dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
Why only south of Bloor? I'd agree with burying the hydro lines in high profile areas first (read, areas frequented by tourists) then move on to high traffic areas and so forth.
Toronto Bloor Street Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Bloor-Yorkville BIA | architectsAlliance
yyzhyd
Active Member
299 bloor call control.
Senior Member
Regarding the trees, they are in full bloom now over the past few days are are filling in quite nicely.
My main issue right now with the strip is that there's absolutely zero bike parking. The BIA does not want post and rings, and is working at putting in bike racks, but they are quite iffy on that as well.
My main issue right now with the strip is that there's absolutely zero bike parking. The BIA does not want post and rings, and is working at putting in bike racks, but they are quite iffy on that as well.
urbandreamer
recession proof
How about bike rings shaped like letters from the alphabet? Think a poem or something similar, ie, a street level version of the poem about clouds on that cool new Vancouver hotel.
androiduk
Senior Member
These guys are really digging deep under that jewellery store. Replacing the sidewalk or brazen heist?
lead82
Senior Member
they need to add some benches on the finished section near yonge and bloor. People are sitting on the planter beds to smoke and eat there lunches, squishing the small flowers planted around the edges.
egotrippin
Senior Member
What is this, Hippy-ville? To Hell with the bikes, this place is for people with the moneys. They should put in car racks so I can pull my Bentley up onto the sidewalk and chain it there, we don't need poofy poems and bikes cluttering the clean granite streetscapes.
adma
Superstar
Though notice the "sculpted" bike racks in front of the ROM as precedent...
Tewder
Senior Member
... or how about bike racks shaped like dollar signs?
UrbanFervour
Active Member
Yeah but what about all the poor folks who come here either to serve or gawk at the "people with the moneys"? They need bike racks.
junctionist
Senior Member
I take it egotrippin was being sarcastic.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
From the Globe:
Makeover of the 'Mink Mile' to cost $4.5-million more than planned
Kelly Grant City hall bureau chief
Globe and Mail Update
Published on Tuesday, May. 11, 2010 7:14PM EDT
Last updated on Tuesday, May. 11, 2010 7:25PM EDT
The preliminary bill is in for Bloor Street’s makeover, and it’s nearly $4.5-million higher than the original contract.
The cost of beautifying the Mink Mile has ballooned to nearly $24.2-million from $19.7-million, largely because of work Toronto Hydro and others decided to undertake while the street was torn up.
It’s been known for some time that Bloor Street’s revitalization – which area councillor Kyle Rae has derided as “St. Clair, Part Two†– is behind schedule and over budget.
But a report to next week’s meeting of the public works committee lays out for the first time just how expensive the project has become, and why.
“Since commencement of the BSTP [Bloor Street Transformation Project] contract, significant unforeseen issues have arisen resulting in extra work, cost escalation, and considerable delay,†the report says.
Toronto Hydro is blamed for the lion’s share of the overrun. The utility had to rebuild and physically lower 14 hydro chambers, concrete rooms beneath the sidewalk that contain high-voltage transformers to power nearby buildings.
The work turned out to be more extensive than Hydro realized at the outset, prompting it to defer the stretch between Yonge Street and Avenue Road from 2009 to 2010 at a cost of $2.1-million.
The $460,000 cost of five new streetlights was added to the bill for the main contractor, Four Seasons Site Development Ltd., after “scheduling conflicts†and unspecified health and safety concerns prevented a subcontractor from doing the work.
Relocating a Bell duct structure beneath the south-side curb lane between Park Road and St. Paul’s Square cost $244,900, $173,900 of which the city is expected to recover through a cost-sharing deal.
The duct delay prompted the Bloor Street Business Improvement Area, which is paying for the bulk of the revitalization, to ask the contractor in August 2008 to begin work on the north side of the street so the sidewalk could be finished in time for the holiday shopping season. It turned out Brookfield Properties Corporation, owner of 2 Bloor Street, had to waterproof an underground roof before work could start, forcing another delay that cost $391,000.
The new Bloor Street, complete with swanky granite sidewalks, trees and planters overflowing with flowers, is now expected to be substantially complete by the end of 2010, a year late.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-45-million-more-than-planned/article1565463/
AoD
Makeover of the 'Mink Mile' to cost $4.5-million more than planned
Kelly Grant City hall bureau chief
Globe and Mail Update
Published on Tuesday, May. 11, 2010 7:14PM EDT
Last updated on Tuesday, May. 11, 2010 7:25PM EDT
The preliminary bill is in for Bloor Street’s makeover, and it’s nearly $4.5-million higher than the original contract.
The cost of beautifying the Mink Mile has ballooned to nearly $24.2-million from $19.7-million, largely because of work Toronto Hydro and others decided to undertake while the street was torn up.
It’s been known for some time that Bloor Street’s revitalization – which area councillor Kyle Rae has derided as “St. Clair, Part Two†– is behind schedule and over budget.
But a report to next week’s meeting of the public works committee lays out for the first time just how expensive the project has become, and why.
“Since commencement of the BSTP [Bloor Street Transformation Project] contract, significant unforeseen issues have arisen resulting in extra work, cost escalation, and considerable delay,†the report says.
Toronto Hydro is blamed for the lion’s share of the overrun. The utility had to rebuild and physically lower 14 hydro chambers, concrete rooms beneath the sidewalk that contain high-voltage transformers to power nearby buildings.
The work turned out to be more extensive than Hydro realized at the outset, prompting it to defer the stretch between Yonge Street and Avenue Road from 2009 to 2010 at a cost of $2.1-million.
The $460,000 cost of five new streetlights was added to the bill for the main contractor, Four Seasons Site Development Ltd., after “scheduling conflicts†and unspecified health and safety concerns prevented a subcontractor from doing the work.
Relocating a Bell duct structure beneath the south-side curb lane between Park Road and St. Paul’s Square cost $244,900, $173,900 of which the city is expected to recover through a cost-sharing deal.
The duct delay prompted the Bloor Street Business Improvement Area, which is paying for the bulk of the revitalization, to ask the contractor in August 2008 to begin work on the north side of the street so the sidewalk could be finished in time for the holiday shopping season. It turned out Brookfield Properties Corporation, owner of 2 Bloor Street, had to waterproof an underground roof before work could start, forcing another delay that cost $391,000.
The new Bloor Street, complete with swanky granite sidewalks, trees and planters overflowing with flowers, is now expected to be substantially complete by the end of 2010, a year late.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-45-million-more-than-planned/article1565463/
AoD
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
What I don't understand is why a team of engineers doesn't investigate all work that has to be done prior to the project commencing with all parties involved, and then why isn't a team responsible and put in charge for the day to day details of the project. I won't pretend to think these projects are simple, uncomplicated and without surprises that won't arise but surely there have to be ways of running these projects more efficiently. Cost overruns due to delays (i.e. Toronto Hydro) should be written into contracts at the point of tendering the jobs and awarding the contracts. Certainly this would be a few steps to help reduce cost overruns and major delays.
A similar article from the Toronto Star.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/808192--bloor-st-facelift-4-5m-over-budget?bn=1
A similar article from the Toronto Star.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/808192--bloor-st-facelift-4-5m-over-budget?bn=1
Last edited:
Parkdalian
Senior Member
To be fair, the problem with a lot of underground work is that often maps of what is underground are not completely accurate. Unlike renovating or demolishing a building, you can't always see everything before you begin work, which can cause unexpected issues.
Nevertheless, Hydro should be more on the ball about this stuff. Clearly they don't really care that much - hence the still unfinished sections on the east side of Bloor.
Nevertheless, Hydro should be more on the ball about this stuff. Clearly they don't really care that much - hence the still unfinished sections on the east side of Bloor.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Here is the report from the Works Committee:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2010/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-30060.pdf
As to the attitude of Toronto Hydro - remember this is an arms-length organization, there is really little accountability at the end of day to the City of Toronto - if anything, the more that they can get off their financial books the better, as detrimental to the City as a whole as it maybe.
AoD
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2010/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-30060.pdf
As to the attitude of Toronto Hydro - remember this is an arms-length organization, there is really little accountability at the end of day to the City of Toronto - if anything, the more that they can get off their financial books the better, as detrimental to the City as a whole as it maybe.
AoD