Airfield rehab wraps up at Billy Bishop

TORONTO — PortsToronto has announced the official completion of the Billy Bishop Airfield Rehabilitation Program on the Toronto waterfront.

The job involved three years of rehabilitation work that included the reconstruction of runways and taxiways, the installation of new energy-efficient LED lighting and the construction of a noise-reducing Ground Run-up Enclosure (GRE), said a recent statement.

Because Billy Bishop airport has only one main runway, construction activities took place during nighttime hours, between 11 p.m. and 6:45 a.m. when the airport was closed to air traffic.

The modernization program to the infrastructure was completed on budget at a cost of $35 million, reported owner PortsToronto.

The project team was led by PortsToronto and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport staff.

WSP Canada provided technical services including planning, design and construction-phase inspection services for the project.

The general contractor was Pave-Al Limited, TriStar Inc. was the main electrical subcontractor and Blast Deflectors Inc. designed and constructed the GRE facility.

Measures to mitigate disruption of operations in the area included a barging operation that eliminated noise and traffic in the surrounding airport community, removing the equivalent of approximately 6,000 trucks off the neighbouring roads, said PortsToronto. Construction lighting was directed downwards to avoid affecting the neighbourhood.

“Completing the Billy Bishop Airfield Rehabilitation Program ahead of schedule, on budget and with virtually no disruptions to airport operations, travellers and the surrounding community was no small feat,” said Gene Cabral, executive vice-president, PortsToronto and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, in the statement.

“From start to finish, every aspect of the project was thoughtfully planned and executed to ensure construction activities were virtually invisible to travellers and the community.

“In the three years the project was underway there was only one six-minute delay in reopening the airfield and resuming regular operations, which speaks to the professionalism and expertise of the team.”