By Lynda Myer
Alongside the Finch West light rail transit (LRT) project in Toronto, a new pedestrian and cycling tunnel is constructing.
In order to form the body of the new multi-use tunnel, eighteen concrete tunnel segments have been installed beneath the Highway 400 southbound on-ramp at Finch Avenue West, while these 18 segments, each weighing 39.5 tons, were installed over a weekend.
Although the entire portal extends for 155 meters, this tunnel is 32m long.
The precast tunnel has rigid foam on the top, bottom, and sides, providing thermal protection and noise insulation. A vapor barrier under each concrete section gives additional protection from groundwater leakage.
In addition to building the portals now, a drainage system installed to help mitigate flooding, whereas this drainage system includes an alarm system that notifies maintenance crews immediately in the event of unexpected water build-up.
Including 18 stops and an underground interchange at the Finch West Subway Station, Finch West LRT is an 11km line providing improved connections in northwest Toronto. The scheduled date for inaugurating the new line is next year.
The Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx granted the design, build, finance, and maintenance contract to Mosaic Transit Group in 2018, which includes ACS Infrastructure Canada, Aecon, CRH Canada Group, Dragados Canada, Dufferin Construction Company, Arup Canada, Dillon Consulting, DPM Energy, DTAH, Perkins + Will Canada, Sener SES Canada and RBC Dominion Securities.
