Eastern Avenue Bridge/DVP Interchange

[jxmyth_]

I'm astounded anyone could be hearing about this for the first time.

I feel as though every generation notices a shift at some point, where the frame of what was accepted as “general knowledge” moves a decade or so.

Kinda like:

“Whaddya mean you never heard of the triangle shirtwaist factory?!” Which grew to-

“The 1917 flu pandemic? You don’t remember?”

Then kids grew up unaware of the ‘68 Democratic convention… what’s a floppy disk? Who’s Nancy Reagan? Soooo many folks had no clue about the Tulsa Massacre until The Watchmen in HBO.

Now we can’t even get on the same page for social media or streaming networks- nevermind an agreed base level knowledge of history.

 

[dowlingm]

Just to add... The DVP ramp is only slated to be closed for a few months (not 3 years) with schedule to be announced.

Is this the same ramp slated to be removed under the Eastern / Broadview flood protection scheme?

 

[Coolibop]

Is this the same ramp slated to be removed under the Eastern / Broadview flood protection scheme

It's the id263 ramp in @DSC's post:

That is, DVP Southbound, to Richmond/Eastern.

This is separate from the flood protection scheme which I understand will feed into the Broadview extention project... As I understand that affects the Eastern to Northbound DVP.... Although the above ramp is just inside the broader/focus EA study area... I've circled below:

 

[CapitalSeven]

I'm astounded anyone could be hearing about this for the first time.

No one is hearing about the mistreatment of and discrimination against the Chinese workers for the first time. But the linked article doesn't mention forced labour. It talks about various waves of recruitment of experienced and inexperienced workers and the poor wages they were paid.

"Forced labour" means workers who are imprisoned, kidnapped, or otherwise forced to work under threat or duress. The Chinese workers were exploited and poorly treated due to overt racism, but that doesn't make it forced labour. They were recruited, came and worked willingly despite the conditions.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I'm astounded anyone could be hearing about this for the first time.

Why? There’s a first time we hear about anything. Including yourself, there was a first time you heard about this railway exploitation. Why would your own discovery be astonishing?

No one is hearing about the mistreatment of and discrimination against the Chinese workers for the first time.

Of course they are. It might be in high school or university history class or new Canadians unfamiliar with this era learning now. Everyone learns of something for the first time.

It’s not willful ignorance, as suggested.

 

[nstuch]

Admittedly with lots of imported, forced labour, under harsh conditions, with rather lax safety.

https://www.ahsnb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/AHSNB-Chinese-Labour-on-the-CPR_Final.pdf

At least 600 construction deaths.

***

To be clear, I do think work on many projects could and should be expedited. I would just be cautious about the particular comparison you chose.

Ok fair enough, I didn't mean to stir up a hornet's nest! My point was that projects used to somehow just get done in a not unreasonable amount of time, admittedly with lax safety standards which were the norm in their day. We seem to have swung from one extreme to another where the most straightforward of projects have an estimate of years, and then take even longer.

 

[Admiral Beez]

We seem to have swung from one extreme to another where the most straightforward of projects have an estimate of years, and then take even longer.

I'll agree with that. Everything takes so long now. And worst of all there's seemingly no coordination between projects. If you're going to strangle the Gardiner for three plus years, then put on more trains, or temporarily adjust the flow on Lakeshore.

 

[Dr. Snoot]

Back to the topic at hand.

I wrote to the City / construction manager and received the following information on the multi-use trail (MUT):

As part of the Eastern Avenue bridge rehabilitation, it is planned to replace the existing sidewalk on the south side of the Eastern Avenue bridge (Bridge ID264) with an MUT and construct a concrete separation barrier with steel railing to separate the MUT from vehicular traffic.

The construction of the multi-use trail (MUT) is currently limited to the extent of the Eastern Avenue bridge (Bridge ID264) and the existing sidewalk. However, future construction contracts will encompass the building of a multi-use trail on the south side of the Adelaide Street bridge (Bridge ID266) to the west and along the south side of Eastern Avenue to the east. This will ultimately provide a connection from Power Street to Broadview Avenue.

I followed to ask whether the MUT will extend west along Eastern Avenue. I also asked how the conflict between MUT and DVP northbound ramp will be managed, though I suspect it will require vehicles to merge across the MUT.

 

[innsertnamehere]

from the pdf on the last page - looks like the City intends to realign the DVP on-ramp from a slip-rampt to a hard-right turn to accomodate the MUP. Interestingly, it also adds a left-turn option for vehicles coming from Eastern Avenue.

 

[Steve X]

I would really love to see them relief the Gardiner/DVP with a northbound offramp at Eastern. There is no exit between Jarvis and Bayview/Bloor which is a good 7.5km if the ramp is blocked for whatever reason.

Getting from Southern Etobicoke to East Toronto is really hard to do these days with the Lakeshore/Carlaw ramp long gone plus this painful construction zone.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I would really love to see them relief the Gardiner/DVP with a northbound offramp at Eastern. There is no exit between Jarvis and Bayview/Bloor which is a good 7.5km if the ramp is blocked for whatever reason.

As a local, I'd like to see the Dundas ramp to the DVP deleted entirely. Westbound cyclists and pedestrians are endangered by fast turning vehicles from both directions and eastbound streetcars are stuck waiting for cars to turn left across un-signaled oncoming traffic. It would also cut down on the vehicular traffic on Dundas.

 

[reinventingthewheel]

Starting August 6th one eastbound lane of Eastern Avenue (Sumach to Broadview) will be occupied for bridge rehabilitation. Notice specifies until August 30th but various restrictions will apply on and off between now and 2027.