(UPDATED 6/25) Ontario Marks Major Milestone for Eglinton Crosstown West Extension
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
After being disassembled, parts of the TBM are carefully lifted out of the extraction shaft with a crane.
Courtesy of Metrolinx
TORONTO – The Ontario government reached a major milestone after it finished tunneling the western underground portion of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension.
On April 29th, RT&S reported ‘Rexy’, a tunnel boring machine, broke through the final wall during construction on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. The second TBM, ‘Renny’, broke through in May. The short clip below from Metrolinx shows a brief overview of both Rexy and Renny.
During construction, two TBMs excavated 1.2 million tons of soil and rock and installed over 7,400 concrete tunnel liner rings to support the walls. Two tunnels measuring 6.3 kilometers on Eglinton Avenue West connect the Extension from Renforth Drive to Scarlett Road. At that point, the line will “come to the surface and transition to an elevated guideway.”
In the next phase, the Ontario government reports work will continue at the extraction shaft at Scarlett Road where a structure will be built to allow trains to emerge from the tunnels. Additionally, preparations will take place to allow for the beginning of tunneling the eastern underground portion of the line. This portion will run from east of Jane Street to Mount Dennis Station.
Minister of Transportation, Prabmeet Sarkaria, said, “As the Greater Toronto Area continues to grow, families deserve to have access to fast and reliable transit options that connect them to good jobs, housing, and other necessities. . . Today’s milestone brings us another step closer to saving commuters time, increasing quality of life for residents and growing the economy for everyone.”
Member of Parliament for Etobicoke Centre on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Yvan Baker, said, “Part of the largest public transit investment in the history of the Greater Toronto Area, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will help to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions, while supporting thousands of good jobs. . . Building strong, inclusive, and affordable communities relies on a strong foundation of public infrastructure like LRTs and public transit routes that keep our cities moving. The completion of tunnelling on the western segment of this line extension is an exciting step towards a more seamless rapid transit experience for thousands of daily riders.”
“Our strong partnership with the province is helping build more transit, more quickly, for the people of Toronto,” said Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto. “The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension will help more communities conveniently access rapid transit. Together, we can relieve congestion and give people more options to get to work, school or run errands.”
