Toronto Crosstown LRT | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

[smallspy]

I know the garage is the west end but this part where they poured concrete is in the east end as part of one of the open sections of the line which I don't get why they are pouring concrete so soon for.

They have two and a half years to finish this thing. The at-grade portion of the line is about 9km. You expect them to pour all of that in the course of a weekend in a year's time?!? It's going to take them time to get everything ready, and they've got to start somewhere.

Dan

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

They have two and a half years to finish this thing. The at-grade portion of the line is about 9km. You expect them to pour all of that in the course of a weekend in a year's time?!? It's going to take them time to get everything ready, and they've got to start somewhere.

Dan

nope, I figured they would go from one end to the other and not some random spot in the middle of the line. It's the spot that doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[KevinT]

You start where you can start, waiting to begin at an idealized location just wastes time. The condition and location of existing utilities, the number of relocations required, their depth, soil conditions, affects on neighbouring homes and business due to detour scheduling or other projects, plus a million other things we don't know from the outside looking in were all undoubtedly factors in this location becoming 'the' place where the first embedded track was poured.

 

[TransitBart]

[

It is but it has me wondering about the construction timeline and why was this small area done first? To me, this is something that could have been later in the year in the spring rather than right now in the middle of winter, plus it makes more sense to me that they would have stared from laird and not som,e random spot in the middle of the above ground section.

What if this made sense because there were still utility re-locations at other places on the line? There are still other infrastructure issues. For example, the bridge re-hab over the east Don River at Wynford is not yet done. Laying track is easy. Building a solid trackbed where all the other key bits like power, gas and water are safely out of the way is more challenging and time-consuming. All of that work done ten, and twenty and thirty years ago, never contemplated rails on the street. At the time, laying it under (or close to) the roadbed made sense.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

[

What if this made sense because there were still utility re-locations at other places on the line? There are still other infrastructure issues. For example, the bridge re-hab over the east Don River at Wynford is not yet done. Laying track is easy. Building a solid trackbed where all the other key bits like power, gas and water are safely out of the way is more challenging and time-consuming. All of that work done ten, and twenty and thirty years ago, never contemplated rails on the street. At the time, laying it under (or close to) the roadbed made sense.

That doesn't make it a good reason to lay track in a random location. They should be working from one end to another, not doing it in random pecies just because it's easier to do a certain section. All I'm saying is I would have expected this part to be amongst the last done as it's a flat section of the line and could be done at anytime without delays. Having parts of track layed but not connected to the rest of the system makes no sense to me whatsoever at all. It just seems like the timeline on things hasn't been planned properly at all and they have too many crews doing smaller projects at the same time.

 

[TransitBart]

That doesn't make it a good reason to lay track in a random location. They should be working from one end to another, not doing it in random pecies just because it's easier to do a certain section. All I'm saying is I would have expected this part to be amongst the last done as it's a flat section of the line and could be done at anytime without delays. Having parts of track layed but not connected to the rest of the system makes no sense to me whatsoever at all. It just seems like the timeline on things hasn't been planned properly at all and they have too many crews doing smaller projects at the same time.

The level of discussion on this board is generally very high. There are a lot of knowledgeable people contributing from their educational, work and life experiences. This is not a local discussion board of yokels.

In my office, sometimes people contribute a thought as to how they would do something when they are not directly involved. Sometimes I ask them if they are contributing an opinion or if they would like to contribute directly to the project. Sometimes, the view is something altogether different when one gets inside the project.

In this case, it is fine that this does not make sense to you. Or more likely - this challenges your sensibilities which is a slightly different thing. My OCD self likes linear things that start at one point and end logically at the other end too. But I accept that the people in charge of this project know what they are doing.

The universe is filled with things I can't understand - like why after the gas-plant scandal, Premier Dalton McGuinty is not cooling his heals in jail. That also offends my sensibilities. As does paying $400,000 annually to the first failed leader of E-Health Ontario for zero result.

It is one thing to be fanatically supportive. Transit in Canada could use those fans. It is another to be fanatically obsessive, and not recognize when someone with more (direct) experience in something is not only offering an opinion, but also a rationale.

Each of us can choose each day with each post whether we are contributing to understanding, reason and rationality in the universe or grandstanding in a fact-challenged dystopian Trump world. Sometimes we have to accept someone else's greater experience.

Facts and opinions are not the same thing.

 

[W. K. Lis]

That doesn't make it a good reason to lay track in a random location. They should be working from one end to another, not doing it in random pecies just because it's easier to do a certain section. All I'm saying is I would have expected this part to be amongst the last done as it's a flat section of the line and could be done at anytime without delays. Having parts of track layed but not connected to the rest of the system makes no sense to me whatsoever at all. It just seems like the timeline on things hasn't been planned properly at all and they have too many crews doing smaller projects at the same time.

Sometimes the utilities are finished or don't need to be relocated in a location. If it is ready for track laying, why not?

In the underground sections, they have been laying track since 2018, but not at the crossovers, or other special tracks.

This video is from 2018:

 

[W. K. Lis]

From February 14, 2019:

Special note, look at the 2:30 point and on.

 

[Steve X]

I know the garage is the west end but this part where they poured concrete is in the east end as part of one of the open sections of the line which I don't get why they are pouring concrete so soon for.

I can assume there's a few reasons. They want to test out the durability of their concrete mixture and design before screwing up the whole line. This section they poured is at the westbound turn from Eglinton Avenue on to Eglinton Square leading to O'Connor. It's a busy intersection near two major intersections (Victoria Park and Pharmacy). They can get one out of the way now, it'll be easier later on.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

That doesn't make it a good reason to lay track in a random location. They should be working from one end to another, not doing it in random pecies just because it's easier to do a certain section.

Moreover, why?! It's easier sounds like exactly a reason to start in a particular location. What effect do you suggest doing pours out of linear order has?

 

[TheTigerMaster]

How much money is Metrolinx spending on advertising? Idk if I've seen a public agency more obsessed with branding and advertising.

 

[Leo_Chan]

From February 14, 2019:

Special note, look at the 2:30 point and on.

This makes so much sense. Using the Emergency exits as entry and exit points during construction as they're much simpler to construct than stations.

 

[TransitBart]

How much money is Metrolinx spending on advertising? Idk if I've seen a public agency more obsessed with branding and advertising.

They have a healthy communications budget which would be (less) necessary if we lived in a day when people trusted the government and its various arms to do good quality work in the general best interests of the public.

There is also a general level of stupidity in the universe whereby people can live next to the construction without any awareness of what is being built or when it will be done. Amazingly, there are people in the city who have no idea that a major 'subway' (ok, on UT I'll make sure I say rapid rail transit) line is under construction.

 

[Aplus23]

According to Crosstown and their open house materials / The Majority of the east end guideway pours will be completed by Spring 2019. If the guideways will be track ready by spring 2019, then I think this project should be done on time.

 

[BurlOak]

According to Crosstown and their open house materials / The Majority of the east end guideway pours will be completed by Spring 2019. If the guideways will be track ready by spring 2019, then I think this project should be done on time.

I googled "guideway" and pretty well every image was an elevated line.
Wait - East. Did they decide to elevate the East end after all - if so, hooray.?
Are you talking about the elevated portion of the line (near Black Creek - and you just mixed up east and west), or the on-street street-car style of track bed in the East?