Toronto: Gardiner Expressway Study

Paramics 2009 UGM: NewarkOctober 5, 2009

Project Introduction

• Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway– Elevated freeway through downtown Toronto

• Lower Don Lands– Former industrial land redeveloped into

residential and commercial uses• Gardiner is seen as a barrier to the

redeveloped LDL– Investigate solutions

Project Introduction

• Joint Clients– City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto– City owns the Gardiner– Waterfront Toronto is charged with revitalisation

of the waterfront• Sensitive Project

Project Scope and Goals

• $6M Planning and Design Study– Sub to Dillon Consulting– ~$300k Microsimulation budget

• Investigate four design options for treatments east of Jarvis Street– Do Nothing, Ameliorate, Remove, Submerge– Five construction staging models

• Goal is to investigate ways of reconnecting the redeveloped Lower Don Lands to the City

Microsimulation Model Area

• 5 mi2 (13 km2)• Dense, urban development

SPAD

INA

DUNDAS

WOODBINE

Methodology

• Create existing conditions– Road selection– Zone system creation– Include transit and pedestrians

• Matrix Estimation• Calibration / Validation• Alternative Testing• Construction Staging

Existing Conditions

• Most roadways in study area– Arterial and up, some collectors, and few locals

• Coding issues with Lake Shore Boulevard

Existing Conditions

• Arup Model as a starting point• Approximately double model area

ARUPJACOBS

Zone System

• Layout zones on paper

Zone System

• Simple one zone per block with access to all roads

• Simplifies creation and coding

• Makes for very difficult matrix estimation

Zone System

• One zone per connector on each block face

• Allows maximum control

• Model becomes unwieldy with so many zones

Existing Conditions

• Transit– Streetcars

• Spadina and Queens Quay – Median-running• Other streets – In mixed traffic

– Buses– Subway

• Not included in our model

• Pedestrians– Taken only from Arup model, no new ped work

Streetcar Coding

• Spadina and Queens Quay– Median-running

• Median Lane Operation– Paramics limitation that similar

movements must be in adjacent lanes

– This is an issue where the transit vehicle through lane is adjacent to a left-turn lane

– Fortunately, coding the through movement in the transit lane as ‘barred’ works perfectly• Transit vehicle moves with normal

traffic ‘through’ green

Streetcar Coding

• Remainder of Streetcar network is in mixed traffic– Typically runs in the left-hand

lane of a two-lane per direction facility

• Congestion issues due to frequent stops– Both lanes in the streetcar travel

direction must stop when loading/unloading passengers

– New feature built into Paramics

STOP

Matrix Estimation

• Counts• Travel Demand Model O/D data• Screenlines

Matrix Estimation

• Issues– Estimation of congested conditions• Counts at congested locations are less useful• Use counts upstream of issues to help estimate

demand

– Grid network adds to the challenge• Many parallel routes and relatively short blocks

Calibration / Validation• Counts• Travel Times• Screenlines• Major Queue

Locations– Gardiner and

on/off ramps

Calibration/Validation

• Issues– Major queues on Gardiner• WB in PM, EB in AM• Replication of WB queue may require network

extension or link speed modification at external station

STUDYAREA

CONGESTIONSOURCE

Future Alternatives

• Do Nothing• Ameliorate

JARVIS

EASTERN

• Remove (bring to ground)• Submerge

Construction Staging

• With a preferred alternative selected– Build a series of 5 incremental networks that take

the geometry to the final design– Stages given to us for analysis

• Provide results and recommendations

Conclusions

• Most challenging work will be: – Matrix Estimation– Calibration / Validation

• Questions or Comments?– Adam Lanigan adam.lanigan@jacobs.com