↗ View this article in the original PDF newsletter
The Pan Am Summer Games in 2015 are driving the schedule for rebuilding the Strachan Avenue bridge over the Georgetown rail corridor and for the lowering of tracks that is part of upgrading GO Transit’s service between Union Station, Pearson Airport, and beyond. In Fall 2009, approval was given to an environmental assessment of these improvements. Enabling work—relocating utilities, rail signals, and tracks—will commence in November 2010. However, the main part of construction will begin in Summer 2011, and continue to completion in Fall 2014. Throughout almost this whole period detours will keep traffic moving on Strachan. Also, to help people deal with the dislocation, GO Transit has opened an office where they can ask questions and get more information (Carmen Nisbet, 416-869-3600, ext. 5165).
AECOM, a global engineering firm, has been hired by the City to manage the design and construction of the Fort York Pedestrian and Cycling bridge across the Hamilton and Georgetown rail corridors east of Strachan Avenue. A progressively-engineered S-shaped structure will link the Garrison Common west of Fort York with Stanley Park on the south side of Wellington Street. Currently the project is in the design phase, with Montgomery Sisam Architects of Toronto having been retained by AECOM for some of this work. Construction tenders will be called in October 2010, and a contract awarded before the end of the year. Building the bridge will begin early in 2011 and is expected to be completed in May 2012. Rebuilding the Bathurst Street bridge is the third bridging project in Fort York’s vicinity. In 2008 an environmental assessment was approved for the southern, viaduct section between Fort York Boulevard and Front Street, allowing preliminary plans to be put before the City’s Design Review Panel. Unimpressed, the panel sent the design back for reworking. The TTC took that opportunity to ask for a change in the project scope to provide a dedicated transit right-of-way across the early 20th century steel-truss bridge spanning the rail corridor, avoiding the need for streetcars to share the road with cars, as at present. Options for widening or twinning the heritage truss have been studied, but nothing is approved yet. The City would need approval from the railways for any new structure. Although the heritage truss is grandfathered at its present height above the tracks, a new
bridge may have to be higher to give enough clearance for the future electrification of the rail lines. Having to raise the heritage bridge would add to the costs and complexity of the project. Optimistically, construction on this project could start in 2015, after the Strachan bridge is rebuilt and the Pan Am Games are over.
At the southeast corner of Bathurst and Fort York Boulevard in Blocks 33 and 37 (Railway Lands West), Concord Adex will be bringing its experience gained from developing several condo towers near Spadina to create an as yet unnamed complex of residential and commercial buildings. In early June, as a first step to refining its plans, the developer held a design workshop involving architects, city planners, fort staff, representatives from Councillor Vaughan’s office, and the Friends of Fort York.
bridge may have to be higher to give enough clearance for the future electrification of the rail lines. Having to raise the heritage bridge would add to the costs and complexity of the project. Optimistically, construction on this project could start in 2015, after the Strachan bridge is rebuilt and the Pan Am Games are over. Currently the land reserved for June Callwood Park between Fleet Street and Fort York Boulevard is being cleared of interim uses so preparatory work on the park can occur this Fall. The flanking streets—Bastion on the east and Gzowski on the west—have been or are being built by the developers of the adjacent lands, Plazacorp and H&R, and will be turned over to the City shortly. However, it will be early 2011 before major work on the park begins. Welcome and generous help with the landscaping costs is coming from the Toronto Parks & Trees Foundation, the Francine & Robert Barrett Fund at the Toronto Community Foundation, and the Garden Club of Toronto. The park is scheduled to open in 2012.
At the southwest corner of Bathurst and Fort York Boulevard, overlooking the fort, Vancouver’s Onni Group is marketing the first phase of its Garrison at the Yards development on the north half of Block 6 (Fort York neighbourhood). It will consist of 207 condominium units in an 11-storey tower. Eventually three more towers of a greater height will be built on Onni’s lands south of the Gardiner Expressway. Not to be forgotten in this roundup is The Fort York Visitor Centre reported elsewhere on pages 5 and 6 of this issue Who Goes There? Is That a Joke? One of our Friends, Chris Raible of Creemore, has sent the following item from an issue of The Colonial Advocate [York, U.C.], 22 March 1827:
Not to be forgotten in this roundup is The Fort York Visitor Centre reported elsewhere on pages 5 and 6 of this issue
Original printed pages
