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PATH Network Expansion (various, various, various)

PATH surfaces on the west side of the EY Tower lobby. There's no provision in the basement of that tower to go further east.

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From link:

The PATH network is an integral part of the City of Toronto’s downtown core. The Northwest (NW) PATH extension will add barrier-free connections to the revitalized Union Station, relieving pedestrian congestion, and supporting future growth.



A Municipal Class Schedule C Environmental Assessment (EA) for the project was completed in 2008 approving the construction of a new PATH connection from the west side of Union Station, under Front Street, and travelling north along York Street to Wellington Street. The first phase of the NW PATH project (Contract 1) crossing Front Street officially opened to the public in 2015.

Due to construction complexity and escalating costs to complete the project, City Council terminated the project in 2015 and requested staff to consider alternative alignments to determine if a more cost effective solution is possible. Key aspects of the alignment review include updating pedestrian modeling to reflect the anticipated growth in population and employment in Toronto’s downtown to 2031 and the increase in transit services at Union Station through GO-RER.

Re-considering alignments requires the completion of an Addendum to the 2008 EA for the project. The NW PATH Municipal Class EA Addendum currently underway will consider four alignments starting at Front Street and York Street using the existing Contract 1 segment (see Figure 1):

  • Alignment #1 – York Street – This is the preferred alignment from the 2008 EA. It travels north from the end of the existing Contract 1 tunnel, following under York Street to Wellington Street. It connects to the existing PATH system at 100 Wellington Street West and/or 70 York Street;
  • Alignment #2 – Front Street – This alignment will travel west from the Contract 1 tunnel, crossing the Line 1 Subway, and continuing west along the north side of Front Street. It will connect to the existing PATH network at Simcoe Place via a new development and concourse at 160 Front Street West;
  • Alignment #3 – Building Alignment – This alignment travels east from the Contract 1 tunnel into the Royal York Hotel concourse level. A new connection will be built from the concourse, north under Piper Street, linking up to the existing PATH system at 95 Wellington Street West; and
  • Alignment #4 – TPA Parking lot – this alignment will travel northwest from the end of the existing Contract 1 tunnel, travelling north along the east side of University Avenue, repurposing a part of the existing underground TPA parking lot. It connects to the existing PATH system at 55 University Avenue and/or new connections to 40 University Avenue and 70 University Avenue.


path_alignment_consid.jpg






Figure 1: Alignments Under Consideration

Upon completion of a multiple criteria evaluation in line with the existing EA, one preferred alignment will be selected for further design refinement. Design options will evaluate building connections and routing in more detail to determine how to minimize construction related impacts to landowners, PATH users, and others in the area. The Municipal Class EA Addendum process will continue into mid-2018 with construction anticipated to commence in 2019-2020.

Consultation
The City of Toronto is committed to developing the Northwest PATH in consultation with stakeholders and the general public.

Current consultation opportunities:

  • Visit us at the pop-up project information kiosk in September (date and location to follow)
  • Take our project survey (coming soon)


Future consultation opportunities:

  • A second public consultation will take place in November/December 2017
  • The Municipal Class EA Addendum is anticipated to be submitted to the MOECC in mid-2018 following City Council approval (anticipated for spring 2018) of the alignment.
 
If they are going to look at a PATH going west on Front to # 156 and Simcoe St (and thus eventually linking under Simcoe to Simcoe Place) they really need to look at bringing it south of Front to link up to the Intercontinental Hotel and the Convention Centre. This is shown onnthe current PATH map as a 'dotted line" (planned) route.

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Going with a Front alignment seems silly. It would be really close to the route that already goes by UP and the skywalk over to Simcoe.
Plus, if they were to do it, there is already a connection from Citgroup Place over to Union... why not work off of that?
 
JasonParis said:
Connecting the MTCC with Simcoe Place should be a no-brainer too, but never happens (or even gets proposed). So many of the convention centre's delegates eat in Simcoe Place's foodcourt for one.
Click to expand...
Though I too would like this link, I wonder if it has not been built for physical reasons (huge sewer in the way?) Or financial reasons. (e.g. MTCC want to keep conventioneers in their building buying their food.)
 
It hasn't been built yet simply because the tunnels cost quite a bit, and the MTCC isn't really losing any office tenants to the other towers because they're not better connected to the system… once they have some serious office space though post-redevelopment, it'll be time to spend the money to make better connections.

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interchange42 said:
It hasn't been built yet simply because the tunnels cost quite a bit, and the MTCC isn't really losing any office tenants to the other towers because they're not better connected to the system… once they have some serious office space though post-redevelopment, it'll be time to spend the money to make better connections.

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Click to expand...
That is true but does anyone here actually know if a tunnel can easily be built under Front at this location? The reason given for no tunnel linking north and south St Lawrence Markets is a large sewer in the way. No doubt anything is possible with LOTS of $$ but...
 
A lot more hotels would be easily linked to MTCC via the PATH if it were ever built too (which is fairly important to them).
DSC said:
Though I too would like this link, I wonder if it has not been built for physical reasons (huge sewer in the way?) Or financial reasons. (e.g. MTCC want to keep conventioneers in their building buying their food.)
Click to expand...
Does the MTCC really have that many food facilities anyway? There's no foodcourt for one.
 
Several questions:

a) Would a PATH extension along Front resolve the same issues as the previously chosen NW PATH alignment?
b) Are/should we be looking at this an either/or vs. and proposition?
c) How will any PATH extension along Front fit into proposed and likely redevelopment schemes?
c)

a/b) - The Front alignment seems to be about addressing a fundamentally different area.

c) - Union Park have both Citiplace and MTCC in play, plus we have Allied 151 Front W and CF 156 Front W - does it make sense to have a PATH extending from this Phase 1 project instead of using the current Station street atria (or whatever will be cooked up for Union Park)?

AoD
 
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The cynic in me says that the study's designed to deliver the University route as the preferred option. If so, the Front alignment is included as a red herring to make University a preferred route as it can accomplish some of what each of the Front and York alignments are striving to do.
 
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