For those adverse to reading from links, the doc states construction will start in 2009 (written before the current financial lunacy)
 
catcher_of_cats said:
For those adverse to reading from links, the doc states construction will start in 2009 (written before the current financial lunacy)
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I think thats for Block 31 It does not state starting dates for Block 32/36 which also includes the schools and community centre.Lets hope these all get build to complete the eastern section of the lower Bathurst street community.
 
Automation Gallery said:
I think thats for Block 31 It does not state starting dates for Block 32/36 which also includes the schools and community centre.Lets hope these all get build to complete the eastern section of the lower Bathurst street community.
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Here's to hoping that the city goes ahead with the Bathurst Street Bridge reconstruction before CityPlace is completed.
 
Automation Gallery said:
Yeah it would be nice to so see the proposed Bathurst st.bridge looking similar to the Spadina ave.bridge
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This quote is from the Bathurst Street Bridge thread of about a month ago, itself a quote from Adam Vaughn's community newsletter. As it states, the bridge being rebuilt is the concrete southern part of the existing bridge NOT the historic metal truss bridge over the rail tracks (which is now officially called the Sir Isaac Brock Bridge). This project will also involve bringing Fort York Blvd to the east side of Bathurst and linking it to the end of Bremner (which now just 'dies' right to the east of the old bridge.

Bathurst Street Bridge Construction Schedule

The City of Toronto and TTC are jointly planning a major construction project on the Bathurst Street Bridge, south of Front Street to Fleet Street. This project will involve a total reconstruction of the bridge between Front and Fleet, widening the area to create a TTC right-of-way. The truss bridge, which has heritage status, will be preserved as part of this work.
As part of the design process, the bridge design was assessed by the City of Toronto’s Design Review Panel in June 2008. They identified a number of issues around the bridge design. There is currently a team composed of the TTC and city staff from Urban Design and Structures and Expressways, who are reviewing the design and other issues around the bridge.
As a result, the start date for this work has been pushed back, and is not planned to begin before 2010. The construction was estimated by Transportation staff to take about 4 months, however this estimate is subject to change.
During the construction, the bridge will be closed to vehicular and streetcar traffic, but pedestrian traffic would be maintained with a 2m sidewalk. Bikes could also access this route but would be required to dismount.
Councillor Vaughan has requested that the timing of any construction in this area be coordinated so that work is staggered to take place at different times. This is to try and minimize the impact of the construction work on residents living in Bathurst Quay, along Queens Quay, and elsewhere in the neighbourhood.
 
Nov. 1

DSC03784.jpg
 
Sorry that this is a little off topic, but since the picture is there...

It is sad how neglected and underdeveloped a site Fort York is, at least from that bird's eye perspective. Shouldn't it be one of the top tourist sites? Do all cities have a fort like this so close to downtown? A park around the fort would help preserve its context as well as provide an anchor to the surrounding neighbourhood.
 
I got a similar feeling from what photo. Also, what a total mess those areas close to the tracks are...
 
Fort York does get used for events like Beer Fest. Being a preserved historic site probably complicates matters for a lot of events that could just as easily be held at the Exhibition or convention centre.

The tall grass and weeds you see in the rail corridor follow the tracks everywhere they go. I guess the land is owned by CN and GO who aren't terribly concerned about upkeep because most of the tracks run through industrial wastelands anyway. It would be nice if the stretch through the Exhibition and Union was kept tidy, though.
 
Fort York has been getting fixed up a bit recently, a new entrance was made from Fort York Blvd and the Fort will be the centre of the City's celebrations of the anniversary of the War of 1812. A visitors' centre is to be built close to the present car-park and at least one of the 19th century barracks is being restored. See: http://www.fortyork.ca/
 
...and Fort York Blvd is meant to bring more visibility to the site as well: the new road along the south side was to be the western end of Bremner Blvd, but as the City has considered the fort to be underused for a long time, even just the name change (west of Spadina) is meant to bring more attention to the fort. Now if they could just get the proposed streetcar into the median...

42
 
The City is giving them a lot of money this year to help spurse things up as well.

It looks quite different at ground level - it's not bad. It's small so I can't really see it ever becoming a big tourist attraction - not much they can really improve to be honest.
 
It may never become a major tourist attraction but I think it will become more interesting and significant as the area becomes more built up. What I mean is that the simplicity and realitive insignificance of the fort realitive to the city that has grown around it enhances it's meaning and impact.
 
The Fort will probably become a hub for more cultural activities and events. The clash of old and new in this neighbourhood will be evident when all the new steel and glass structures go up. Perhaps the new grid will integrate FY and make it more accessible.
 
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