Simcoe St. Underpass & Extension

[drum118]

The new walkway have seen daylight for the last month, but its behind fencing.

3/4 of the new road structure is in place. The last section done by year end and road open in 2008.

That road was to service the old CP express service when the station was built.

The concrete you see on the south side was done the last few years. Before then, just the rail embankment.

 

[unimaginative2]

When they removed all the yards that were there before, they added an additional freight line which was bridged over Simcoe in anticipation of an underpass. Remember that in the past, the yards went all the way down to the Gardiner at Simcoe, so there was definitely never any underpass.

 

[pancsi]

simcoe extension

Sept. 23/07

 

[interchange42]

It is so encouraging to actually see this - a completed Simcoe Street will make a huge difference in terms on how connected upper and lower downtown feel for both pedestrians and vehicularly enabled types.

It will be very interesting to see just how traffic patterns are changed too...

Thanks for the photo Pansci!

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[CDL.TO]

I wonder if there are plans to convert any of Simcoe St to two-way after the opening of the underpass. It's a wide street, 4 lanes wide up to Wellington and 3 north of there.

I can't wait until the waterfront east of Yonge starts getting more developed and plans start being made for a Church-Cooper connection. Punch a hole through the hideous parking structure, under the tracks, and deal with Lakeshore and the Gardiner ramps... nice.

 

[samsonyuen]

I can't wait to have another route to go from my condo at Bremner and Spadina to...almost anywhere west/north.

 

[interchange42]

I wonder if there are plans to convert any of Simcoe St to two-way after the opening of the underpass. It's a wide street, 4 lanes wide up to Wellington and 3 north of there.

I can't wait until the waterfront east of Yonge starts getting more developed and plans start being made for a Church-Cooper connection. Punch a hole through the hideous parking structure, under the tracks, and deal with Lakeshore and the Gardiner ramps... nice.

CDL, Simcoe is 2 way for the single block stretch south of Front down to Station already, and south of the tracks of course. I was wandering around down there last night though wondering the same thing as you however. I'm betting it will be unlikely as University gets closer and closer to Simcoe as one continues north, and 2 way would surely require the lengthening or additions of lights for Simcoe, causing some east-west blocks on Wellington, King, Adelaide, Richmond, Queen, that would be short enough to tip over into gridlock at rush hours. We'll see...

The Church-Cooper connection is a pipe dream, don't you think? Could a pedestrian tunnel go through at the south end of Market? Is CityScape planning one at through the ribbon building and under the tracks at the south end of Mill? I'd like to see these go in wherever there is the possibility.

I can't wait to have another route to go from my condo at Bremner and Spadina to...almost anywhere west/north.

I hope that the city does force Concord to build the pedestrian bridge through the middle of Parade across the tracks to Front.

 

[Hypnotoad]

I wonder if there are plans to convert any of Simcoe St to two-way after the opening of the underpass. It's a wide street, 4 lanes wide up to Wellington and 3 north of there.
.

I think Simcoe is only 2 days south of front so it can support the convention centre parking garage -- actually, isn't this section of the street actually part of station st.? I'd assume that lower Simcoe will be 2 ways until front and north bound passengers will be forced to turn or go the wrong way down a one-way street.

I see the largest benefit of the simcoe underpass being the improved accessibility for local drivers to avoid gridlock associated with leaving the core and getting on the Gardiner. Keeping the underpass section 2 ways south of Front serves this purpose. Changing Simcoe to a 2-way street the entire length may work at cross-purposes. But then again, besides SimCity as a kid I'm not a transportation planner so who knows...

 

[mettle]

i could easily be wrong, but i seem to recall someone (adam vaughan?) saying that this passage will only be for pedestrians and bikes.

 

[Jdot]

Lets hope not. Another route from the core to the Gardiner is needed. Right now Blue Jays Way/Navy Wharf Court/Bremner Blvd/Spadina is a nightmare of cars lining up to get onto the Gardiner. If Simcoe opens up, some of that traffic will head down Simcoe to Lakeshore and up onto the Gardiner.

 

[interchange42]

Impossible.

With the RBC Centre and Boutique going in directly on Simcoe, and the Ritz-Carlton and the Lighbox/Festival Tower, M5V Life, and other nearby, and all the new development to take place south of the tracks, there is no way they can handle future vehicular traffic in this area without this connection.

42

 

[drum118]

Shots from Monday

Can't see the light at the end of the tunnel yet.

 

[Edward Skira]

So the light I saw was from the middle of the tracks.

 

[drum118]

So the light I saw was from the middle of the tracks.

No from the south as you can see it in the photo for the west side. 3rd last photo

 

[grey]

Shots from Monday
Can't see the light at the end of the tunnel yet.

Doesn't look like there's a lot of clearance under there.