I came for an update about the project!

Let's be clear: Unions are good; worker protections are good; many construction projects in Ontario are clearly mis-managed; there is corruption in the industry due to the fact that it's hard to exactly track work and money can easily go to someone's "friend"; some of the corruption is likely connected to organized crime; but there's also a healthy dose of bureaucratic mismanagement; and when it gets to the municipal level, there's penny-pinching that slows everything down.

Who knows why this project is delayed till April, but oh god, if you want to witness a mismanaged and relatively simple construction project, please visit the KQQR intersection.
I think KQQR is actually NOT a simple intersection and their plan was (is) to replace most if not all of the underground infrastructure prior to replacing the TTC track. Not saying KQQR has been done well but it WAS/IS complicated.

Wellington is another example and in that case the work has gone on from about 2014 to date and included separate contracts for water/sewer/ gas/ hydro/ telecoms/traffic signals and trackwork and then streetscape. I understand that the problem there was that by the time the final work was done (or in process) the locations of the (new) underground infrastructure had changed (plus they found some old foundations and an old oil tank @ the FlatIron). There is certainly lots of blame to go around on BOTH projects but much is the fault of utilities who are not 100% sure where their underground 'stuff' is buried (and probably the City for not confirming where things are BEFORE work starts.)
 
Are we going to let this stereotyping/ racism go unnoticed?

I have been on the UT forums for a long time but just recently started contributing … and this doesn’t feel like what UT community is about
Every post has a report button below it. If you want to call a moderator in here, please use it! Anyway, some clean-up is underway.

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EDIT: Okay, I've done a little depoliticization of the most recent two pages of this thread, and one member is on holiday for 10 days for trolling. Like I've said above, instead of responding to incendiary posts, please use the Report button to get a moderator's attention sooner.
 
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^When I was there the other day, at temperature +3, they were still pouring concrete, with a large furnace blowing warmed air up from the ground level. I would bet that the drop in temperature affected that work..

I was surprised that they were intending to finish the rail laying and ballasting in this weather - installing the rails when it's this cold would be iffy as the rails will have to be destressed in the spring when the temperature rises. And once the ballast freezes solid, shifting and surfacing the track would also be iffy. Perhaps they were hoping the weather stayed warm but pushed their luck too far.

There was no shortage of labour down there this week.

There have been several construction notices about overnight work lately. One was for installation of a new signal bridge around Davenport - I drove by today and couldn't spot any sign of a new signal setup. Another was about core drilling the plinths, likely for the rail fasteners - not sure they can do that in this cold, either.

- Paul
The original forecast for the weekend was to have temperatures fall in the acceptable +10°C <= Td >= -30°C range from the rail’s stress-free temperature but that has since slipped to well below acceptable for performing ballast tamping operations and connecting the new track to the existing track. There’s also the need to coordinate the track closure with other rail line users and so that would be the reason why the next window might not be until April.
 
The original forecast for the weekend was to have temperatures fall in the acceptable +10°C <= Td >= -30°C range from the rail’s stress-free temperature but that has since slipped to well below acceptable for performing ballast tamping operations and connecting the new track to the existing track. There’s also the need to coordinate the track closure with other rail line users and so that would be the reason why the next window might not be until April.
They can pour concrete at -30*C?
 
Knowing metrolinx I'll get an operating bulletin about this opening the day before... they did the same with Nickel/CP connecting track on the weston
 
First time these guys have been this far south:
080BE27F-B1B4-4423-8E7D-0A8DCFA6536C.jpeg
6FA1EE69-CE8B-40FF-8A51-5B02C66472A5.jpeg
A8D2F226-D266-4817-A0A2-D5BADB775320.jpeg
B5E659C1-EBBC-4CFC-8D67-D95BDD500AB1.jpeg
 
"Completed" is a very long term thing. It will be "opened" with just the one track, and no catenary.

Those machines look like they are just checking clearances and tolerances while waiting to be able to reach the south slope where the ballast starts. Their job will be to tamp the surface on the ramp going south from the end of the guideway.

I am speculating that the orange tarps are covering the last stretch of concrete pours for the plnths, which then have to be bored and the track fasteners inserted. It also looks like there are bolts waiting for a second guard rail (hard to tell, but the first guard rail may already be in place, or maybe it's just the side of the plinths that I'm seeing). Lots of unfastened bolts in the plinths at the north end within the guage - which hints that the guard rail(s) is yet to come.

- Paul
 
Correct, Paul. They didn’t linger on the guideway, and pretty quickly moved south of Wallace to start work there. Here are some detail shots of what’s currently happening up top:

B4E08D02-9CEC-4E17-B8E1-A1E5764E68A1.jpeg

B528D725-B98F-4AC2-BAB8-31731955A943.jpeg

2729CE6E-D462-4242-BD35-3D1F2CAAD620.jpeg

6F6D004C-43D7-45E1-AB61-0C6D4E6A7FC4.jpeg


Hard to get an image of at this distance, but the thing they seem to be struggling with somewhat is a taller grade change from the south MSE to the Wallace Bridge. You can see it suddenly bumps up in this photo. It's received the vast majority of overnight work the last two or so weeks:

6D13AB56-C7C4-44D4-9685-6DC0B12724BB.jpeg
 
It appears that they will soon start on the cladding for the noise walls.


Temporary, daily, partial lane closure will be required on Lane S Wallace E Rankin
Monday February 13, 2023 – Friday March 31, 2023
A temporary, daily, partial lane closure will be required on Lane S Wallace E Rankin west of the Metrolinx Barrie GO rail corridor for the installation of cladding panels on the elevated guideway. South of Wallace Avenue, north of Paton Road and east of Rankin Crescent. Closure is required for the staging of equipment needed to install cladding. The plan is to start from south end of the alley and work northwards. The entire area will not be occupied at once. Work zone will be blocked off with TC-54 barrels and will be removed when closure is not in use. East side of lane and east sidewalk will be closed temporarily. West side of lane will remain open for local traffic.
 

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