Toronto Ontario Line 3 | ?m | ?s

Ontario Line supports the intensification of Thorncliffe/Flemingdon/Golden Mile (latter via Crosstown) and East Harbour. What are the equivalent wins for a west side Ontario Line? Once that is discovered, a route will be obvious. I don’t think that Metrolinx wants to build an automated metro to relieve existing congestion only.

I expect we will see a wall built around central Etobicoke long before any serious densification happens. Unlike Hazel, Councillor Holyday will never have a transit line named after them.


- Paul
 
Read down the posts from that day.

Where did the signage with colour come from though? I found the same sign in the PDF but its only black and white.
 
Ontario Line supports the intensification of Thorncliffe/Flemingdon/Golden Mile (latter via Crosstown) and East Harbour. What are the equivalent wins for a west side Ontario Line? Once that is discovered, a route will be obvious. I don’t think that Metrolinx wants to build an automated metro to relieve existing congestion only.
Gentrification of Rogers Rd
One-stop access to the Junction
Gentrification of Parkdale.
Turning Mount Dennis into a true transit hub
 
I expect we will see a wall built around central Etobicoke long before any serious densification happens. Unlike Hazel, Councillor Holyday will never have a transit line named after them.


- Paul
There's nothing Holyday can do to stop this. He's a bellend.
 
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I feel like a structure similar to the Ulla Estuary viaduct in Spain would be more inspiring (coloured steel not toronto grey), have a low pier count, and preform better in wind. As it would use a steel structure instead of the concrete wall that is proposed.
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View attachment 567822
I feel like a structure similar to the Ulla Estuary viaduct in Spain would be more inspiring (coloured steel not toronto grey), have a low pier count, and preform better in wind. As it would use a steel structure instead of the concrete wall that is proposed. View attachment 567821

It definitely looks better but I'm sure the wind loading can be accounted for in the currently proposed concrete balanced cantilever bridge as well.

I've always been a huge fan of cable stayed bridges but can agree that it's extremely expensive when compared to what's proposed.

I guess we can just hope for some brick or stone stuck on the grey concrete structure.
 
Metrolinx probably went with the grey concrete bridge since their idiot consultants told them it will make the Ontario Line more like a subway. The other bridge options wouldn't have given it that subway look.
It's all about $$$ or value engineering. Precast concrete is much cheaper than steel. Not to mention they don't need repainting every 10 years and will not corrode unlike steel if left alone. People conveniently ignore the fact that these infrastructure pieces need to be maintained.
 
It's all about $$$ or value engineering. Precast concrete is much cheaper than steel. Not to mention they don't need repainting every 10 years and will not corrode unlike steel if left alone. People conveniently ignore the fact that these infrastructure pieces need to be maintained.
honestly i think the upgrade would cost up to 200 million more on a 11 billion dollar project. Yes its more but this value engineering iconic structures is an Ontario thing. I have travelled around Canada and Europe and they put an effort where building, at least adding some colour and making a cheap but pleasing design. Such a structure that will be seen by millions of travelers on the DVP and on the tails should be made at the very least pleasing to see. This decision says a lot about what values our society has. The rest of the project is objectively good, and its a shame the most visible part of the project is where the cost was cut. I would opt for not making the station 30m deep, as that would save on excavation and concrete. Wish someone at Metrolinx would at least show what other options were proposed or looked at.
 
honestly i think the upgrade would cost up to 200 million more on a 11 billion dollar project. Yes its more but this value engineering iconic structures is an Ontario thing. I have travelled around Canada and Europe and they put an effort where building, at least adding some colour and making a cheap but pleasing design. Such a structure that will be seen by millions of travelers on the DVP and on the tails should be made at the very least pleasing to see. This decision says a lot about what values our society has. The rest of the project is objectively good, and its a shame the most visible part of the project is where the cost was cut. I would opt for not making the station 30m deep, as that would save on excavation and concrete. Wish someone at Metrolinx would at least show what other options were proposed or looked at.
Think about it though... how many people would go out of their way to stare into the Don valley specifically to look at a rail bridge. It's not like it's spanning the harbourfront to centre island. Most of the people who see it will be drivers on the dvp who have more things to worry about than the colour of the bridge. This is not a centrepiece structure and I rather they spend it on making the above ground stations look better
 
Personally, I will accept value engineering as an argument when the numpties at Metrolinx stop spending billions of dollars on deep tunneling of suburban subway extensions. Clearly, we are not in the game of even trying to save money, so why draw the line here? Why is it more important that a bunch of whiny suburbanites don't have to see the subways they don't even need, then that the Don Valley is bisected by something with a little more dignity than a cheap concrete bridge?
 
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I also happen to think that value engineering creates a vicious cycle: public infrastructure looks…poor…which means that people don’t value it and reduces their pride in the place they live, thus reducing their willingness to spend on it, and….

Then again, I don’t know why I expected more for a project in Toronto. In general I expect the public and private sector to deliver bargain basement - and they consistently do.
 
By varying the post-tensioned prestressing of a concrete segmental bridge, it’s possible to get a actual curved shape on-plan. With steel you need to have a series of straight sections at different angles, which requires additional piers and a wider cross section so the track is correctly curved.
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