TTC: St. Clair Streetcar Right Of Way

[the lemur]

Doing this will increase traffic more on Davenport and its bad now without trying to add bike lane. Bike lanes will require the removal of on street park and no great lost.

Davenport already has bike lanes.

Also, how do you deal with Union & Townsley connection as they would be come dead end streets with this extension. As for Turnberry, it will see increase in traffic if extended to Gunns for people who use Rogers Rd route.

I'm not sure what you mean about them becoming dead-ends. Townsley continues around the corner to Union, which is already a dead end at its north end. If you curve it to the west you could make a Gunns/Turnberry/Union intersection as I mentioned.

 

[smallspy]

Are both of those meant to be extended across railway tracks?

And grade-separated at that, yes.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[44 North]

I'm sure it's been questioned/answered/discussed, but what about tunnelling below the rail corridor to alleviated the bottleneck? Is it feasible to have the line dip below grade from Old West to west of Keele? It's about half a km, and I'm sure the streetcar could take the gradient.

Second option: Remove the sidewalk completely ceding the space to the roadway, and have a small tunnel through the railway embankment. Possible?

Also, someone told me that tracks on St Clair are too close together for the new streetcars, but it hasn't reached the media yet. Is this true?

 

[innsertnamehere]

absolutely not. They have run the streetcars on every single piece of track in the network and done testing on every line except Queens Quay (obviously, as it is decommissioned) Baseless rumour.

 

[Earlscourt_Lad]

I don't think there's all that much to be expropriated. A few row houses on Old Weston, the Cadet lands (the building is half demolished already and I believe the land is subject to a MoE clean up order so not very saleable), Delta Bingo's parking lot (which is empty most days), and some random light industrial land north of St. Clair. It looks like the Keele St. road allowance extends to a hypothetical intersection with the railway lines, so that's in place.

Regardless, as someone who lives and works in the area, the current situation is terrible. St. Clair is backed up to Laughton or Caledonia in the WB lanes nearly every day. That said, when Junction Road reopens, it should lessen the pressure a little bit.

 

[DSC]

This may kick-start something:

Description: St. Clair Avenue West Traffic Congestion Environmental Assessment Study. (between Keele Street and Old Weston Road)
The purpose of this RFP is to set out the scope through which the City can retain professional consulting services to prepare a Transportation Master Plan (TMP) following the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) process to identify area-wide infrastructure improvements that address traffic congestion on the section of St. Clair Avenue West between Keele Street and Old Weston Road. The TMP will complete a detailed evaluation of alternative infrastructure improvements that have been defined in the 2015 Functional Planning study and which are more particularly described below.

The TMP is to be carried out in accordance with Master Plan Approach No. 3, which is described in Appendix 4 of the October 2000 Municipal Class EA, as amended in 2007, 2011 and 2015. More specifically, the TMP shall document all four phases of the Municipal Class EA process for the Schedule C projects that may be identified as part of this assignment.

Following the completion of the TMP, City staff will make recommendations to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee and City Council. Should staff recommendations receive endorsement, a Notice of Study Completion will be published and the TMP will be filed on the public record for a 30-day review period.
Issue date: June 4, 2015 Closing date: June 23, 2015
at 12:00 Noon

 

[W. K. Lis]

This may kick-start something:

Description: St. Clair Avenue West Traffic Congestion Environmental Assessment Study. (between Keele Street and Old Weston Road)
The purpose of this RFP is to set out the scope through which the City can retain professional consulting services to prepare a Transportation Master Plan (TMP) following the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) process to identify area-wide infrastructure improvements that address traffic congestion on the section of St. Clair Avenue West between Keele Street and Old Weston Road. The TMP will complete a detailed evaluation of alternative infrastructure improvements that have been defined in the 2015 Functional Planning study and which are more particularly described below.

The TMP is to be carried out in accordance with Master Plan Approach No. 3, which is described in Appendix 4 of the October 2000 Municipal Class EA, as amended in 2007, 2011 and 2015. More specifically, the TMP shall document all four phases of the Municipal Class EA process for the Schedule C projects that may be identified as part of this assignment.

Following the completion of the TMP, City staff will make recommendations to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee and City Council. Should staff recommendations receive endorsement, a Notice of Study Completion will be published and the TMP will be filed on the public record for a 30-day review period.
Issue date: June 4, 2015 Closing date: June 23, 2015
at 12:00 Noon

Next time, provide a link.

 

[DSC]

Next time, provide a link.

Sorry, I normally do and it was clearly a tender call. My cut and paste was from: https://wx.toronto.ca/inter/pmmd/calls.nsf/0/CA94A74C8DC726CA85257E5A005382F0?OpenDocument

 

[W. K. Lis]

Back in 2012, City Council has directed staff to carry out an Environmental Assessment (EA) Study to investigate solutions to traffic congestion concerns on St Clair Avenue West around Keele Street and Old Weston Road. See link.

The result was a Planning Study.

Functional Planning Study
Our first step in this project is a Functional Planning Study to do the following:

• 
  
  • Identify the existing constraints, problems and issues in the study area.
  • Identify short-term and long-term solutions that can improve vehicular operations along St. Clair Avenue West between Keele Street and Old Weston Road.
  • Develop functional designs and high level cost estimates for the alternatives
  • Short-list improvements that the City can implement (with or without an Environmental Assessment Study).

From this link, there is a webpage on the
St. Clair Avenue West - Rail Crossing Study:

Below is the June 2015 Functional Planning Study report in full (large PDF files):

• St Clair Ave Underpass Functional Planning Study

Study Appendices:

• Appendix A-1 Cultural Landscape and Built Heritage - Existing Conditions Review
• Appendix A-2 Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report- St. Clair Avenue West Subway
• Appendix B Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment
• Appendix C Natural Heritage Review
• Appendix D-1 Description of the Short-Term Alternatives
• Appendix D-2 Detailed Plan Drawings (Short-Term Alternatives)
• Appendix D-3 Evaluation Matrix (Short-Term Alternatives)
• Appendix E Short-Term Traffic Analysis Intersection Capacity Analysis
• Appendix F-1 Description of the Long-Term Alternatives
• Appendix F-2 Detailed Plan and Profile Drawings (Long-Term Alternatives)
• Appendix F-3 Evaluation Matrix (Long-Term Alternatives)
• Appendix G Construction Staging

If you have any difficulty understanding these files, please contact Edward Presta at 416-338-6582.

Next Steps

A Transportation Master Plan (TMP) will be undertaken beginning summer 2015. The TMP will meet Environmental Assessment (EA) requirements and is expected to be completed by Spring 2016.

When Might Construction Start?

The City of Toronto is reviewing opportunities to implement near-term operational improvements (without major construction) to the section of St. Clair Avenue West between Old Weston Road and Keele Street. This work is being done independent of the Environmental Assessment(s).

Any major construction solutions that come out of the EA process would require further detailed design, which may require another 1-2 years to complete. Construction could then take another 3 to 6 years, depending on the project, scale and coordination with other infrastructure works.
​

They created 2 option plans for implementation. A short-term options list followed by a long term option list.

The long-term options are:

Option 1A(i) Replace Existing St. Clair Avenue West Underpass and widen to the both sides

Option 1A(ii) Replace Existing St. Clair Avenue West Underpass and widen to the south sides

Option 1B(i) New Underpass Structure South of St. Clair Avenue West for Eastbound Traffic Lanes

Option 1B(ii) New Overpass Structure South of St. Clair Avenue West for Eastbound Traffic Lanes

Option 2A (ii) Extend Gunns Road to Turnberry Avenue with Underpass

Option 3A(i) Extend Davenport Road to Lloyd Avenue with Overpass

Option 4 Extend Keele Street to a Gunns Road Extension Only

Option 5 Extend Keele Street to a Gunns Road Extension and Union Street Crossing Over St. Clair Avenue West to Connect with Davenport Road​

 

[drum118]

I have to correct myself for the ROW being on the south side of St Clair as it can't happen at all.

You have to be in the centre or on the north side of St Clair if you want to use the Scarlett Rd Underpass since the streetcar tracks are in the centre in the first place.

Also, you need a road off St Clair somewhere in the middle between Jane and Scarlett Rd and cannot be near the new intersection for Scarlett Rd.

 

[crs1026]

Even if the tracks have to be routed back into the middle of the road at Scarlett, the south side routing from Runnymede to Scarlett would be worthwhile, to put the line on the Jane overpass. The grades on St Clair at Jane are daunting. A Flexity stopped at the intersection would actually be parked on the slope. If you assume the platforms will be on the far side of the lights, the cars will have to stop and then start away on a significant up grade.

I wonder how much a cut and cover tunnel from a touch east of Jane to Scarlett (Coming into the open to cross Jane St at grade) would cost. It's not that far, that would keep the tracks on the level or reduce the grades.

- Paul

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

What about building a bridge to carry the Streetcar over Jane there?

 

[smallspy]

Even if the tracks have to be routed back into the middle of the road at Scarlett, the south side routing from Runnymede to Scarlett would be worthwhile, to put the line on the Jane overpass. The grades on St Clair at Jane are daunting. A Flexity stopped at the intersection would actually be parked on the slope. If you assume the platforms will be on the far side of the lights, the cars will have to stop and then start away on a significant up grade.

I wonder how much a cut and cover tunnel from a touch east of Jane to Scarlett (Coming into the open to cross Jane St at grade) would cost. It's not that far, that would keep the tracks on the level or reduce the grades.

- Paul

Why are the grades at Jane an issue? There are lots of locations on the current lines where cars stop on grades as bad or worse than there, and it doesn't seem to affect them.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[crs1026]

Why are the grades at Jane an issue? There are lots of locations on the current lines where cars stop on grades as bad or worse than there,

Dan,

I don't have any measurements to quote, but by eye I would guess that the grades are at the upper end of what's doable.

The benchmark grade that I can think of off the top of my head is Bathurst north from Hillcrest to St Clair. Jane- St Clair is much shorter, but it is quite steep, especially west of Jane . (Northwards on Jane is bad, too.....when that route comes up for study, it will be interesting whether there is a problem there.)

It may be gentle enough to maintain adhesion, but I would expect it would be quite challenging for operators in rainy or icy conditions. Especially if the traffic lights aren't synched....coming east one doesnt see the lights until you reach the top of the 'valley'. Sliding into the intersection on a red light is quite possible here.

- Paul

 

[wopchop]

I don't know the %, but my feeling is that Bathurst north of Hillcrest to Burnside drive is much steeper than St. Clair West through Jane street.