Dufferin Street railway bridge repairs/closure (City of Toronto, near CNE)

[just east of the creek]

So here's the thing UT; this is why @nfitz is a terrible person. LOL

He revives this thread, and pronounces that the City's site for this project has been updated, and he links it.......

So you know what that means........I had to click through........

Then I see something Nfitz didn't mention...........that the design for this had gone to the City's Design Review Panel in November '22; a quick toggle back, it never got posted here..........

So I had to go to the DRP's site, look up the meeting.................and well, here's what I found:

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The link to the meeting is here:

Discussion of the Dufferin bridges begins at ~3:11

Assorted panel comments:

Panel was kind'ish, but generally were a bit underwhelmed; multiple members asked if the design/public realm could be more celebratory, a bit bolder, maybe some colour.

There were also a couple of comments on the narrowness of he sidewalk, which is pegged at 2.5m on both sides, the bike lanes 1.8m+ 0.8m buffer.

Also noted was the need for mitigation measures for 3 diff. crossing points of the LRT tracks by pedestrians/cyclists, and some question about whether the treatment of the 2 spans could be more harmonious. The glazing over the railway corridor was an Mx imposition.

My comments: Transportation should be directed to accept flowers and shrubs on bridges. I get not permitting trees..........the argument against flowers is that they can thrown off the bridge; but people who want to be jerks can bring their own material to throw.....

The sidewalk capacity seems low, I agree, on questioning from the panel, the City staff admitted they hadn't yet modeled to see how much pedestrian capacity was actually required....... (insert eyeroll here)

I'd be interested in thoughts from UT's cyclists, but it strikes me that a multi-use path on the east side might be preferable to bike lanes here, it would be a more efficient use of space, but would also eliminate two interactions with tracks at Dufferin Loop.

Final thought, night-time illumination of the bridge and the arch should be a design consideration.

The one render appears to show a large median on the bridge separating car traffic. Am I correct? If so, this appears to be a width that could be more appropriately purposed for pedestrian and cyclists.

 

[Northern Light]

The one render appears to show a large median on the bridge separating car traffic. Am I correct? If so, this appears to be a width that could be more appropriately purposed for pedestrian and cyclists.

Reserved to future LRT tracks.

 

[just east of the creek]

Reserved to future LRT tracks.

Ok.That makes sense. Now for the modelling of pedestrian and cycle traffic. This is an important connection (think of the masses flocking to the ‘spa’) and it would be a real shame to under build the bridge.

 

[Northern Light]

Ok.That makes sense. Now for the modelling of pedestrian and cycle traffic. This is an important connection (think of the masses flocking to the ‘spa’) and it would be a real shame to under build the bridge.

Agreed, I don't see why it can't be widened.

I'm not a fan of the way Toronto does bridges, among other things.

There is just a desire to be so utilitarian.

To be clear, I'm not talking about turning most bridges into cable-stay or some other elaborate design; I'm talking about the choice to always do poured concrete balustrades, generally w/o any forms, and basic aluminum guardrails in black, green or un-painted.

There's just no imagination. The thought of applying any kind of coating or cladding is heresy, or integrating pedestrian lighting, or flowers, or colour, or pattern, or making the sidewalks of interlocking etc etc. (The last one they appear to be doing here)

But overall.....just too.....'shrug'.

 

[W. K. Lis]

The cycling plan should be a two-way path, being about to allow cyclists going in both directions. And also should be wide enough to allow emergency vehicles (ambulances and fire trucks) to use them with sirens on and lights flashing, bypassing the traffic congestion and cyclists being able to move over onto the sidewalk to get out of the way.

From link.

 

[W. K. Lis]

A Toronto bridge will be fully replaced after emergency closure​

From link.

The Dufferin Street Bridge that passes over the Gardiner Expressway has had its fair share of hard times.

The bridge was closed to vehicle traffic in early July after reports of a damaged deck panel, prompting the city to launch a full investigation into the structural health of the overpass and evaluate the repairs needed.

Based on the initial assessment, it was estimated that 2 months of work would be sufficient to bring the bridge back up to safety standards.

Unfortunately, a follow-up report a few weeks later has affirmed that the process won't be that simple.

"A comprehensive inspection has revealed that the damage to the bridge is more significant than previously thought," the report reads.

Just how significant are we talking, though?

Well, to put it simply, the target completion date has now been changed from September to the painfully ambiguous date of 'Fall 2023/Winter 2024.'

Of course, that estimate comes with the asterisk that the 'timeline is subject to change.'

But it doesn't end there. The city has also announced that, despite these extensive (and costly) repairs, the bridge is going to be replaced entirely with a new bridge that's expected to be built in conjunction with work on the Ontario Line.

The city's project team will be hosting a virtual information event on August 3 at 6:30 p.m. that will include a Q&A.

The long-term closure of the bridge is going to have a notable impact on traffic, an outcome which will be on display in full for the rest of the summer with Caribana weekend and the CNE both on the immediate horizon.

As one of the primary routes to cross over the Gardiner and access the Exhibition grounds, drivers can expect above average chaos for many months to come.

As for the replacement of the bridge, no timeline has been determined yet, but the meeting on August 3 may offer some clarity into the city's plan.

Go to link to register to the virtual Public Information Event to attend the virtual Public Information Event on August 3, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m..

 

[kotsy]

Work to replace the bridge deck will be starting any day now.

 

[kotsy]

Work to replace the bridge deck will be starting any day now.

I stand very corrected. Evidently there is a 3 month delay now. Original completion was for December.

 

[EnviroTO]

I love the unintended honesty in signage. Expect delays.

 

[max]

Saw traffic traveling on the bridge today, everything seems to have reopened. Did they already complete the repair or did the people removing the barriers do a more aggressive removal than required?

 

[Mount Dennis Resident]

Saw traffic traveling on the bridge today, everything seems to have reopened. Did they already complete the repair or did the people removing the barriers do a more aggressive removal than required?

This was "emergency work on the Dufferin Street Bridge over the Metrolinx Rail corridor."

Not the "real" work.