Queens Quay Construction Progress Report

October 1, 2013, Toronto, ON—Construction is on schedule to deliver the revitalization of Queens Quay for the spring of 2015 in time for the Pan Am Games. This massive revitalization project, from just west of Lower Spadina Avenue to just east of Bay Street, is rebuilding Toronto’s main waterfront street both above and below ground.

The 1.7 kilometre construction site is located within an active waterfront residential neighbourhood, commercial business area and tourist destination. The site encompasses the sidewalk area on both the north and south side of Queens Quay up to the building face of each property along the street. It also includes the road and TTC corridor. During construction, traffic and transit operations are being maintained as is access to all residences and businesses. Major waterfront festivals and cultural events are also continuing uninterrupted.

When construction is complete, the new Queens Quay will feature a wide tree-lined granite pedestrian promenade alongside a new stretch of Martin Goodman Trail for cyclists. The TTC streetcar corridor and tracks are being rebuilt and the platforms widened. The realigned traffic lanes will include dedicated turning lanes with laybys to accommodate short-term parking. Granite sidewalks and new trees are being installed in front of storefronts and residences on the north side of the street.

In addition to these significant landscape improvements, most of the waterfront’s aging underground infrastructure is also being expanded or rebuilt as part of this project. This “deep services” construction – which includes the installation of a new gas main, sanitary/storm sewers, hydro chambers and ducts, and new telecommunications chambers and ducts – is some of the most labour intensive and complex work required on the project.

Progress to Date
Site preparation and pre-construction activities began in June 2012 followed by major demolition works in November 2012. Waterfront Toronto’s coordinated construction approach, managed by Eastern Construction, has allowed the overall schedule to remain on track despite slowdowns related to deep services work. These include:

• Toronto Hydro’s infrastructure upgrades, originally planned to begin in early 2012, were delayed due to funding issues. Hydro work had to be integrated and coordinated at the same time as all of the other deep services work which has impacted the schedule.
• Site conditions due to the close proximity to Lake Ontario result in inevitable slowdowns due to dewatering, underground obstructions and the overall condition of the soil.
• The TTC corridor rebuild, which is contingent upon the completion of deep services work, has been delayed to accommodate the work currently underway.

In order to accommodate the additional deep services work and the impact on ground conditions, when slowdowns occur in one area, Eastern advances work in other areas to ensure the project remains on schedule overall. Construction milestones to date include:

Upcoming Construction Activities and Milestones 
The resumption of TTC streetcar service on Queens Quay is a key priority. Work is now underway to rebuild the Spadina Loop, an important piece of TTC infrastructure which allows both the 509 and 510 streetcars to reverse direction. Reconstruction of the Spadina Loop is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year. Once complete, TTC crews will commission the track allowing service on the 510 line to return to Queens Quay by February 2014. In January 2014, crews will begin the rebuild of the TTC corridor on Queens Quay. The entire corridor is scheduled to be complete and in service by July 2014.

Other milestones which will be complete by July 2014 include:

The majority of construction activities between July 2014 and July 2015 will be on the south side where crews will finish the installation of the granite promenade, the Martin Goodman Trail and almost 200 new trees.

For more information: Samantha Gileno, Manager, Project Communications