Roads: Gardiner Expressway catch-all, incl. Hybrid Design (2015-onwards)

[drum118]

I hope they at least give the storage facility a paint job!

Why?? The taggers will their thing and that nice paint job is lost

 

[Civdis]

Why?? The taggers will their thing and that nice paint job is lost

Fair

 

[thaivic]

 

[kev1n1m]

OK here's something I've been thinking about for nearly 10 years since the hybrid debate hit council. You people will be the only ones who understand me, I can't take this to anybody IRL:

Why can't the Gardiner be re-routed over the Metrolinx Don Yard?

• If the final hybrid option was chosen because it would open up development potential, this option would leave enough space to build an ENTIRE neighborhood larger than East Harbour
• It maintains ALL of the recently rebuilt sections of the Gardiner, maybe a bent or two would be lost in a realignment at Cherry.
• Offramps could be maintained to become the Don Roadway, enhancing streetscape through west side of East Harbour
• For the 3-4 storage tracks that are lost because of bents, they could be added to the south end of the Don Yard. No capacity loss!
• It appears as if the slopes still work to bend this over the Ontario Line, over the river, and down to the DVP before hitting Eastern Ave.
• Still leaves room for fancy OL Line 3 bridge, albeit a little obstructed. That bridge is pretty basic anyways imo.
• If worried this is too close to West Don Lands condos, then they could locate the realignment towards the south end of the Don Yard, ie give a little more breathing room.
• This would require the impossibility of the Province and Metrolinx working together.

Please roast my idea, I have trouble finding faults with it! Perhaps the transport minister will forgive all my nasty emails about removing bike lanes if I send him this idea.

 

[rbt]

Why can't the Gardiner be re-routed over the Metrolinx Don Yard?

The grade from Eastern/Adelaide underpass to get over the railway corridor plus the electrification structures (~13m above tracks) isn't trivial but isn't out of line either.

In the past this wouldn't have been an option simply because provincial departments (whether Metrolinx, or Hydro, or other) are rarely cooperative with municipal projects, see DRL railway corridor proposal rejected by Metrolinx and Ontario Line cost savings by using the railway corridor as an example. With both the roadway and railway under the Minister of Transportation it should be politically feasible now. ONXpress adds a legal challenge to reconfiguring the yard.

The largest obstruction is the EA is complete and Ford explicitely said he would get the work done faster. Redoing the EA would slow things up.

 

[kev1n1m]

Thanks for making me feel sane. And seen.

 

[nfitz]

Without thinking much, I'd think the piers for the expressway would get in the way of the tightly-spaced tracks.

Perhaps the question could be can't it run right along the edge of the Don Yard?

With both projects now being run by the same ministry, then I suspect there are more options than previous.

I think this is the current plan (or at least a recent one).

 

[urbancog]

The southern edge of the combined Don-Wilson yard is likely marked by this electrical duct bank, referenced here.

An issue with taking tracks out of the Don Yard is that the further south you go, the shorter the storage tracks become, due to the shallow angle of the yard entry track. With the proposed use of shorter train consists that might not be a big issue however.

 

[RapidTransit]

I haven't kept up with everything on the Gardiner. But with the Gardiner being uploaded, can Doug Ford still change plans from hybrid option to the other options previous debated on. Or is the hybrid option already set in stone with contracts signed already?
If I remember correctly, he wanted to rebuild the Gardiner as is, with the Logan off ramps, and he wasn't in favor of hybrid when he was on council?

I doubt he'll make this an issue again. But I wouldn't put it pass him.

 

[Richard White]

Or is the hybrid option already set in stone with contracts signed already?

Anything is possible when you have F U money

 

[bearcat]

I haven't kept up with everything on the Gardiner. But with the Gardiner being uploaded, can Doug Ford still change plans from hybrid option to the other options previous debated on. Or is the hybrid option already set in stone with contracts signed already?
If I remember correctly, he wanted to rebuild the Gardiner as is, with the Logan off ramps, and he wasn't in favor of hybrid when he was on council?

I doubt he'll make this an issue again. But I wouldn't put it pass him.

well I think Lakeshore east of the Don River is actively being reconstructed without any provisions made for reinstating the Logan on/off ramps, so to add them back would mean ripping up Lakeshore soon after current reconstruction, which I guess Ford could do, but would seem like a waste of money

 

[nfitz]

well I think Lakeshore east of the Son River is actively being reconstructed without any provisions made for reinstating the Logan on/off ramps, so to add them back would mean ripping up Lakeshore soon after current reconstruction, which I guess Ford could do, but would seem like a waste of money

I'm not sure that would the most expensive cost. I think there is still place for new pillars.

The big cost would be the impacts to the contracts to build the current design. But as that work doesn't start until 2027, there's still time to change that.

 

[bearcat]

I'm not sure that would the most expensive cost. I think there is still place for new pillars.

The big cost would be the impacts to the contracts to build the current design. But as that work doesn't start until 2027, there's still time to change that.

Well they would also need to redo the plans for the intersection of the new Broadview extension and Lakeshore, as that would be where the old ramps were, there would need to be clearance for a street car to pass under the ramps as well.

None of this is insurmountable, but I would prefer Doug doesn't screw around with what's already planned.

 

[nfitz]

Well they would also need to redo the plans for the intersection of the new Broadview extension and Lakeshore, as that would be where the old ramps were, there would need to be clearance for a street car to pass under the ramps as well.

Well, they could move the ramps to Leslie instead.

 

[kotsy]

Been so busy I haven't been able to post many updates but here's a couple shots from the 14th & 18th. They're flying along with demolition and they were past the West end of the streetcar loop as of a few days ago, however the the steel and concrete rubble hasn't been removed above the GO entrance & streetcar loop.