were developed to address the existing and future transportation issues
identified in Phase 1 of the study. Participants were asked to provide their input on the options developed by
completing a feedback form survey that was available in hard copy and web-based formats, and by submitting
any additional feedback by email to the project team. The public open house was held at the Quesnel Senior’s
Centre on Carson Avenue from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM both days. In total, 903 residents and community members
attended the public open house and 843 survey responses were completed. The full results and findings of
Public Open House #2 are documented in the Community Engagement Summary Report – February 2018,
provided in Appendix N.
Key Findings
Participants were asked to rank the priority of the potential improvement options on a scale from 1 to 6, with 1
being the most important and 6 being the least important. The ranking results for each distinct option are shown in
Figure 3.8 The highest ranked option was Option AR-1 – North-South Interconnector with 81% of responses
ranking it number 1. The lowest ranked option was Option D-2 - Highway Realignment onto Legion Drive with
34% of responses ranking it number 6.
Figure 3.8: Ranked Priority of Improvement Options
Further, participants were asked to choose one of the two options if given a choice:
Option B1 - Quesnel River Bridge and Overhead Replacement and Option C1 - Highway 97 Realignment
onto Legion Drive; or
Option AR-1 North-South Interconnector (includes Quesnel River bridge and Quesnel Overhead
replacement on new alignment)
The results of the survey are shown in Figure 3.9. Out of the total 784 responses to this question, a large majority
of participants (84%) selected Option AR-1 North-South Interconnector over Option B1 and Option C1 (16%).
Figure 3.9: Results of Option Comparison
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
OPTION D-2: TWO MILE FLAT HIGHWAY URBANIZATION
OPTION C-1 - HIGHWAY REALIGNMENT ONTO LEGION DRIVE
OPTION D1 - TWO MILE FLAT LONG TERM ACCESS STRATEGY
OPTIONS A-2 AND A-3: SOUTH QUESNEL ACCESS MANAGEMENT
OPTION B-1 - QUESNEL RIVER BRIDGE & OVERHEAD REPLACEMENT
OPTION AR-1 – NORTH-SOUTH INTERCONNECTOR
Percent of Participants
1 2 3 4 5 6
16%
84%
Option B1 and Option C1
Option AR-1 North-SouthInterconnector
The development of the Highway 97 Quesnel Transportation Plan has involved extensive collaboration and
consultation with organizations and members representing the community of Quesnel. The options identified for
short-term implementation are recommended for further planning and engineering design as the timeline and the
MoTI’s priorities permit.
Of the four options identified in the short-term implementation strategy, three of these options including Option A5
(Racing Road and Quesnel-Hydraulic Road Access Management), Option C2-b (Front Street 3-Laning
Reconfiguration) and Option C3 (Relocate Traffic Signal from Reid Street to McLean Street) are being advanced
into preliminary design, engineering and construction over 2018 and 2019 for immediate implementation.
Option AR-1a (North-South Interconnector) is also recommended to be advanced as a short-term project.
Several next steps are required to advance this project into the design process. Further, the timeline for this
project is constrained by the known ageing and lifespan issues of the existing Quesnel Overhead and Quesnel
River Bridges.
Letters of support from multiple levels of government, industry and community organizations for the short-term
projects including Option AR-1a North-South Interconnector are provided in Appendix O.
The conceptual design developed for the North-South Interconnector and its priority as a short-term project has
outlined the need for further site investigations, fieldwork, and design work required for this project. The next
steps as this project advances to preliminary design should include:
Conduct a project risk register assessment of the North-South Interconnector;
Undertake geotechnical and archaeological site investigations and reporting;
Undertake utility locates and field ties and involve utility owners in the design process to ensure
requirements are incorporated and delays are minimized;
Undertake a value analysis exercise to meet Ministry requirements and help to refine the design;
Advance the design through the next phases and incorporate responses from all stakeholders;
Continue engagement with local governments, Lhtako Dené, key stakeholders and the general public.
The following next steps are recommended for the conceptual design improvements identified for access
management in the South Quesnel area as a long-term solution:
Work collaboratively with staff from the City of Quesnel and the Cariboo Regional District to refine the
access management plan so that it integrates cohesively with the local road network system, existing land
use and potential future development;
Support the City and the Regional District to incorporate the access management improvements into
appropriate local government documents, such as the City of Quesnel’s OCP Road Network Plan, the
Cariboo Regional District’s Quesnel Fringe Area OCP or the Quesnel Active Transportation Plan);
Conduct a risk assessment of the South Quesnel Access Management Plan.
The following next steps are recommended for the conceptual design improvements identified for access
management in the Two Mile Flat area as a long-term solution:
Work collaboratively with staff from the City of Quesnel to refine the access management plan so that it
integrates cohesively with the local road network system, existing land use and potential future
development;
Support the City to incorporate the access management improvements into appropriate local government
documents (such as the Quesnel OCP Road Network Plan and/or the Quesnel Active Transportation Plan);
Conduct a risk assessment of the Two Mile Flat Access Management Plan.