TORONTO — Work on the future King-Bathurst station as part of the Ontario Line reached a new level recently, deep below the surface.
According to a LinkedIn update posted by Ontario Transit Group, a joint venture between Ferrovial Construction and Vinci Construction Grands Projets, the construction team is using a sequential excavation method, “taking advantage of the natural strength of the surrounding earth to efficiently dig underground.”
In particular, they are using a roadheader machine that has a rotating cutter head and pivoting arm so that there is flexibility in shaping the tunnels and caverns that are needed during this phase of excavation.
Metrolinx reports the roadheader machine is 22 metres long, weighs 115 tonnes and can work its way through 1,000 tonnes of material each day. The benefit to the machine is that it can operate in a wide range of rock formations using computer systems that help guide the rotating cutter head, which features tungsten carbide teeth.
Roadheaders are also equipped with gathering arms that move the excavated rock in front of the machine to a conveyor belt system on its tail where it simultaneously loads a truck. It also has a crawler track, allowing it to move forward during excavation.
“As segments of tunnel are excavated, temporary support systems are implemented such as concrete and rock bolts, holding the tunnel’s shape as work continues,” Metrolinx writes. “The flexibility and maneuverability allow it to work in smaller, more restricted areas to create underground space for the Ontario Line’s future stations.”
When completed the Ontario Line will be a 15.6-kilometre subway line with 15 new stations. It will run from Exhibition Place, through downtown and reach all the way to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road.
Recent Comments