West Toronto Railpath
This info was contained in the current Ward18 newsLetter:
West Toronto Railpath Park Begins Construction this Spring:
The City of Toronto has approved the construction of a railpath park trail
which is approximately
2.1 kilometres long, running from the Cariboo Avenue in the north (Cariboo
is one block north of
Dupont) to Dundas Street in the south.
The design consists of a lit, asphalt trail which winds through the site
with concrete paved plazas
at street intersections. Planting will consist of native tree species.
Where possible, existing trees
along the site will be protected and incorporated into the design. Native
grasses and wildflower
seeds from the site were collected in the fall of 2006 and will be
replanted in 2009. Planting
adjacent to the path and under the trees will consist of low grasses and
wildflowers. This will
maintain the 'wild' character of the existing site while providing habitat
for birds, insects and small
mammals. The low heights of new plants will provide open sight lines
through the site for a safe
andcomfortable experience for all trail users.
The tender for the project has closed and by the end of April the contract
will have been awarded
to the winning bidder. Construction should start early in May, although
the timing of construction
north of Dupont Street is still to be sorted out. Negotiations with Go
Transit are ongoing
regarding coordinating access to these lands due to their ongoing rail
grade separation project in
the same area. Our work will start this spring regardless. Anticipated
completion of the project is
June 2009.
The City also plans to construct a second phase of this trail, running
from Dundas St. to King St,
in future years. Negotiations with CN Rail are ongoing to purchase the
land needed for phase two
of the project, and provisions are being made for the trail in current
planning processes, such as
leaving space for the trail in the Dufferin Jog Tunnel project set to
begin construction later this
year.
For more information about the West Toronto Railpath Park,
please contact my office (Adam G.) or visit
www.railpath.ca.