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As part of a larger modernization programme for aging TTC infrastructure, work has been proceeding to remake Pape Station on the Bloor Danforth line over the last couple of years. Now the end is in sight, and UrbanToronto contacted Devin Horne, Senior Community Liaison for the station, on its progress.
Horne has spent a lot of time getting to know the community and its residents over the course of the work. While being the liason between local residents and the TTC, Horne is also a local resident, living just south of the Danforth on Pape. As luck would have it, he also gotten to know the people who run McClintock Manor, the tall building just across the street from Pape Station, so from high on their rooftop patio, we’re able to see the entire station from a near-bird’s eye view. Horne is excited about the work that has been accomplished so far. “It’s a challenge working within a busy urban setting; maintaining service while maintaining safety is a big challenge.”
Pape Station is the first in the series of major modernization projects that are currently underway, with a remake of Dufferin Station also underway in the city's west end. Opened in 1966, Pape—like most of the stations built in its era—have seen generally little change to them aside from traditional maintenance. Pape Station is now one of the busier stations on the Danforth section of the Bloor-Danforth Subway line, with approximately 27,000 people using it every day. Aside from the east-west subway line, Pape is fed by a trio of bus routes which stretch north and south. The 25 Don Mills bus is particularly notable, says Horne, as it is one of the busiest in the city. According to TTC's most recent data, the 25 was, in fact, the busiest, narrowly ahead of both the 32 Eglinton West and 39 Finch East buses.
The modernization of Pape is adding several new features to the station:
- Greater accessibility granted by two new elevators and sliding doors;
- A second exit, for convenience and safety reasons;
- New bicycle parking;
- Landscaping features, including new public art by Allan Harding MacKay;
- Environmentally concious features, including solar panels and bird-friendly windows.
All of this has been in the works since 2009, and while the progress hasn’t all been smooth sailing – soil remediation and excavation have caused substantial delays – barring further unforeseen events, transit customers should be enjoy their newly renovated station without navigating through temporary walls and construction workers before the end of the summer. The station was originally expected to be completed in 2012, but delays caused when unexpected concrete and steel was found underground helped push the project into 2013. It taught the TTC to prepare for the unknown by building in contingencies.
The TTC surveyed residents this past April over whether they wanted the station to remain open during the full construction period (pushing completion towards the end of 2013), or if they would prefer seeing the station temporarily closed – either for six consecutive weekends, or for 12 days in a row - to expedite the process. The result was a majority of residents preferring that the station shut down for 12 days to get back to regular transit service as soon as possible. There are still logistical considerations to undertake, which Horne says the TTC will be addressing soon. “There will be an action plan that comes out of the survey, and a closure plan in the next few weeks.”
Horne says the closure will allow crews to complete most of the finishes in the circulation spaces and on the platforms, while the secondary exit off Lipton Avenue—one of the new additions—will be finished by the end of the year. As a separate component, the TTC can work on it while minimally impacting travellers on either the subway or the bus routes.
Horne says the modernization has had another major benefit: “It has given us a chance to combine initiatives. Whereas pieces like the solar roof and bike racks might normally have been separate projects, we can work on them all at once”, helping to minimize the overall construction time needed.
“This project is really working hard to make these stations accessible. It’s a challenge updating aging infrastructure, but the TTC is carrying these out to make the system better for customers.”
How do you think the Pape Station Modernization coming along? Leave a comment below, or check out the Pape Station forum thread!
NOTE: Devin Horne's explanation as to what wil be accomplished by the upcoming closure has been clarified.
