Chaotic conditions for pedestrians and motorists will remain at Yonge and Eglinton in Midtown Toronto, where complex and carefully-coordinated construction is preparing the intersection for the arrival of the Crosstown LRT. The 19-kilometre light rail line's busiest station will be at Yonge, where one of its two connections with the Yonge University subway line is being built. With the tunnels complete, crews are now several months into shoring, creating below-grade earth retaining walls that will support future excavation for the Crosstown's Eglinton Station.

South-facing panorama showing new work zone and Crosstown station site (background right), image by Forum contributor WillTo

Shoring at the site of the former TTC bus depot and along the south side of Eglinton has already been completed, and work is now shifting to the north side of Eglinton. Starting this week, crews are beginning the next phase of the 24-month shoring process, with the north phase expected to take 3 to 4 months. To make way for it, the north-south pedestrian crossing at the east side of the Yonge and Eglinton intersection has been rerouted to the west side, while east-west vehicle traffic has been shifted to the south side of Eglinton. A new work zone has been set up on the north side of Eglinton, where pedestrians and traffic flowed just a few days earlier.

Looking north across Eglinton to new work zone, image by Forum contributor WillTO

The pedestrian realm will remain constrained through the new phase of construction. The already-closed east, west, and north underground tunnel network connecting the existing Eglinton Station to the Yonge-Eglinton Centre will remain closed until 2021, while the still-active south underground pedestrian tunnel connecting the station to the southeast corner of Yonge and Eglinton will also close during an upcoming phase of construction.

Diagram showing work zones and closures for the shoring work, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Meanwhile, another element of the station is progressing one block to the south. Last week, crews began the installation of precast concrete for the Facility Services Building, being built above the Yonge line subway tracks immediately south of Eglinton Station at Berwick Avenue. This building will serve the existing subway line. The current station is being shifted to the north for a better connection to the new Crosstown line station.

Eglinton Station Facility Services Building, image courtesy of Metrolinx

Additional information along with renderings can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.