News   Jul 12, 2024
199 Church Showcases Heritage Facade and Artwork at Street Level
 1.6K     0 
News   Jul 12, 2024
Six Points Plaza Redevelopment Advances With 36-Storey First Phase
 1.2K     1 
News   Jul 12, 2024
Trading Spaces: Can Real Estate Conversion Help Boost Housing Supply?
 460     0 

Toronto St. Clair West Transit Improvements | ?m | ?s | TTC

I guess that "follies" is the polite way of saying it. How many times have they screwed up one element and have had to tear down and redo it anyway?

I guess the strip between Keele and Old Weston will remain a hazard for several more months. If they can at least get the sidewalks finished and give all the lanes back to traffic, we can drive and cycle in some kind of uneasy coexistence for a while.

I don't know why they're talking about late summer of next year to get full service to Gunn's loop. The reconstruction of the Dufferin section, the Old Weston/Keele stretch and the loop itself will require uninterrupted work from April through August?
 
Jonny5 said:
Per a community meeting the other night, info relayed by Steve Munro here, Phase 4 is completely borked and won't open until August 2010. Service to Lansdowne will open December 20. Oakwood loop will not open until some undetermined time in the future. The eastbound platform at Dufferin was designed too wide and since it's already built they have to demolish it and do it again.
Click to expand...

Based on what I am seeing, tracks will be lay between Gunns Rd and Keele St this week or early next.

The retaining wall on the east side of the bridge will/should be finish this week allowing construction of the sidewalk to be finish mid Nov.

Once the sidewalk is in, then ROW can be built on the east side. There is nothing stopping the building of the ROW on the west side.

As for Gunns Loop, it may stay as is until TTC decides what overhead system they are going to use for it. I have seen the new layout for the loop and not as is. Then with all the changes the City is doing on the fly, which plan is up to date.

The ROW to Gunns Loop can be done by year end as plan by Dufferin Construction.

Tracks on Old Weston Rd will be remove this month as the sidewalk have been rebuilt to the north end of the loop on both side of the street.

TTC is going to test 2 types of overhead systems for Lansdowne Loop as well Oakwood Loop. Oakwood is waiting material and why it has not been strung at this time. Which every work better will be use for TC as well upgrading the existing system.

The contractor doing Phase II should be finish this weekend or early next week and will have a better handle on it when I look at it on Friday. Was supposed to do it today, but got hung up. It will be up to the other contractors to get their work finish on time so TTC can string the overhead and test the line for the Dec 20 opening.

The problem with Dufferin St platforms, they are too close to the intersection to do a U-turn for trucks. Then having parking that close to the intersection doesn't help. They are the same width as the other ones.

As a note, starting next week if things get completed this week, the east side of Bathurst Dupont bridge will be open to traffic. The traffic is the south bound lane will shift over to the north bound lanes. Work will start on the west side and should be finish by April 2010.

TTC will not be able to run 512 cars south during working hours and therefore Hillcrest will remain home base for them during the week. Not sure what plan for weekends consider 22 cars are require for service on 512 starting Dec 20th.

Go and see the eastbound platform at Wychwood Ave as someone has destroy the handrail 100% including the concrete bumper.

Better still: Nov 2 photo's
IMG_nov-02-09-0103.jpg


IMG_nov-02-09-0104.jpg


IMG_nov-02-09-0105.jpg


Keele
IMG_nov-02-09-0009.jpg


IMG_nov-02-09-0019.jpg
 
Last edited:
look at that damage!

also, it would have looked nice if they chose a pattern concrete style that emulated the old granite pavers they once used around the tracks long ago.
 
EnviroTO said:
You would think that the railing and lean-bench hardware would unscrew apart so it could be reused rather than bent to pieces and thrown away.
Click to expand...

Cost you more than try to fix it or reuse it. Trust me, I know first hand.

Also, as to the Aug 2010 opening date, 3 things come to mind for that time frame.

A) Not enough cars to service the full length until then. We have a lot of cars sitting on the hold line waiting parts and work.

B) TTC wants to wait to see which of the 2 test loop overhead is the best one before installing one at Gunns Loop.

C) I think this is the one that will cause the delay. The City is planning on widening St Clair west of Gunns Rd to 4 lanes and the EA is to be close this month and then sent to the MTO for approval This will require the intersection to be rebuilt and it will effect the loop some what. There is no provision for an ROW fn this expansion other than remove 2 lanes at a later date. Big Mistake Here.

Keele Intersection is close this weekend as track work is been built for it. No work had started at 9:30 Am when I hit it. They just started the saw cutting.

Next to no workers on the retaining wall to the east with haft pour. The road is not even going to bend there at all.

The road was paved only from Oakwood to Glenholme. Rest of the road is now pour up to Westmount and ready for paving. Traffic should be off the ROW by next Sunday or sooner.
 
On the plus side, I was driving eastbound on St.Clair and I think from Spadina east towards Avenue Rd. they are finally going to start to lay down some fresh, smooth asphalt. They have already scraped the uneven layer off - maybe a couple of inches off of the old bumpy surface.
 
Necessary Evil said:
On the plus side, I was driving eastbound on St.Clair and I think from Spadina east towards Avenue Rd. they are finally going to start to lay down some fresh, smooth asphalt. They have already scraped the uneven layer off - maybe a couple of inches off of the old bumpy surface.
Click to expand...

And with The Forest Hill almost done, the right eastbound lane at Avenue should finally reopen.
 
They have been doing a lots of repair work in Phase I and one reason for the new paving to come.

They are rebuilt part of Deer Park westbound platform.

With the removal of the Hording for the Avenue, at Avenue Rd, it helps traffic.

It would be nice to get some of those poles and wires remove that should happen on day one. As for the transformer poles, they have to stay as there is no ground area to put them.

Arlington to Oakwood is now wire as TTC crews were installing the brackets to the wire on Sat as none of it was there on Friday. There is a 55m+ distance between supports at Hendrick Ave. There was talk about putting extra poles up to deal with that distance thanks to the Fire Department, but is dead at this time.

Oakwood Loop is supposed to be waiting poles before the new style of overhead is install. This style is to be use for Gunns Loop also.

The retaining wall should be pour either today or yesterday for the section still waiting concrete.

I had a looked at the handrail again at Wychwood and 10 new post are needed along with the railing. One seat area can be save. Otherwise, it was a right off. Didn't take a close look at the anchors to see if they can be reuse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYvhEtSegwM Phase IV Nov 08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsDh7GDOH2o Phase IV Nov 08
 
The St. Clair ROW is scheduled to open from Yonge to Lansdowne on December 20th, and to Keele by Spring 2010 according to the TTC as you all know. However, Steve Munroe claims that it will open to Keele in August and sources a community meeting held last week.

Personally I doubt this claim as the ROW is basically completed, this is a picture of Phase 4 at Laughton Avenue.

IMG_0673.jpg

Before

5928_110725902369_501187369_2088051_31582_n.jpg

During construction/Garbage Strike

IMG_0482.jpg

After


Note the change in the width of the sidewalk in the first two pictures, other than that, this portion of St. Clair looks absolutely wonderful! The change is truly immense. Currently, Dufferin construction is working throughout the day and night to get Keele Street open to traffic across St. Clair. Here's a picture of construction occurring at 11pm on Sat Nov 7th.

IMG_0481.jpg


All construction in Phase 4 west to Old Weston Road has been complete for some time now. They are currently finishing up the stretch of track from just east of Keele St to just before the intersection at Gunns Road. Note that this is the last stretch of track to be constructed other than Gunns Loop and the underpass between Keele and Old Weston so I have no idea why this would open in August of next year.

Traffic in Phase 4 is reeking complete havoc on the entire neighbourhood. There are reports that at times it took 45 mins to move one block on St Clair between Old Weston and Keele. I have experienced this first hand, and transit is no option through the area as most 512 buses are short turning at Oakwood and Lansdowne, and the ones that do make it down to Keele are stuck in so much traffic that you might as well walk from as far as Caledonia to Keele to reach your destination. The 41, and 89 are both on detour through Stock Yards Rd and the traffic is also very bad through that area. If you can stay away from Keele and St. Clair until tomorrow, do so. You will thank me later.

Drum, what do you think of this August opening date? I think it should be right on schedule to open in the spring.
 
The eastern ramp exit from St. Clair West Station was closed for at least part of this weekend. I'm not sure for what. I saw two TTC staff members drive up it, but the buses couldn't use it. Is the track replacement work on it begining now?
 
I think I need a pep talk about this project.

IIRC, the ROW is supposed to take 7 minutes off the trip between Keele and Yonge St. In addition, car traffic is supposed to be easier now that the threat of a streetcar breaking down in front of traffic has been removed. Are there any other benefits that I'm missing that would justify the expense, the delay and the final results?

I usually use Davenport to bike from my neighbourhood (Keele and St. Clair) to Yonge and St. Clair. On Friday, I decided to stay on St. Clair instead so I could have a close look at the entire project. I left around 10:30 AM, well after morning rush hour had ended, so I didn't have to deal with the worst of the traffic. But it was still a horrible experience.

There are now officially two non-streetcar lanes eastbound and two lanes westbound most of the way. These lanes are usually quite narrow, opening up a little wider east of Bathurst. But for all intents and purposes, there is a single lane of traffic east and west because the curb lane in most blocks is filled with parked cars or delivery trucks.

The curb lane full of cars was often too narrow for my bike, as staying in that lane put me too close to the door zone for my safety and the peace of mind of any driver beside or behind me. This meant I had to take the center lane several times, at top speed, in order to proceed safely. The drivers were remarkably calm and accepting of this, but it was still a lousy situation for us all. I feel much faster and safer travelling on Spadina, a similar setup, because the wider street and the recessed lane for parking makes more room for us all.

I won't be commuting that 7 km stretch again, as Davenport, for all its flaws, offers more space and predictability. But the lousy design of this project means that I'm also less likely to shop locally, as cycling even a few blocks on St. Clair is a claustrophobic mess. Going south to Davenport, then north and uphill on some sidestreet, is an alternative, but honestly, I'm much more likely to go downtown to shop instead.

I've used the TTC for years, and still use it as a backup when weather conditions are just too rough for commuting to work. I'm one of the people who should be thrilled with saving 7 whole minutes on a half hour trip. But I'm not. Repaving the street, repairing the tracks and burying the electrical wires made sense. Constricting non-streetcar traffic to a single lane and making this a much less inviting neighbourhood for drivers and cyclists? Not so great.

I hope there's enough of an increase in TTC ridership to keep St. Clair viable. The street is going to see less of locals like me.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top