Toronto Strachan Avenue Overpass | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx

a big red bridge would be pretty sweet, but if they do that, there should be a couple of separate bridges specifically for pedestrians and cyclists in the area, because a road bridge like that is never pleasant.
 
EnviroTO said:
Underpasses are rarely desirable to pedestrians and cyclists though.
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It's better in the winter than crossing an overpass.
 
Pantalone sent out this message and images showing the contrast between the city's and Metrolinx's visions:

Dear neighbours,

I would like to share with you visual representations of the streetscape based on the City of Toronto's and MetroLinx's proposals for the Strachan Avenue Grade Separation. These show the two very different and competing visions of the future look of these important intersections.

Attached, please find four visuals developed from a pedestrian viewpoint:
A. Looking east to Strachan Avenue on Douro Street: 1) the City of Toronto proposal and 2) the MetroLinx proposal.
B. Looking east at the railway crossing: 3) the City of Toronto proposal and 4) the MetroLinx proposal.

Seeing is believing. I think you will agree that City of Toronto proposal is the ONLY proposal that works for our community. Please send, or resend, messages to:

rob.macisaac@metrolinx.com,
dmcguinty@premier.gov.on.ca

cc: mayor_miller@toronto.ca, councillor_pantalone@toronto.ca, councillor_vaughan@toronto.ca, chowo@parl.gc.ca, rmarchese-co@ndp.on.ca, jbradley.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org


Thank you and please contact me for further information.

Sincerely,
Joe Pantalone
Deputy Mayor
City of Toronto

strachandurocity.jpg

strachandurometrolinx1.jpg

strachanrailxcity.jpg

strachanrailxmetrolinx1.jpg
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Would the city be willing to pay the extra $100 million to see their vision fulfilled?
 
I take my numbers straight from the city's report. I'm not taking sides here - just pointing out how the preferred option changes as the chequebook changes hands.
 
The Metrolinx option is just pure rubbish. This cannot be allowed to happen. I bet the owners of the properties facing Strachan are livid over the possibility of having the views outside their window turned into a precast wall.
 
There is no question that it is a sub-optimal solution, but you have to admit it's an interesting case of good urban design vs fiscal responsibility. At what point do we say that a community might have to suffer for the greater good (in this case keeping more in the pot to spread around)? Always? Never? 50 percent of the time? Never when it's my property involved?
 
Well, build the bridge if they must - but I am sure a deal can be sorted out to ensure that this bridge is worth looking at - there is no reason why it should default to ugliness - with the opposition co-opted with a more worthy design? Besides, spending extra as economic stimulus is en vogue.

AoD
 
MetroMan said:
The Metrolinx option is just pure rubbish. This cannot be allowed to happen. I bet the owners of the properties facing Strachan are livid over the possibility of having the views outside their window turned into a precast wall.
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Actually, I don't mind the bridge for Strachan provided it is made level with the bridge over LakeShore. That entire segment between the two tracks (empty lot & park on the west, old police buildings on the east, intersection with East Liberty and Ordinance streets) could be brought up to the new grade and be quite pleasant. East Liberty already slopes down to Strachan. Western battery Road could connect directly to Strachan instead of sloping down to East Liberty.

North of the tracks wouldn't really be any worse. That Bell office building is nothing special. Sucks to be in the townhomes on the west of Strachan north of Douro.
 
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rbt said:
Sucks to be in the townhomes on the west of Strachan north of Douro.
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A city staff member at the public meeting was heard to remark that these homes should never have been build this close to the right of way. I'm not a planner (at least not for another 12 months), but I think that a reasonable person would have foreseen a grade separation project in the future and would have known that there could have been a conflict.
 
Just a minor quibble, but shouldn't the above renders include the overhead wires when they e...v...e...n...t...u...a...l...l...y... electrify the line? We can't have the local residents complaining about how Metrolinx deceived them into accepting the ugly and hideous overhead wires which devalue their properties.
 
The metal barriers that metrolinx show in those mockups are also illegal in Ontario, any new bridges must have concrete barriers.
 
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