[Monarch Butterfly]

From the Toronto.ca website at this link:

Background: Federal Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF)

The City has submitted a preliminary list to the federal PTIF program that will strengthen Toronto’s transit and transportation network and accelerate infrastructure projects. Through a new ridership-based allocation, Toronto is eligible for a federal contribution of $840 million.

PTIF will provide funding for up to 50 per cent of eligible projects, with the City providing matching funds.

The preliminary list amounts to more than $948 million in project costs, eligible for a federal contribution of $474 million. A final list will be submitted in Fall 2016.
​

Cycling Infrastructure
Preliminary federal contribution: $42 M

• Bike parking at 40 TTC stations
• Bike share expansion at 50 stations
• Cycling network expansion including Eglinton Connects, West Toronto Railpath, East Don Trail, Eglinton East, Burnhamthorpe West, York University, Flemingdon/Thorncliffe, Dufferin, Midland

Transit Expansion: Planning and Design
Preliminary federal contribution: $40 M

• SmartTrack – SmartTrack/Regional Express Rail integration
• Eglinton West LRT – Mt. Dennis to Renforth – 8 to 12 stops
• Scarborough Subway Extension – detailed review of design and options
• Eglinton East LRT – Planning/design of Kennedy Station, realignment of Military Trail; next phase to Malvern
• Relief Line – study of tunnelling/construction impacts
• Waterfront Transit – Phase 2; preliminary design for Exhibition to Dufferin Gate Loop
• Union Station – Northwest PATH expansion, security infrastructure, work on wayfinding/signage

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Remember when Tory said he'd cancel Eglinton Connects?

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Remember when Tory said he'd cancel Eglinton Connects?

Yes I do - but he backtracked right?

 

[Zach6668]

Connects is interesting.

As far as I can tell, Crosslinx is only contracted to implement Eglinton Connects between Avenue and Yonge as kind of a pilot.

The problem, though, with the rest of Eglinton, is that we're just putting regular old bike lanes in, with no protection, for the rest of the way. Makes we wonder if we should be designing for Connects the entire length instead, now that we have some (not all?) funding. It seems stupid for the construction crews to rip up the curbs only to have Connects be implemented after. Though I'm sure there's some time over the next 4-5 years to get it sorted out if we do end up implementing Connects the whole way. Shouldn't be too difficult to adjust road markings, curbs, etc during the construction process. Hopefully, without delay to the transit opening. Would require some re-negotiation, of course.

 

[Palma]

I never knew Connects was only between Avenue Rd and Yonge

 

[innsertnamehere]

The full project is black creek to laird from my understanding. Metrolinx will be installing bike lanes along the surface portion of the LRT, but the streetscape for the underground portion will be returned "as is", unless the city spends more. I wasn't aware of the avenue to Yonge portion, do you have a source on that one? I thought Metrolinx had agreed to pay for the streetscaping directly above the stations but nothing else.

 

[Zach6668]

I never knew Connects was only between Avenue Rd and Yonge

Well, now that the Feds have committed $8.9m to the streetscaping and cycle track portions of Eglinton Connects, hopefully we start to design for that along the entire length... but it would need a variance to the current Project Agreement, so I'm not holding my breathe that it happens quickly. That said, it does seem like something that can be altered over the next few years as these conversations happen, since construction won't be wrapping up for quite some time, and streetscaping will be among the last things completed.

 

[Zach6668]

The full project is black creek to laird from my understanding. Metrolinx will be installing bike lanes along the surface portion of the LRT, but the streetscape for the underground portion will be returned "as is", unless the city spends more. I wasn't aware of the avenue to Yonge portion, do you have a source on that one? I thought Metrolinx had agreed to pay for the streetscaping directly above the stations but nothing else.

My source is the PSOS, which is an appendix to the Project Agreement. Not sure if it's publicly available anywhere.

As far as I can tell, the PA currently has just regular old bike lanes, with a painted buffer where possible, except for Avenue to Yonge. Hopefully that gets amended with the fed money to full Connects streetscaping/cycle tracks.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Happening today...

How do you move a four-storey, 3,000-tonne building in its entirety?
Metrolinx gears up to uproot and relocate historic Kodak building, which will become part of Mount Dennis LRT station

See link.

Not satisfied with tunnelling 10 kilometres underground to build the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Metrolinx will be relocating a four-storey, 3,000-tonne building in its entirety Thursday as part of construction.

The historic structure, built in 1939, and used as a recreation centre for Kodak employees, will form part of the new Mount Dennis LRT station.

“The building is very significant to the local history … because of the Kodak company and the amount of jobs and employment that it had in that area,” said Metrolinx spokesman Jamie Robinson.

All told, the building will be moved 61 metres to its new home. The public is invited to watch the event – which is expected to take about 90 minutes – and Metrolinx will be hosting a community barbecue on the site afterwards.

“The community said very clearly to us that they were very interested in us preserving the Kodak building and seeing how it could or could not be incorporated into the future plans for the station,” said Robinson.

The Crosstown line will run across Eglinton Avenue between Mount Dennis (Weston Road) and Kennedy Station. Ten kilometres of the 19-kilometre line will be underground.

Infographic:

How exactly do you a move a 3,000-tonne building?

1. First, contractor Crosslinx Transit Solutions has to excavate and separate the building from its foundation.

“Crosstown Transit Solutions has been planning for this move for a number of months and it’s really complicated, a real challenge due to the size of the building,” said Metrolinx spokesman Jamie Robinson.

2. Next you have to jack it up, get steel girders underneath it and actually move it along 61 metres using a system of motorized dollies.

“It’s like a conveyer belt,” Robinson said.

3. After that’s done they excavate the site and create a new foundation, a process which takes about nine months, Robinson said.

4. “When that’s completed they move the building back over top of it again and it becomes part of the future station,” he added.

5. Finally, the whole thing needs to be retrofitted. “Inside it’s like totally destroyed, it’s got to be totally outfitted for the new station,” Robinson said.

In case you forgot:

Event details:

• Thursday, August 25, 2016
• 9:00 a.m - Building move commences (takes approximately 1.5 hours). Public viewing seating will be available on-site.
• 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Community BBQ
• 25 Photography Drive, Ross' No Frills parking lot. Accessible shuttle buses will be available to and from the site every 30 minutes between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

 

[salsa]

I don't think I've seen this rendering before.

 

[robmausser]

I don't think I've seen this rendering before.

View attachment 84344

Really hope they get space heaters for the above ground portion

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

They're installing in-ground platform heaters at some GO Train stations. They should do the same with the LRT platforms (and the streetcar platforms as well).

Then our feet will be warm, not just our calves of whoever is closest.

 

[someMidTowner]

We were at the Kodak Building move today. Front page story here: http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2016/08/big-move-metrolinx-goes-literal-mount-dennis-station
Bonus photos:

 

[nfitz]

Really hope they get space heaters for the above ground portion

Like we do in subway stations? ROTFL

 

[Palma]

ridiculous to have space heaters. Why not have them in all bus shelters then