[drum118]

City Responds to Province's Changes to the Hurontario LRT Project

Mar 21, 2019

The Ontario government announced today that scope changes have been made to the Hurontario Light Rail Transit (LRT), the largest infrastructure project in Mississauga’s history. As part of the announcement, the City was informed by Metrolinx that they have removed the loop around the downtown core amongst other changes to the project.

“We are pleased that the Ontario government remains committed to this important project, including the promise to cover 100 per cent of the costs needed to build the LRT. Our residents and businesses are depending on it, even with a reduced scope. While I understand the financial pressures, the downtown loop is a key component of the LRT and will help us realize the full potential of downtown Mississauga. We will continue to work to find alternate funding opportunities that will allow the loop to be built in the future.”

The Hurontario LRT will link to GO Stations at Port Credit and Cooksville, the Mississauga Transitway, Square One Bus Terminal, Brampton Gateway Terminal and key MiWay and Brampton Transit routes to move tens of thousands of people a day, helping Mississauga tackle gridlock and congestion while forming the north-south spine of its regionally-connected transit network.

“In the last decade, the City of Mississauga, along with businesses and residents, have been making significant plans in anticipation of Hurontario LRT. In this regard, Metrolinx has advised that the project will be built in a way that allows the loop to be added back in the future,” said Janice Baker, City Manager and Chief Administrative Officer.

“Thousands of jobs and businesses, including 27 Fortune 500 companies and over 12,000 new housing units are located along the corridor and rely on this line being built. In the next 20 years, 25 per cent of our City’s population and employment in our city will be located along the Hurontario corridor,” said Mayor Crombie.

“Our main objective is to build transit and get people moving. This still remains the largest infrastructure investment in our City’s history. I look forward to getting shovels in the ground as soon as possible,” added Mayor Crombie.

For more information please visit: www.metrolinx.com/hurontariolrt

QUICK FACTS

• Hurontario LRT will now provide 18 km of rapid transit with 19 stops on a dedicated right-of-way between Mississauga and Brampton
• The Hurontario LRT will link the GO stations at Port Credit and Cooksville, the Mississauga Transitway, Square One GO Bus Terminal, Brampton Gateway Terminal and key Züm and MiWay routes
• Deferring the pedestrian bridge at the Cooksville stop to be included in a future Transit Oriented Development between the stop and the GO station
• Changes to street-scaping along the corridor
• For more information please visit: www.metrolinx.com/hurontariolrt

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Media Contact:
Jamal Robinson
Senior Communications Advisor
City of Mississauga
905-6145-3200 ext. 5214
Jamal.Robinson@Mississauga.ca
TTY: 905-896-5151

 

[rbt]

What do you mean by "(new TPAP finishes in 2020)"?

A TPAP or EA cannot be approved in part; it's all or nothing (one big reason the DRL was split into chunks -- fiddling with stations at Sheppard shouldn't delay approval of the chunk south of Bloor). When Brampton rejected the original Hurontario-Main results the EA or TPAP was truncated to Steeles.

The expected results of the current community consultations, with a Q1 2019 gating report/approval expected, is the option to run a TPAP/EA on and that process takes 8 to 12 months if there is a consensus. They could have something for Environment Minister approval by end of 2020.

 

[nfitz]

A TPAP or EA cannot be approved in part; it's all or nothing (one big reason the DRL was split into chunks -- fiddling with stations at Sheppard shouldn't delay approval of the chunk south of Bloor). When Brampton rejected the original Hurontario-Main results the EA or TPAP was truncated to Steeles.

Can't it? I thought the Sheppard subway EA went to VIctoria Park, and wasn't modified. I can see a modification like at Renforth, which is going to significantly change the infrastructure at the Renforth intersection would require a modification. I'm not sure simply a truncation does.

 

[rbt]

Can't it? I thought the Sheppard subway EA went to VIctoria Park, and wasn't modified. I can see a modification like at Renforth, which is going to significantly change the infrastructure at the Renforth intersection would require a modification. I'm not sure simply a truncation does.

Government can reduce the scope of what is tendered (including building nothing) but they cannot build extra or shift outside of the approved design without either an amendment (reopening the entire package) or an additional separate EA/TPAP. Like zoning, an EA generally specifies the limits or maximum change allowed.

Second, once approved it's fair game to construct and Brampton council made it pretty clear they did not approve of the Main Street section; so it was left out to ensure the remainder of the plan would be approved without argument against. Minister of Environment cannot approve part of an EA; it's accepted as a whole or rejected as a whole.

 

[Allandale25]

^ Haven't they done EA addendum reports in Toronto for LRT EAs?

 

[micheal_can]

… or they could make it a Transit mall.

 

[Allandale25]

Government can reduce the scope of what is tendered (including building nothing) but they cannot build extra or shift outside of the approved design without either an amendment (reopening the entire package) or an additional separate EA/TPAP. Like zoning, an EA generally specifies the limits or maximum change allowed.

Since the Mississauga City Centre Loop was part of the original EA and getting into/out of a station at Rathburn may require (I'm speculating) a slightly different design than what was in the EA, will the Loop change also need an addendum/amendment?

 

[Tuscani01]

Since the Mississauga City Centre Loop was part of the original EA and getting into/out of a station at Rathburn may require (I'm speculating) a slightly different design than what was in the EA, will the Loop change also need an addendum/amendment?

From what I have read, the line is being built with the future loop extension in mind. I assume that means we are getting something pretty close to what was originally planned, just stopping short of completing the loop. An addendum can be issued to change the design of the spur of the changes are significant though.

 

[rbt]

^ Haven't they done EA addendum reports in Toronto for LRT EAs?

Absolutely. I think Waterfront West has been amended at least twice since the 80's.

However, an amendment opens up the entire thing to a challenge. Having a signed tender for the southern bit of Hurontario while someone could come forward with a new challenge the Port Credit portion (despite Metrolinx only wanting to tinker with the Brampton section) would be a disaster. Construction would be delayed and Metrolinx would be liable for any costs incurred due to that. The old style design as you go type construction method is much more tolerant of on the fly decision making. P3s are the exact opposite of tolerant to change.

That said, it's still very rare even in the old style contract method to make EA addendums for Toronto projects after a construction contract has been awarded. I think there have been a few tender (without an award), then adjust EA, then retender situations when the bidders suggested modifications to reduce costs.

I'm not sure Metrolinx could have handled Brampton any differently without significant impact to the Hurontario timeline, which is already quite delayed. Ultimately, TPAPs are largely engineering and research work which can be shared and reused, so it's not as expensive to perform a completely new TPAP when those components partially exist.

The all or nothing approval rules are why many large projects like the 407 busway, DRL, or GO line modifications get split into multiple individual EAs even if they're constructed as a single unit.

 

[W. K. Lis]

From what I have read, the line is being built with the future loop extension in mind. I assume that means we are getting something pretty close to what was originally planned, just stopping short of completing the loop. An addendum can be issued to change the design of the spur of the changes are significant though.

In other words, "deferred". "Deferring" is something the GTA politicians (especially Ford Nation) is good bad at.

 

[blaixx]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but the two stops between Cooksville GO and City Centre have been renamed/moved. Presumably the old "Matthews Gate" stop will move a few metres closer to Burnhamthorpe for a better bus connection now that the "Main" stop is cancelled. And the "Central Parkway" stop has been renamed "Fairview" and will almost certainly shift a block south to reflect that.

 

[khaldoon]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but the two stops between Cooksville GO and City Centre have been renamed/moved. Presumably the old "Matthews Gate" stop will move a few metres closer to Burnhamthorpe for a better bus connection now that the "Main" stop is cancelled. And the "Central Parkway" stop has been renamed "Fairview" and will almost certainly shift a block south to reflect that.
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The Burnhamthorpe stop makes sense but I don’t see the rationale behind moving the central parkway stop south considering all the condos going up on the south side of Elm drive.

 

[asher__jo]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but the two stops between Cooksville GO and City Centre have been renamed/moved. Presumably the old "Matthews Gate" stop will move a few metres closer to Burnhamthorpe for a better bus connection now that the "Main" stop is cancelled. And the "Central Parkway" stop has been renamed "Fairview" and will almost certainly shift a block south to reflect that.
View attachment 178254View attachment 178255View attachment 178256

I think getting rid of the loop was the right decision. Perhaps Mississauga can add a local service bus route to serve the loop connecting to LRT.

 

[blaixx]

I think getting rid of the loop was the right decision. Perhaps Mississauga can add a local service bus route to serve the loop connecting to LRT.

I'm not the biggest fan of the current alignment because I don't think it's going to save people wanting to avoid the City Centre any time. By the time the LRT pulls in and reverses out of Rathburn, it could've just gone around the loop. My preference would have been to just eliminate the Robert Speck stop.

 

[CapCurk]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but the two stops between Cooksville GO and City Centre have been renamed/moved. Presumably the old "Matthews Gate" stop will move a few metres closer to Burnhamthorpe for a better bus connection now that the "Main" stop is cancelled. And the "Central Parkway" stop has been renamed "Fairview" and will almost certainly shift a block south to reflect that.
View attachment 178254View attachment 178255View attachment 178256

Fairview is the name of the neighbourhood (https://www.insauga.com/did-you-know-mississauga-has-22-neighbourhoods) as well as the road to the south of Central Parkway. If they do move the station south it would be very close to the Cooksville stop.