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GO Transit: Construction Projects (Metrolinx, various)

^ Wasn't that for all the works in that section?

"GO Expansion: Lakeshore East – Central
Corridor (works west of Beechgrove Road
to west of Scarborough Golf Club Road)"
 
April 14
While waiting to try to get shots of the new VIA train at Bloor Station, decided to refresh what I knew of it as well take some update shots.

Unless all the trees are remove on the eastside of the Railpath, only 40% of it will remain once the track 1 install as well the sound barrier wall. The waterline and other utility lines will have to be relocated. 5 trees will have to be remove on the westside at Bloor as they are in the way. Bike rental will have to be relocated.

The big issue for the Railpath during construction is building a new angle tunnel from the centre tunnel to Randolph where there is area for a new stair well and elevator. This may see the Railpath close during the construction of the tunnel.

When the station was rebuilt, the centre support for track 1 bridge was rebuild with huge columns and support beam that will require it to be beef up and extended it to shift the bridge to line up correctly with the new track unless left as is with a small kink to the platform slowing trains Entering/Exiting the station. Best to rebuilt the bridge with no centre support.
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When the station was rebuilt, the centre support for track 1 bridge was rebuild with huge columns and support beam that will require it to be beef up and extended it to shift the bridge to line up correctly with the new track unless left as is with a small kink to the platform slowing trains Entering/Exiting the station. Best to rebuilt the bridge with no centre support.

That 'kink' has always looked impossible to me. Way, way back in this thread we discussed this, and I recall someone knowledgeable stating that the reconditioned span had just been plunked down in a temporary manner and it was always intended that it would be realigned when/if the 4th track was added. I have always wondered if that were true, or if the placement was an "oops" during the GTS project.

- Paul
 
^ Brief reference to it here:

Post in thread 'Cycling: West Toronto Railpath (City of Toronto, Phase II Proposed)' https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threa...f-toronto-phase-ii-proposed.2969/post-1301930

I think I remember asking someone about it at the meeting and was told that because they didn't have the final design of the Railpath or maybe the 4th track, it made sense just to place the span and adjust it later. So I'm going with temporary instead of 'oops'.
 
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That 'kink' has always looked impossible to me. Way, way back in this thread we discussed this, and I recall someone knowledgeable stating that the reconditioned span had just been plunked down in a temporary manner and it was always intended that it would be realigned when/if the 4th track was added. I have always wondered if that were true, or if the placement was an "oops" during the GTS project.

- Paul
I always thought it was an oops' especially with the support of the bridge. Its not a simple task to move the new support as it replaced the existing one and more beef up. You would have to place shoring on both side of the support to remove it and move it to where it should be after new footing are built for it as one option.

The other option for shifting the bridge a foot or so will require an new support bean as well dealing with a cantilever overhang to the east. You could do a full moment stub connection for the support beam as well a tee column with a support footing anchor to the concrete base. Lots of field welding and full moment welds require more work.

Given the age of the bridges, wise go to a clear new span like ML has being doing on a number of bridges these days. Only have to look to the east a few block to see the real benefits of clear span. You may gain more height clearance doing so as well.

The area between Bloor and Ernest is the narrowest area as there is more room at each end to deal with track 1 and the wall. I would go with the grass wall as all other walls are a failure on ML part dealing with tagging.
 
That 'kink' has always looked impossible to me. Way, way back in this thread we discussed this, and I recall someone knowledgeable stating that the reconditioned span had just been plunked down in a temporary manner and it was always intended that it would be realigned when/if the 4th track was added. I have always wondered if that were true, or if the placement was an "oops" during the GTS project.

- Paul
One of our mutual friends worked on the cleanup from GTS and confirmed that it's current location was intentional, but temporary.

Dan
 
That 'kink' has always looked impossible to me. Way, way back in this thread we discussed this, and I recall someone knowledgeable stating that the reconditioned span had just been plunked down in a temporary manner and it was always intended that it would be realigned when/if the 4th track was added. I have always wondered if that were true, or if the placement was an "oops" during the GTS project.

- Paul
I was at a meeting about the Railpath realignment for the 4th track, which would use that bridge. the Metrolinx rep was asked. At that meeting the questioner was wondering how they could have blundered so when placing the bridge but the rep claimed it wasn't a problem, and made it seem as if it was more trouble to try and get the bridge in the exact spot when it was being worked on than it would be to fix later. As I recall, he claimed a night and a crane are all that is needed to align it.
 
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I was at a meeting about the Railpath realignment for the 4th track, which would use that bridge. the Metrolinx rep was asked. At that meeting the questioner was wondering how they could have blundered so when placing the bridge but the rep claimed it wasn't a problem, and made it seem as if it was more trouble to try and get the bridge in the exact spot when it was being worked on than it would be to fix later. As I recall, he claimed a night and a crane are all that is needed to align it.

I was told same thing at the meeting.

Post in thread 'Cycling: West Toronto Railpath (City of Toronto, Phase II Proposed)' https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threa...f-toronto-phase-ii-proposed.2969/post-1301930
 
I was at a meeting about the Railpath realignment for the 4th track, which would use that bridge. the Metrolinx rep was asked. At that meeting the questioner was wondering how they could have blundered so when placing the bridge but the rep claimed it wasn't a problem, and made it seem as if it was more trouble to try and get the bridge in the exact spot when it was being worked on than it would be to fix later. As I recall, he claimed a night and a crane are all that is needed to align it.

The supporting concrete on each end of the bridge span was renewed during GTS for the full 4-track width, so the span can certainly be shifted easily with a simple lift.
As @drum118 notes, the center support might need to be rebuilt, but that's not a lot of work. I expect the footing was built with that eventuality in mind.
The span itself is effectively a like-new bridge with a long life expectancy. It has fewer supports underneath than the other spans, but retains the center support. Going to a new design with a single full-width design would waste that investment, and since the other spans retain their center support there's nothing gained by eliminating it for just this one track.
Hopefully there is clearance without shifting the Railpath bridge - there is a stairwell on the east side so it can't move more than a foot or two. It's a bit rustier, not a problem given its lighter load but sure is messy underneath. One would hope the whole underpass ends up with a neater finish.

- Paul

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