Earth Tech has won the contract to alter the existing tracks and platforms of the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) Union Station to accommodate more passengers during surge traffic.
Infrastructure
Project will have a significant impact in Toronto’s downtown
TORONTO
Earth Tech has won the contract to alter the existing tracks and platforms of the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) Union Station to accommodate more passengers during surge traffic.
Heavy passenger traffic has occurred at the main terminus due to concurrent activity at the Rogers Centre and Air Canada Centre.
Initial construction is to take 18 months followed by another three years for the station’s redesign.
“This high profile project will have a great impact on the downtown core’s public transit system,” said Abbas Khayyam, deputy project manager, Earth Tech.
The first 18 months will cover the relocation of utilities, including Bell Canada and Enbridge.
Permanent relocations of existing 1.05 x 1.575 metre box culvert sanitary sewers are taking place.
“It is ongoing,” Khayyam added about all the relocation of utilities.
“The main utility is a large sewer that is being relocated into the moat area,” said Sylvano Florindi, project manager, TTC. “The problem is that we couldn’t relocate it above or below our new structure, so we had to move it out of the way during construction.
“As for the rest of the utilities, we can deal with them during construction of the new station, up, below or to the side.”
All installations of hoarding and barricades, as well as work on the Union Station moat and tunnelling. are conducted at night.
“We have a very long history of working on projects with the TTC. Earth Tech did the Don Mills Station, we did the updates on the Eglinton bus terminal, and we are working on the ventilation upgrade for five stations,” said Khayyam.
Main methods of construction are cut and cover (excavate and backfill) and tunnelling. Cut and cover methods are being used to construct an access shaft at various work zone areas along Front and Bay streets. The TTC and Earth Tech are dealing with the busy downtown core while construction is underway.
Occurring at the same time is the addition of a second platform for passengers on the Yonge and University lines; expansion of the east corridor, addition of a west corridor, and new connections from the Royal Bank Plaza and Union Railway Station for pedestrians to by-pass the TTC paid zones.
Also on the renovation list is the improvement of the connections to the underground streetcar loop serving the Harbourfront and Spadina routes.
A heritage architect from Taylor Hazell Architects is consulting with Earth Tech on Union Railway Station’s historical status.
“It’s not only to accommodate the Air Canada Centre. It’s about future growth of the TTC and GO Transit and the general waterfront as well,” Florindi added.
“The redevelopment of the waterfront will also bring more people to Union Station.”
The plan for the station’s redesign was originally put forward in November 2003.
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