Last night, Thursday, May 26, Metrolinx hosted an open house outlining its plans to start building three components of the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit line in 2016.
Mount Dennis Station
Metrolinx plans to build Mount Dennis Station, using a modified cut and building-relocation construction method.
Open cut
- Contractors will relocate the former Kodak Building #9, 3500 Eglinton Avenue West, from its current location to allow crews to work on a new foundation.
- The building will sit on a temporary site for as long as four months.
- Crews will excavate space under the former site of the building to form the concourse for the new LRT station.
- Once they have completed this work, the contractors will again move the building to its former location. The building will eventually be the focal point of Mount Dennis Station.
Previous work
At Mount Dennis contractors have already completed or are completing a number of elements of the project. They have:
- demolished the Photography Road bridge;
- completed geophysical testing;
- completed surveying, topographic analysis and subsurface utility engineering in the nearby Canadian Pacific Railway corridor;
- installed pads for site trailers, parking spaces and temporary roadways.
- installed site trailers;
- completed surveying and located utilities on Metrolinx lands;
- cleared and grubbed on lands not controlled by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority.
Upcoming work
Contractors are (or will soon be):
- preparing Kodak Building #9 for upcoming relocation.
- relocating a water main under Eglinton Avenue West between Weston Road and Keelesdale Drive.
- starting late May.
- some overnight work.
- relocating Kodak Building #9.
- working with all rail companies to authorize access to the east side of the tracks. However, Metrolinx has not ruled out access from the west side.
- all rail-corridor work to occur in 2017 and 2018.
Elevated guideway and west portal
Elevated guideway
- The elevated guideway, at the west end of the line, carries light rail vehicles across Black Creek Drive and into Mount Dennis Station.
- It extends for 0.5 kilometres.
- It consists of a viaduct structure with bridge spans.
- Contractors will design its columns, portals and retaining walls to be aesthetically pleasing.
West portal
- The west portal, between Bicknell Avenue / Municipal Drive and Black Creek Drive allows light rail vehicles to emerge from underground and move onto the elevated guideway.