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

Well, honestly all of Eglinton will be a traffic mess for the next 7 years, regardless of that alignment choice.

As a local, I'm expecting it and I'll happily deal with it considering I'm getting a new transit line :).

Well specifically the disruption from the construction of the launch portal will be fairly bad, Eglinton is being reduced to one lane in each direction west of Leslie, and the groups who stopped the move of the launch shaft to Don Mills are just west of there and will be affected the most by it. Plus there is a large about of traffic on that part of Eglinton.

But mainly there reasons for opposing moving the launch shaft were nonsense,
 
Well specifically the disruption from the construction of the launch portal will be fairly bad, Eglinton is being reduced to one lane in each direction west of Leslie, and the groups who stopped the move of the launch shaft to Don Mills are just west of there and will be affected the most by it. Plus there is a large about of traffic on that part of Eglinton.
Indeed. The impact will be huge in comparison to the Don Mills launch location, where the launch site was the Ontario Science Centre parking lot, and would have had almost no impact.

Fortunately though, it's the locals who wanted the Leslie stop, and therefore won't be complaining about the traffic nightmare!

But mainly there reasons for opposing moving the launch shaft were nonsense,
The only real reason I think it happened, is that Metrolinx was concerned that if they moved it, City Council would have to approve the change.
 
Yup, and the locals who fought the move to extend the tunnels will now have to suffer through the resulting traffic mess during the construction period. And I wouldn't be surprised if these same groups end up complaining about the construction disruptions as well.

If you think just locals use Eglinton between Laird and Don Mills think again.

I'm not too far away from where this is happening. Oh well, we all have to make sacrifices I suppose.
 
At every station along Eglinton, the road will be reduced to 1 lane in each direction for long periods of time. From what I read on Steve Munro's site, this will likely happen all at the same time after tunnelling is complete (after 2016 I believe). This is already happening on the west end with just headwall construction, and traffic is really bad.

There's no way around it if we want to build underground transit.
 
Brentcliffe Lauch Shaft.jpg


Launch Shaft East of Brentcliffe Road (at Eglinton Avenue east)
 

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At every station along Eglinton, the road will be reduced to 1 lane in each direction for long periods of time. From what I read on Steve Munro's site, this will likely happen all at the same time after tunnelling is complete (after 2016 I believe). This is already happening on the west end with just headwall construction, and traffic is really bad.

There's no way around it if we want to build underground transit.

I think I heard that station construction (at least the road excavation part) will leapfrog to avoid too many traffic impacts in any one area at one time (e.g. Keele, Dufferin, Eglinton West, Chaplin etc. then Caledonia, Oakwood, Bathurst, Avenue etc.). Also most of the construction will happen under steel road decking plates. Once the plates are in place most lanes will be reopened (other than at places needed to access the underground work area).
 
Also most of the construction will happen under steel road decking plates. Once the plates are in place most lanes will be reopened (other than at places needed to access the underground work area).

They are using decking plates at the Finch West Station site - you still need a huge hole in the ground for removing soil and bringing in concrete. No matter what, there will be lots of headaches.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.
 
So it looks like having a new alignment east of Brentcliffe has reached the point of no return? =\

About 5 years ago, the grade-separated Eglinton/SRT "subway" was maybe less expensive than the median LRT.
Then when the large diameter TBM's were ordered, it would cost a couple of hundred million more for the larger tunnels, but Eglinton/SRT is still possible.
Then when the LRT vehciles were ordered, it would cost a couple of hundred million more to reconfigure the SRT, but Eglinton/SRT is still possible.
Then the inevitable complaints about the Kennedy transfer arose and a couple of hundred million in cancellation fees appeared imminent because of the B-D subway extension decision, but the Eglinton/SRT is still possible.
Then when the launch shaft was located in the median at/near Brentecliffe, it would cost a couple of hundred million more to have an underground cross-over and pocket track. Now it appears that the Eglinton/SRT line is finally dead.
(Maybe there was another couple of hundred million available in cancelling the Conlins Yard and building storage garage near the hydro corridor).

The next question will be, now that we have continually made the wrong decisions on the Eglinton line - what can be done to salvage some semblance of a transit line towards a transportation system.

I wouldn't have imagined that the Provincial Liberals would screw up transit as badly as they did when Andrea Horvath decided to prop them up last Spring. Although judging by how they have messed up Health, Education, Finance, Energy, Attorney General, etc., etc.*, maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise at all.

* - actually, off hand I can not think of one Ministry that has performed well over the past 10 years.
 
The next question will be, now that we have continually made the wrong decisions on the Eglinton line - what can be done to salvage some semblance of a transit line towards a transportation system.

That funny. That like going out to buy a new car and the dealership screwing up and not giving you heated seats you ordered. That doesn't mean the whole car is totally useless. All those issues are minor problems. As a whole the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is and will be a great success and doesn't in any way need to be "salvaged".
 
^exactly. Its like not wanting the DRL to be built because it isn't the *exact* alignment you wanted.

The LRT will easily be able to handle the loads from Don Mills, and will serve its intended purpose exceedingly well.
 
Yup, and the locals who fought the move to extend the tunnels will now have to suffer through the resulting traffic mess during the construction period. And I wouldn't be surprised if these same groups end up complaining about the construction disruptions as well.

Once again, misinformation spread in the media, mostly The Star, has people thinking the PEOPLE of Leaside were against the tunnel extension to Don Mills. It was a few condo-dwellers on Leslie aided (inexplicably) by the Leaside Property Owners Association (LPOA) that sabotaged the EA amendment to extend the tunnel. The LPOA and their hidden agenda does NOT represent the people of Leaside, 99% of whom will never use the Leslie stop which is down the hill and not even in Leaside. Leasiders could not care less if there's a Leslie stop and they will be inconvenienced the most by the Brentcliffe portal. All because the LPOA and Metrolinx were scared to get an amendment passed by city council. Leaside side streets are already clogged by non-residents cutting through and this could get worse although attempts to divert (more) traffic off Eglinton during construction will get ugly. Quickly.
 
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They could have just had the tracks south of the road in the trees where there's nothing there anyway. And plus the stop would for sure get used if the Lawrence East bus terminates there.
 
So with the launch shaft taking up all of the South lanes, does this mean we can still go with an alignment that runs south of Eglinton at a later date? Is this the point where the LRT will surface?
 
So with the launch shaft taking up all of the South lanes, does this mean we can still go with an alignment that runs south of Eglinton at a later date? Is this the point where the LRT will surface?

I would hope so, but honestly I don't know. The south side alignment seems like such a common sense solution, hopefully someone in a position to make a change will wake up to it at some point.
 

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