GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

Sheppard Ave E Overpass

Nov 26
Crews were working at boxing the utilities on the east side of the bridge on Friday.

Shoring taking place by the church with very little space between them.

The north sidewalk retaining wall is form and looks like concrete has been pour for it under the bridge.

A fair amount of retaining wall for both the sidewalk at both level has been place. There will be a stair from the sidewalk to the apartment building in front of it.

It will be summer before they can swing the eastbound lane under the bridge so work can start on the westbound lane.

Thanks for the pics of Sheppard- see it developing quite as this project progresses as my wife works in the area and I have to go by it at least once a week. Do you know if they have any plans to improve (if needed) the Agincourt GO station itself right at this Sheppard GO construction project? I hope they increase the frequency of this Stouffville line and grade seperate some more of the road crossings on this line, such as the one at on Danforth Rd. (just west of the Midland Ave. intersection) and the crossing on Progress Ave, which isn't as busy as Danforth Rd. or Sheppard Ave, but could use, for safety and efficiency of both road and rail traffic a grade seperation.

Is that overpass wide enough to be double tracked? It doesn't look like it from the photos.

Paleo said:

Is that overpass wide enough to be double tracked? It doesn't look like it from the photos.

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It does look surprisingly narrow - though there seems to be a a lot of space on each side. The project wasn't about GO though, it was all TTC ... but surely they've thought of this somehow ...

nfitz said:

It does look surprisingly narrow - though there seems to be a a lot of space on each side. The project wasn't about GO though, it was all TTC ... but surely they've thought of this somehow ...

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It is wide enough for two tracks. On a two-track bridge with only one track however, they build the track in the centre to even the loads and prevent twisting.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

smallspy said:

It is wide enough for two tracks. On a two-track bridge with only one track however, they build the track in the centre to even the loads and prevent twisting.

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The picture must be a bit deceptive, and there's barely room then to fit in a second track. Why they wouldn't leave room for a pedestrian pathway to allow people on the other side of Sheppard to access the station easier I don't know ... there often seems a lack of big picture thinking in these designs.

nfitz said:

The picture must be a bit deceptive, and there's barely room then to fit in a second track. Why they wouldn't leave room for a pedestrian pathway to allow people on the other side of Sheppard to access the station easier I don't know ... there often seems a lack of big picture thinking in these designs.

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There must be something in the code about minimum separation between an active rail line and a pedestrian walkway... and obviously pedestrians aren't the highest priority outside of downtown.

Swarley said:

There must be something in the code about minimum separation between an active rail line and a pedestrian walkway... and obviously pedestrians aren't the highest priority outside of downtown.

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All you'd need is a fence ...

... it's a miracle they let pedestrians on the platforms these days. You'd have thought the H&S over-achievers would be forcing TTC and GO to keep everyone in the mezzanine until the train comes to a complete stop in the station, and someone has walked the length of the train to count and make sure all the wheels are still there.

Great quote by Gary McNeil:

By providing more parking, we are making it easier and more convenient for people to choose GO Transit and leave their cars at home," said Mr. McNeil. "The completion of this parking structure is another example of GO's continued commitment to improving service and better meeting customer needs."

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Right on, Gary!

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/889109/new-parking-structure-opened-at-centennial-go-station

Lol that is funny. More parking making it easier to leave your car at home. I guess he meant leave your car at the train station.

There is enough room on the bridge for 2 tracks. The walkway on the bridge for RR worker is wider than the other ones with a safety pocket.

Due to construction on either side of the bridge as well be being new, the track is in the centre. Also, since there will be no 2nd track for some time, better off having the track in the centre. There are a number of bridges like this for not only for GO, but also the RR.

There is no need for a pedestrian walkway on the bridge, as well being a safety issue. If you put a walkway on that bridge, it will have to be 20 feet wider and an extra cost on top of the fence between the walkway and track.

There will be a traffic light to the west where traffic will enter/leave the parking lot where pedestrian can cross the road to either the GO station or catch the 85W buses. There will be a bus stop for the eastbound 85's at the lights.

Par for course for Gary to make that statement since he see cars, not transit servicing his system. Why do you see so many stations not near transit in the first place? Some have to be where they are as there nothing there in the first place as well the land was cheap to buy for it.

Only have to look at Oakville new garage to see the new nightmare traffic jam coming down the road for traffic getting into/out of that garage. Its takes about 20 minutes to get out of the current north lot now. Ask Paul Bedford on that, who happen to sit on the Metrolinx BOD. He has made that statement at BOD meetings in the past.

Took the early train so I could stop off to take some shots on the ground on Dec 8 visit. More up on the site.

Holy moley! That Oakville garage is something else; it looks like some poMo version of Henry Ford's Piquette plant, or the Kauffmann warehouse in Kitchener. How fitting. In several decades, future generations are going to marvel at how our society built such palaces to accommodate something as trivial as a place to park cars...for free!

GO sure loves building parking. One can only wonder what things would be like if they built, you know, transit lines with the same ambition.

drum118 said:

There is no need for a pedestrian walkway on the bridge, as well being a safety issue. If you put a walkway on that bridge, it will have to be 20 feet wider and an extra cost on top of the fence between the walkway and track.

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I haven't been following too closely. Where will the platforms be when they have finished. North of Sheppard? Where's the Agincourt station going to be on the Peterborough (Pickering Airport) line? How will they be connected?

Hipster Duck said:

Holy moley! That Oakville garage is something else; it looks like some poMo version of Henry Ford's Piquette plant, or the Kauffmann warehouse in Kitchener. How fitting. In several decades, future generations are going to marvel at how our society built such palaces to accommodate something as trivial as a place to park cars...for free!

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It's essentially to make it look less ugly in the surrounding context. I have no idea where Oakville GO is, but I'm sure there are intensification calls for the area. It'll make it more likely for the development you want to go in.

Incidentally, in Kitchener, there's a new parking garage that has been designed to fit in with the context -- with some ground floor retail space. http://www.downtownkitchener.ca/news/parkinggarage/

Speaking of the downtown Kitchener garage, it's a blight on the landscape imo. The brick facade "fits in" with the overall downtown facade fabric, but it's dead in terms of pedestrian activity (go figure). The Oakville garage looks massive! I find it ridiculous that Metrolinx is building this monster garage instead of working more closely with Oakville Transit, the town of Oakville.. ect inorder to find ways of diversifying the mode share. Pushing for better transit service from the outlying suburbs to the station, and improving the cycling infrastructure around the station are options that should've been prioritized.