By Lynda Myer
In order to designing, building and financing the second underground segment of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx have handed a fixed-price contract with C$255m value to Strabag, which includes a 500m tunnel from east of Jane Street to Mount Dennis Station.
Also providing the design expertise is up to WSP Canada and Dr G Sauer & Partners Corp.
The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension Advance Tunnel 2 project is being delivered through IO’s public-private partnership (P3) model, which transfers appropriate risks associated with design, construction and financing of the project to the private sector.
While the estimated date for commencing the major construction is later this year, enabling works for the project are undergoing.
The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension Advance Tunnel Contract 2 scope of work includes:
- Design and supply of mining and tunnelling equipment
- Detailed design and construction of the launch and extraction shafts and tunnel portal east of Jane Street
- Detailed design and construction of the tunnel between the portal and Mount Dennis Station using the sequential excavation method
- Modifications at Mount Dennis Station to accommodate extended Eglinton Crosstown LRT service; and
- Utility work and road modifications along Eglinton Avenue West to accommodate construction activities.
In 2021 the Advance Tunnel contract was awarded to West End Connectors, a consortium of Aecon, Dragados and Ghella, whereas two TBMs (Rexy and Renny) were launched in 2022.
The extension is one of Ontario’s four priority subway projects for the Greater Toronto Area. Ontario is investing C$70.5bn (US$51.6bn) over the next decade on the largest subway expansion in Canadian history, which includes the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, the Ontario Line, the Scarborough Subway Extension, and the Yonge North Subway Extension.
