Asphalt would be significant cheapening--it was supposed to be an interlocking pavement. The asphalt might be temporary though.
 
I'll go for another walk today and have a look/take pictures. I do recall seeing a newly reconfigured section of the road that had been surfaced with asphalt. Hopefully, it's temporary but I don't see a need for a temp road as it's within a closed section.
 
Now that I know the layout, I was better able to differentiate between what was permanent and what was temporary. The asphalt is definitely in a temporary location. I found that they're building the road almost exactly per spec.

For the road, there are concrete pavers and granite interlocking stones on site.

Pardon the low light photos. It was getting dark out when I decided to go for my walk.

Road bed being prepared for paving:
ErKlnGl.jpg


Concrete pavers:
vU6JfgY.jpg


Granite interlocking stones:
PVpvGgd.jpg


Pedestrian granite pavers. Note the rebuilt subway entrance and tall signage:
HgCANAn.jpg

Wy6RxGX.jpg


While not a woonerf, the mid block crossing, the rough texture of the road surface and the narrow road will indeed cede way to pedestrians due to their sheer numbers.
 
smallspy said:
Considering that there is not even a route planned for any potential additional subterranean tracks - nevermind engineering drawings - how would they be expected to build a space below the Retail Concourse for it?

Dan
Toronto, Ont.
Click to expand...

Well that was my point. Aside from having the forward thinking to plan for those tracks, which as stated was not on anyone's planning horizon, what is missing from the current project that we could have added in. It was not so much a complaint about the lack of construction of those tracks but an attempt to drive a discussion on what is missing from a plan that was done over 10 (?) years ago.

It would have been nice if they had thought ahead and built the tracks but there wasn't any aniticipated need for it.

So that brings me back to my initial question to AlvinofDiaspar regarding his point about the project being band aid in nature. What is missing from the current project that could have, should have been included in the plan when it was made way back when.
 
Woodbridge_Heights said:
So that brings me back to my initial question to AlvinofDiaspar regarding his point about the project being band aid in nature. What is missing from the current project that could have, should have been included in the plan when it was made way back when.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong - I am glad we went through with this project (however late and however unresponsive to long-term plans). The problem are many-fold and I place it squarely on the state of dysfunctional transit planning in Toronto and the region. You really aren't in much of a position to include anything in the plans when you don't even know what they are in the first place - and given tight budgets and the extra cost it will likely entail, no one would sink money in that.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Don't get me wrong - I am glad we went through with this project (however late and however unresponsive to long-term plans). The problem are many-fold and I place it squarely on the state of dysfunctional transit planning in Toronto and the region. You really aren't in much of a position to include anything in the plans when you don't even know what they are in the first place - and given tight budgets and the extra cost it will likely entail, no one would sink money in that.

AoD
Click to expand...

Late into this discussion but isn't waiting for perfection just a recipe for doing nothing? We should never let the striving for perfection get in the way of pretty good.
 
TOareaFan said:
Late into this discussion but isn't waiting for perfection just a recipe for doing nothing? We should never let the striving for perfection get in the way of pretty good.
Click to expand...

This is a great point which applies to many transit issues in our city.
 
TOareaFan said:
Late into this discussion but isn't waiting for perfection just a recipe for doing nothing? We should never let the striving for perfection get in the way of pretty good.
Click to expand...

Of course, the old adage of not letting the perfect to be the enemy of the good - that said, that can be way too easy an out for fundamental issues with transit planning in the GTA.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Of course, the old adage of not letting the perfect to be the enemy of the good - that said, that can be way too easy an out for fundamental issues with transit planning in the GTA.

AoD
Click to expand...

Yep it is a simplistic jingle but it is worth keeping in mind as projects get bogged down. In the context of this discussion, yes we don't know what the long term (15-20 years from now) needs will be at Union but I fear if that had become a key component of the discussions then none of the work needed now would have been undertaken.
 
hawc said:
I'm curious how they will keep that glass clean considering you've got thousands of dirty diesel trains passing thorugh and idling underneath it.
Click to expand...

I assume they'll just let it get dirty and people will assume it was frosted glass :p
 
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