Toronto Bloor Street Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Bloor-Yorkville BIA | architectsAlliance

pearpenguin said:
I hope these bike racks go really deep into the ground or physics will not work in their favor. Having walked this stretch dozens of times in the past few months I don't recall seeing any protrusions that these were then later attached to.
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Therein lies the problem, I tried to wobble them and a couple moved, some didn't - yet. They're not very stable.
 
Around one of the manhole covers, I think in front of the Alliance Atlantis building, the granite is already crumbling. I was able to pick up a few loose pieces (which I promptly put back). I really hope the B-Y BIA is hyper-vigilant about maintenance!
 
condovo said:
Around one of the manhole covers, I think in front of the Alliance Atlantis building, the granite is already crumbling. I was able to pick up a few loose pieces (which I promptly put back). I really hope the B-Y BIA is hyper-vigilant about maintenance!
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That's very strange, I didn't notice any of that in my walk about a week ago ... not a good sign at all.
 
I haven't seen that yet either, but I don't doubt your claim. I was along there today but I had a homeless dude following me & throwing stones at me and my dog after I called the cops on him for throwing rocks at passing traffic so I wasn't paying much attention to the granite!

The north side of Bloor west of Yonge Street is now pretty much complete to about Bellair Street. Most of the granite is down and fences mark the spaces where trees will go. West of Bellair is hit & miss but still pretty messy in most areas except at Avenue Road where most of the sidewalk has been done in front of Church of the Redeemer. With a couple of exceptions the south side of Bloor west of Yonge is pretty much done except for tree plantings and landscaping. With a few exceptions (notably the Manulife Centre) the granite goes right to the storefronts giving it a much cleaner look than what what we've seen in some areas east of Yonge. This is going to look sensational next summer when it's all complete.
 
^^ That's if the granite doesn't crumble completely by next summer (see my previous post). Also, I've noticed that in many places the caulking between the granite pavers has sunk and some of the underlying concrete or gravel has given way, especially at the corners of the slabs, leaving gaping holes beneath the stonework that are vulnerable to water damage. The B-Y BIA needs to conduct a thorough and meticulous audit of the new sidewalks from top to bottom and ensure that all deficiencies are repaired ASAP, i.e. before the winter.
 
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dt_toronto_geek said:
I haven't seen that yet either, but I don't doubt your claim. I was along there today but I had a homeless dude following me & throwing stones at me and my dog after I called the cops on him for throwing rocks at passing traffic so I wasn't paying much attention to the granite!
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Oh my goodness! Are you and your dog ok?
 
Tymora said:
Oh my goodness! Are you and your dog ok?
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Oh yes, we're fine thanks :), no biggie. I hung around for about 40 minutes waiting for the police (I phoned 911 because he was throwing stones and rocks into windows and into moving traffic) but no one came so after a half hour of abuse, we gave up and left.
 
BLOOR STREET

Construction Update

September 17, 2010


Bloor Street Transformation Update



The granite work on the north boulevard, between Yonge Street and Avenue Road, is nearing completion, with minor works outstanding. The top coat of asphalt will be applied September 28th to September 30th. The intersection of Bay and Bloor Streets will be closed to north/south bound traffic beginning at 7:00 p.m. on September 28th and will reopen early-morning on September 29th. Similarly, the intersection of Avenue Road and Bloor Street will be closed at 7:00 p.m. on September 29th and will reopen early-morning on September 30th.



In order, to ensure optimal health and survival, the trees will be planted in the spring, 2011. A skid resistant plywood has been installed to cover the tree pits, in the interim, or in some instances an orange barrel has been tied to the tree grate. The tree rings are coated, and will initially appear to be “rustedâ€, however, the coating will wear away over time to expose a patina finish which will complement the colour of the granite.



The City has advised that the Bloor Street Transformation Project currently has a completion date of October 21st, 2010.



The Hydro vault work on the north west corner of Church Street and Bloor Street is imminent, and will take approximately eight to ten weeks to complete.



Please take the opportunity to visit the east portion of Bloor Street , as the new bike posts have been installed, and have been receiving positive reviews. New granite benches will be installed within the year.
 
I'm glad they're doing this right instead of rushing it -- although retailers and regular visitors to the area probably aren't. In the end, it will have been worth it. I hope the city learned with this project and will know how to better cooperate with the different involved entities to get it right, on budget and on schedule next time another transformation like this occurs.

As for candidates, College St. (Little Italy) has plenty of businesses that would gain from such a transformation.
 
I would love to see a similar revitalization on Front street too, it has so much potential to be better.
 
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