innsertnamehere said:
What is interesting is that Eastern Avenue doesn't have a central support as well despite no streetcar tracks.
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The foremost constraint on these bridge designs is the roadway design. @max and @infrastructureTO are correct in pointing out the highly valued criteria of design cost and complexity.

Of the four rail overpasses under construction (Gerrard/Carlaw excluded), Logan is the only one receiving a new central pier. This is because the Logan ROW is significantly wider than necessary for a single road lane each direction plus bike lanes and sidewalks. Reserving ~1m of ROW for a central pier is feasible here so it is being constructed to reduce complexity and cost. You cannot introduce a new central pier to Queen or Eastern without slashing existing components from their ROWs.

Tagging @kotsy for the original question

downtownordinary said:
It does have an extra pier on the south side of Eastern Avenue though. Does anyone know what the extra span is for? It looks too wide to be just a sidewalk.
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I believe the south sidewalk of Eastern will have access directly to the East Harbour platforms, perhaps they’ll call it a 'gangway' like the York and Bay ones at Union station.
 
infrastructureTO said:
I am not 100% sure this is the reason but dividing the span into two spans allow a shallower bridge deck. This gives you more vertical clearance to the roadway below without having to adjust the grade of the track or the road (which is expensive)
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You are absolutely, positively correct on this.

To make a longer span, you need stronger girders to span the longer distance. There are ways to do this, but as a generality the strength of the girder is tied to its height/depth.

Using shorter spans with a central pier allows for the use of thinner girders, and thus more headroom underneath.

Dan
 
innsertnamehere said:
What is interesting is that Eastern Avenue doesn't have a central support as well despite no streetcar tracks.
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Maybe future-proofing? Similar to how the right-hand-lane under the newish rail underpass on Dufferin at Queen was also designed for streetcars (shame it wasn't designed for proper bike lanes).
 
1732052123887.png

The East Harbour "Transit Hub" architectural drawings show a pedestrian circulation area and a small station building with stairs up to the 2 GO Rail platforms. No access to the Ontario Line platform because it's much shorter and centered over Broadview Ave.
 
urbancog said:
View attachment 613469
The East Harbour "Transit Hub" architectural drawings show a pedestrian circulation area and a small station building with stairs up to the 2 GO Rail platforms. No access to the Ontario Line platform because it's much shorter and centered over Broadview Ave.
Click to expand...
One would assume they can walk down the GO platform, and then use the connection there to the subway station.
 
Probably easier to walk through the North plaza (along the blue accessible route) to the Broadview East entrance, where there's an escalator, elevator and stairs to the platform:
1732118936791.png

The internal route - with the red marks at the doors - will be staff only. That's an open-to-air electrical compound with a generator, where it says OPEN TO ABOVE.
 
urbancog said:
Probably easier to walk through the North plaza (along the blue accessible route) to the Broadview East entrance, where there's an escalator, elevator and stairs to the platform:
Click to expand...
On a nice day. If there's no covered walkway, I'll certainly be staying on the (somewhat) covered platform. Though if there's strong cold wind, the shelter of the outdoor walkway becomes an advantage.
 

Province Breaks Ground to Tunnel Ontario Line​

Crews preparing for tunnel boring machines to dig from Exhibition Station to the Don Yard
November 22, 2024
Ministry of Transportation
TORONTO – The Ontario government has officially started excavating the launch shaft for the Ontario Line subway tunnels at Exhibition Station, marking another milestone in the province’s plan to slash commute times across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and bring nearly 230,000 people within walking distance of public transit.
“It’s been more than 60 years since the first subway tunnels were built in downtown Toronto,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’re getting the Ontario Line done to tackle gridlock and increase access to fast, reliable and affordable transit for millions of people across the GTA.”
The 16-metre-deep launch shaft will be the starting point for two tunnel boring machines that will dig six kilometres east, from Exhibition Station to the Don Yard, west of the Don River. Once tunnelling is complete, the launch shaft will be repurposed as a tunnel portal where Ontario Line trains will transition from above to below ground.
“The Ontario Line subway is part of one of the biggest partnerships to construct public transportation in Canadian history,” said the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. “Work is progressing and today’s groundbreaking is another step toward affordable, reliable and quick public transit for Torontonians.”
Exhibition Station will be a vital transit hub, serving both the future subway and existing GO rail customers. A trip across the city from Exhibition Place to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road will take 30 minutes or less compared to the hour and 10 minutes it takes today. The Ontario Line will offer more than 40 connections to other subway, bus, streetcar and regional train services, bringing hundreds of thousands more people within walking distance of transit.
As part of the Transportation Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the government is delivering Ontario’s priority transit projects, which include the largest subway expansion in Canadian history – the Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and the Yonge North Subway Extension.

Quick Facts​

  • In 1959, crews began construction on the segment of Line 1 that runs under University Avenue between Union and St. George stations. In 1962, work began on the first section of Line 2, which stretched between Keele and Woodbine stations, the last time subway tunnelling was started through the downtown core.
  • The 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line will have 15 stations, running from Exhibition Place through the downtown core and connecting to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road.
  • During peak periods like the morning rush hour, the Ontario Line will reduce crowding by up to 15 per cent on the busiest stretch, between Bloor-Yonge and Wellesley on the TTC's Line 1.
  • The Ontario Line will support 4,700 jobs annually during construction over the next ten years.
  • Ontario is investing nearly $70 billion over the next decade to build public transit. This includes the largest subway expansion in Canadian history – the Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and the Yonge North Subway Extension.
  • The new Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF) will provide an average of $3 billion a year of permanent federal funding to respond to local transit needs by enhancing integrated planning, improving access to public transit and active transportation and supporting the development of more affordable, sustainable and inclusive communities.
 

Part 1​

Ontario Line Updates: Upcoming Work on Pape​

Pape

Upcoming Geotechnical & Utilities Work on Pape & Surrounding Streets
To enable future construction activities for the Pape Tunnel and Underground Stations (PTUS) portion of the Ontario Line project, the following investigations will take place in the upcoming months, through to spring of 2025.

Geotechnical Investigations (Beginning as Early as Next Week)
Crews will be conducting geotechnical investigations along Pape and surrounding streets from Langley in the south to O’Connor in the north. The locations are within the road and sidewalk or on Metrolinx-owned properties.

Subsurface Utilities Investigations (Beginning as Early as Next Week)
Crews will be conducting underground utility mapping along Pape and the surrounding streets. The investigations will take place within the road and sidewalk.

Impacts
  • Drilling and excavation equipment, such as drill rigs and water hauling, hydrovac, concrete and coring trucks will be on site
  • During the vertical drilling phase, noise, dust, and vibration from construction equipment is expected
  • Lane and sidewalk closures are planned. Lane and sidewalk closures will only affect one direction at a time
    • Vehicular access to residential and commercial driveways will be maintained
  • Some on-street parking spaces will be affected during working hours
  • Read Metrolinx's construction notice to learn more.

Upcoming Geotechnical Work & Demolitions on Pape & at 449 Carlaw
449 Carlaw (formerly the Riverdale Shopping Centre) is the future site of the Gerrard Tunnel Portal. This site is the section of the Ontario Line which will allow trains to transfer from the shared GO rail corridor to the twin underground tunnels that run beneath Pape towards the Don Valley Parkway.
To enable future construction activities for the Pape Segment of the Ontario Line, the following investigations and demolitions will take place in the upcoming months, through to spring 2025.

Geotechnical Investigations
Crews will be conducting geotechnical investigations along Pape and surrounding streets. The locations are within the road and sidewalk or on Metrolinx-owned properties.
Work was scheduled to begin as early as the week of November 18th within the 449 Carlaw Plaza. Work will begin on Pape and nearby side streets as early as the week of November 25th.

Subsurface Utilities Investigations (Beginning as Early as Next Week)
Crews will be conducting underground utility mapping along Pape and the surrounding streets. The investigations will take place within the road.

449 Carlaw Demolition
To accommodate construction activities for the Gerrard Portal, crews are demolishing Metrolinx-owned properties at 449 Carlaw.
Abatement is scheduled to begin as early as next week and demolition as early as January 20th, 2025.
Following demolition, crews will be preparing the site for future construction of the tunnel boring machine launch site.

388-402 Pape Demolitions
To accommodate future subway tunnel boring, crews will demolish Metrolinx-owned properties on the west side of Pape from Langley south to 449 Carlaw (addresses 388-402 Pape).
Following demolition, crews will be preparing the site for future construction activities.

Impacts
  • Drilling and excavation equipment, such as drill rigs and water hauling, hydrovac, concrete and coring trucks will be on site
  • During the vertical drilling phase, noise, dust, and vibration from construction equipment is expected
  • Lane and sidewalk closures are planned. Lane and sidewalk closures will only affect one direction at a time
    • Vehicular access to residential and commercial driveways will be maintained
  • Some on-street parking spaces will be affected during working hours
  • Read Metrolinx's construction notice for more details.
 
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