GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

[salsa]

On average, however, that's still one hella good looking grade separation! Most of Toronto's are uglier than this.

As a pedestrian, the picture make me feel like walking under this underpass (at least the finished left side). How many underpasses in the world can a pedestrian say that?

Meh, it's nothing special, and the street looks suburban and devoid of life. A mural would have been more interesting than just concrete with some little pattern stamped on it.

 

[smably]

I do wish that they had built a ramp to connect up the east embankment to the GO/VIA station for pedestrians coming from north of the tracks. There's a bit of a detour required now. Though I suppose this will all be solved once the new intermodal terminal is built at King.

 

[drum118]

Yeah, I don't get what's up with the west side still being incomplete. There has been no visible progress for a few weeks now.

Also, a few small corrections:
1) "Weber" Street
2) This is a purely local project, Metrolinx is not involved

Must been a sleep for the bb since I know better.

The west side has been an issue every time I have been there for some reason. Can't see any issues for not completing it other than a subcontract issue or the contractor.

I agree with a step/ramp from Weber to the station regardless what coming down the road.

Surprise Metrolinx getting a free ride for this project and maybe responsible for the 3rd track bridge at a later date.

Is Metrolinx getting the free ride for King or they kicking in money there??

Using buttons for the wall is a nice touch

 

[Markster]

Surprise Metrolinx getting a free ride for this project and maybe responsible for the 3rd track bridge at a later date.

Is Metrolinx getting the free ride for King or they kicking in money there??

King is funded as part of the LRT project, which is partly funded (~40%) by the Province, so... not entirely?

 

[mdrejhon]

Meh, it's nothing special, and the street looks suburban and devoid of life. A mural would have been more interesting than just concrete with some little pattern stamped on it.

It's kickass compared to most underpasses, including this one:

1. landscaping (missing here)
2. pedestrian fence (missing here, except ugly fence in middle)
3. aesthetics of all elements (poor here)
4. raised sidewalk for improved pedestrian attractiveness (less uphill walking after going under underpass)
5. fewer blank surfaces (too many grafitti magnet)
6. sidewalk lighting (none here)
7. bike lane (none here)

Your underpass already meets all above 7 attributes, and is beautiful by average Canadian standards. Be glad. Be very glad.

 

[vegeta_skyline]

Meh, it's nothing special, and the street looks suburban and devoid of life. A mural would have been more interesting than just concrete with some little pattern stamped on it.

Nothing special? For a underpass? And that's the key word here. I agree with mdrejhon, that's easily one of the best looking underpasses I've ever seen built in Canada. It has a very open/airy feel to it with a little artistic flair.

 

[salsa]

It's kickass compared to most underpasses, including this one:

1. landscaping (missing here)
2. pedestrian fence (missing here, except ugly fence in middle)
3. aesthetics of all elements (poor here)
4. raised sidewalk for improved pedestrian attractiveness (less uphill walking after going under underpass)
5. fewer blank surfaces (too many grafitti magnet)
6. sidewalk lighting (none here)
7. bike lane (none here)

Your underpass already meets all above 7 attributes, and is beautiful by average Canadian standards. Be glad. Be very glad.

That's all true, but I'm really not getting the same urge as you to walk under it. It looks decent in the photos but what about on the other side of the bridge? Here's what it looks like:

Not particularly exciting if you ask me. Of course if you compare it to any dingy old underpass then this one comes out favorably, but a more apples-to-apples comparison would be with newer underpasses build within the last few years which are generally better than they used to be. See my example below.

Nothing special? For a underpass? And that's the key word here. I agree with mdrejhon, that's easily one of the best looking underpasses I've ever seen built in Canada. It has a very open/airy feel to it with a little artistic flair.

Fair enough, but is it really that much better than the new grade separation at Sheppard E for example? This one meets all 7 of mdrejhon's criteria, expect for the bike lane which will come later when the LRT is built. I feel that the walls have a stronger sense of texture than the other one, but overall I think they are both on the same level.

 

[Adjei]

And why should we strive to average Canadian standards which are pretty crappy anyways in terms of design and architecture. We should be striving for better not celebrating mediocrity.

 

[vegeta_skyline]

Not particularly exciting if you ask me.

Fair enough, but is it really that much better than the new grade separation at Sheppard E for example?

True, that side isn't as inviting. Sheppard is definitely one of the better ones as well. Still not all of the newer underpasses have the same level of treatment.

 

[mdrejhon]

Whoo! Who'd thought underpass talk could be so exciting (or maddening).

(okay -- maybe not *that* exciting -- but this is worthy debate, underpass-wise, at least!)

Underpasses are an udderly underrated unforunate fact of life.

Given this minisurge of underpass pillowtalk, think UrbanToronto deserves a separate "Getting Better Underpasses" thread, and discuss how we can improve these even further. Along with new builds, there's a few other fancied-up existing underpasses in Toronto already, including a few with fancy decorative LED lighting (luminous-veil style -- Windmere Ave underpass, BlueGold Variations) to help their nighttime attractiveness. We've also got colored fixtures like the blue LED fixtures that the CityPlace underpasses has in the rail corridor, which frequent GO riders are familiar with. All that fodder is now worth milking a new thread for, methinks.

 

[salsa]

True, that side isn't as inviting. Sheppard is definitely one of the better ones as well. Still not all of the newer underpasses have the same level of treatment.

I agree. For one, I can't think of any nice underpasses that came out of the Georgetown South project. At the very least there should have been more lighting so that it's not pitch dark, but even that rarely happens.

 

[mdrejhon]

Since some of the related projects (e.g. lighting technology) fascinates me -- I've added a new catchall thread to cover underpass-improvements talk.

Underpass Improvements & Beautification (City of Toronto, Metrolinx, etc)

 

[royalrivers]

Next week, pile installation to build the foundations of the extended Silver Creek culvert and widened McNabb St. bridge will begin. This work will be completed through the corridor over a period of six weeks. Work will first focus on the Silver Creek culvert extension, starting with the portion east of the McNabb St. bridge, followed by the west.

Hours of work continue to be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday. Residents will experience noise and vibration from this work. Vibration levels will of course be monitored for the duration of the pile installation.

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Great to see. I wonder what overall benefit the work will have for Silver Creek.

 

[crs1026]

This item is tucked under "station improvements" on the GO Transit web site.

It's interesting that the Kitchener project does not have a spot under "Major Improvements". Nor is there much of a project plan documented. Nor does it get much attention under the Capital projects report to the Board.

I wonder when the work got awarded, and how much it will cost. Is it part of a larger ongoing contract?

- Paul