Cairn - an historic town by Grockefeller

[Grockefeller]

Welcome in this CJ - CAIRNS.

Cairns is a fictionnal town located in the Nova Scotia province. In this fiction, the city of Halifax doesn't exist and Cairns took his place as the capital. The city is now around 700'000 people, and is a main commercial center for the Atlantic coast especially in Canada and in the New England area.

-

I started the city in the 19th century, just after 1850. The city was built progressively on the main island of the Dathmouth bay. Here we go with the first album :

Cairns in the 19th.

The south of the island is dominated by the church coucnil as the north is devoted to the governements.

A look of the S. Johns Cathedral bordered by the Brunswick Park. There's only dirt road on the entire island.

A few years later, the rock replace the dirt as the first car appear. In the north of th island, the construction of the Plaza hotel mark the beginning of a new era, the golden one.

Approching the 20th century, the city expand slowly outside the island.

In 1895 the parliament of Nova Scotia is built, and a new boulevard ( parliament avenue ) is constructed and cut the city in half.

The city grow slowly but the traffic at the unique point of entrance start to be heavy.

 

[Grockefeller]

Cairns in the first half of the 20th.

Just a few road leads to Cairns and connect the town to the rest of Canada. But you can see here the grid plan of the island.

Many Piers are organized in the southern side of the island, as two power plant are built on the western edge of the town.

In 1905, the City build its first railway station.

In the South, the docks receive many goods all the day.

Nearby the cathedral the first Tower are built to locate some workers.

The northern part is richer, because of the connexion it has with the outside land, and because of the society and commercial life it gets.

In the 1910, two companies the Western Railway and the East Council Transport Agency decided to unified their network and build a bridge through the island.

The traffic is heavy on the avenue connecting north and south of the island because all the bridge are located on the north part only as the two river are thinner.

With Electrical power, the city starts to glow in the dark.

A panorama of the S. John's Cathedral looking north.

The brand new building of the Ministry of Culture.

A shot of the first plane ever which flew over the city.

Nearby the rail flyover, the street start to be jammed as hell with the lack of large street and transport planification.

In 1917, the first traffic light is set on a crowded intersection.

But the city still suffer with constant gridlock on the main artery connection north and south and the governement start to think of a plan to resolve the congestion.

The first act is to forbiden sided parking on main avenue, paint road mark and the making of oneway obligatory.

In front of the parliament, despite the installation of a traffic lights, the line only grow.

The gridlock in the north part is deadly for commerce and business.

The portion of the street is particularly jammed.

Another angle of this street.

 

[Grockefeller]

A large boulevard named Commercial Alley is built outside the town. It's desert for now but won't be very long.

Adjacent to the railway flyover is built the first expressway ever. It connect the bidge of Scotia in the West to the East corridor.

The city now looks like a modern town with high speed train and road. You can see in the background the new red brick town hall.

5 miles northwest is the rural city of Elizabethtowns. small but lovely.

In 1921, the old parliament burn and is replace by a new - modern looking one.

Overlook of the city in 1925, looking west. In the east part, at the bottom of the picture, you can spot a big parts with the palace of King George and the governement palace, home of the mayor, and its family.

On the boulevard, many shops start to grow as its an easy destination to reach.

This area start to be quite popular. A new way of living is born, the car way!

In 1930 is built the bridge of Hope, connecting Cairns and the Mainland Canada. With it high speed limit of 100, it's the first expressway of Cairns. Goods now arrive faster, but it has a price. The structure cross the Lefort Range in a modern tunnel, which is very expensive. A toll booth is built to rentabelize the skyway.

It's the golden age for commercial alley and it's shop.

A new tower is built downtown.

In the East County, a high speed avenue is done, but already jammed.

A look of the downtown flyover in 1940.

The suburbs start to spread on fields.

We approch the 50s and many building are done in downtown.

But despite the improvement mades two decades ago the traffic isn't that good. Especially with this new trend, bad behaviour like in this picture.

Cairns after the 50s.

In 1952 is built the first freeway ever crossing the island on its northern part. People can now live further from their place of work. Let's start the expansion.

Sunny Victoria Terrace at the river border.

A shot showing the evolution of the city street with more paved section, and more "modern looking" building.

Commercial Alley approching 1955.

 

[Grockefeller]

To fight the south congestion is built the cross river bridge of Queen Victoria. It's the first connection between the southern part of the island and the outskirt.

The bridge promise to be monumental.

The bridge is done and goes with a five freeway interchange, the main part of the Cairns Road System.

The bridge give the south part an economic boost and building start to growth.

An ugly flyover now replace commercial alley, and all its shop start to close.

In midtown, Instead of a cemetery is built the new Union station which leads where the old flyover passed. A business center growth with this station.

Cairn now has a beautiful skyline.

Union Station in the background.

A bypass under the railway station.

The road network in 1955.

This year the first mall opened its door near Elizabethtown near the freeway.

 

[Grockefeller]

Bad traffic behaviour on the boulevard replacing commercial alley.

All the shops are now destroyed as they went bankruptcy.

1960, Commercial Alley is not recognizable and is bordered by townhouse.

A quite neighbohood, the typical home in Nova Scotia.

The urban look is dominant.

In 1965, the modern era start. The Nova Scotia International is built at the same time as the West County Harbor.

A vast industrial area is built around the harbor.

The entrance is controlled by a toll booth a the unique road junction.

The architecture of the town grow with the time and the houses made during those decades are now sem-detached,

A view of the harbor interchange looking north.

The commercial success of the harbor don't wait, and it's start start to be jammed as hell.

The capacity of the entrance Booth is tested. And failed.

 

[Grockefeller]

The five way junction.

Morning jam start to form toward the harbor.

The urban sprawling near Elizabethtown.

An aerial view of the West County.

The evening rush is also catastrophic.

A general view of the harbor interchange.

A good looking freeway entrance.

near Elizabethtown.

A look at the urban space agencement.

The life quality is going down with all this modernity.

The most perfect merging ever.

The construction of an Estate under the skyway.

The density remain huge in the suburbs.

A view from North. Remain me of LA.

Downtown is not the central part of Cairns anymore but only one of the spot of the metropolitan Area.

The expansion goes further and further.

A overview shot.

And for the final, a downtown shot.

The city is not finished yet. It's in the 80s maybe 85, but I'm at this point today, so stay tuned for further updates!

Hope you enjoy it and it's not too long. Comments and feedback are welcomed! ^^

 

[Mottoth]

Whoah, I love it. Great custom traffic with those old cars and trucks. It's messy and jammed, but it's the price to pay for a historical-based street layout.
I like the LUT and its mood too.

 

[Cresilia]

Amazing!

What mods did you use?

 

[muttonnoir]

Really impressive build. Colour filter adds ambience. Look forward to seeing more posts