laird drive to don valley parkway update: environmental project report addendum presentation

Eglinton LRT: Laird Drive to Don Valley Parkway Update December 11, 2012

Welcome to Our Open House

LAIRD DRIVE TO DON VALLEY PARKWAY ADDENDUM TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT REPORT Please sign-in so that we may provide you with updates on future events. Feel free to speak with any of the project team members, we’re here to answer your questions!

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Purpose of Tonight’s Open House Since the approval of the Environmental Project Report (EPR) for The Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project by the Minister of the Environment in 2010, Metrolinx is proposing to change the location of the eastern Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) launch site east of Brentcliffe Road to a site at the southwest corner of Eglinton Avenue East and Don Mills Road intersection.

The proposed relocation of the launch area also results in a change in the LRT alignment between the proposed Laird Station and Don Mills Station, from a surface LRT line approved in the EPR to underground LRT line.

The purpose of tonight’s open house is to share the input received regarding the changes and discuss next steps.

More details on the changes to the project are presented in the following panels.

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PART ONE

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What We Heard at the December 2012 PIC We received many comments (approx 190) at and following the December 2012 Public Information Centre (PIC). Key comments can be summarized as follows: • General support for an underground LRT alignment to Don Mills

Station; • Mixed support / concern regarding the loss of the proposed Leslie

and Ferrand LRT stops; • Suggestions to consider an alternative LRT alignment OVER the West

Don River; and • Complete the project as soon as possible.

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Updated Project Description based on the December 2012 PIC • Ferrand Stop can be accommodated; • Preferred Launch site continues to be at Don Mills; • Tunnel Extension from Laird Station to Don Mills; and • Leslie Stop remains eliminated.

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Why an Addendum to the EPR is Required? The approved Project in the 2010 EPR included a street-level LRT alignment within the centre of Eglinton Avenue between Brentcliffe Avenue and Don Valley Parkway, with a short underground section for the station at Don Mills Road, and with surface stops at Leslie Street and Ferrand Drive.

The changes to the Project between Laird Drive and Don Valley Parkway include:

• An extension to the tunnel section from Laird Station to the Don Mills Station;

• 3 Emergency Exit Buildings (EEB’s) to meet Fire Life Safety requirements; and

• Removal of the surface stop at Leslie Street.

An Addendum to the EPR is required to assess the potential impacts associated with these changes

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Why is the Change Needed?

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The TBM launch site proposed in the approved EPR at Brentcliffe Rd is no longer suitable, due to:

• New property constraints: new development to the south of the Brentcliffe launch site would require temporary shoring to protect the building foundation for the duration of construction, and construction noise mitigation measures may be insufficient

• Traffic impacts / detour requirements: Traffic disruption would occur over a 28 month period during the operation of the launch site

Previously proposed TBM launch site


Why is the Change Needed?

Alternative launch sites were therefore considered and assessed.

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• Slope stability issues north of Eglinton at the Brentcliffe portal could impact the ability to permanently maintain 4 lanes of traffic at this location

• Soil contamination issues: The preliminary design study identified contaminated soil at the Brentcliffe launch site that would have to be removed


Alternative TBM Launch Sites Considered

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TBM Launch Site East of Brentcliffe Road • The TBM would tunnel westerly from the launch site to Chaplin Road • LRT on surface between Brentcliffe Road and Don Mills Road

TBM Launch Site East of Bayview Avenue • The TBM would be launched twice from this site, once to tunnel

westerly to Yonge Street, and once to tunnel easterly to Brentcliffe Road • LRT on surface between Brentcliffe Road and Don Mills Road

TBM Launch Site West of Don Mills Road • The TBM would be tunnel westerly to Yonge Street from the launch site • LRT in tunnel between Brentcliffe Road and Don Mills Road

2010 EA PLAN

OPTION 1

OPTION 2


Launch Site Option 1: East of Bayview Ave

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• Launch site located on public school lands / sports field in residential neighbourhood

• Two TBM drives (eastbound and westbound) requires setting up and extracting TBM twice:

― Requires additional TBM extraction shaft

― Results in extended duration of construction disruption up to 29 months

• Potential for noise impacts to nearby residential developments and school during construction

• No other changes to previously-approved LRT plan required

OPTION 1

Example: TBM launch shaft

under construction

Photo of Site:


Launch Site Option 2: West of Don Mills Rd

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• Launch site located on publicly-owned lands in mixed use area

• No noise-sensitive receptors adjacent to construction site

• Large launch site allows for efficient construction

• Eglinton Ave right-of-way can accommodate construction activities while maintaining full traffic capacity

• Requires extension of LRT tunnel from Laird Station to Don Mills Station

• Proposed Leslie LRT stop removed • Allows for higher LRT operating speeds

between Laird and Don Mills due to fully exclusive operation

OPTION 2

Photo of Site:


Recommended Launch Site Location The recommended TBM launch site is the Don Mills Road site

• Larger launch site allows for more efficient construction and traffic staging

• Improved LRT operations between Laird Station and Don Mills Station

• Fewer sensitive noise receptors nearby

Revisions to the Launch Site location result in the

requirement to change the alignment between Brentcliffe Road and the Don Valley Parkway

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Effects of the Change: Leslie LRT Stop The change to the alignment results in the Leslie Stop being moved underground.

Given low ridership forecasts and limited opportunity for future development, the costs associated with an underground LRT Station at this location (est. $80M) are not justified.

It is proposed that this stop be removed. Modified Bus routes would provide connections between Leslie Street and Laird LRT Station.

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2010 Plan

Current Proposed Plan


Effects of the Change: Leslie LRT Stop

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•The walk-in ridership catchment area for the Leslie LRT Station – typically a 500m radius from the station – contains a low density of trip-generating developments, with little potential for new development due to the presence of protected park lands.

•This results in a station with one of the lowest forecast passenger activity rates for the entire Eglinton Crosstown LRT.


Effects of the Change: Leslie LRT Stop Modified TTC Bus Routes • Consistent with the approved plan for

the Eglinton LRT, the TTC will be modifying bus routes 51 and 56 through the Leslie Street / Eglinton Avenue area, as shown in the adjacent figure.

• These routes will provide transit connectivity between the Laird LRT Station, the existing and future development along Leslie Street, and the park lands to the north and south of Eglinton Avenue.

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Effects of the Change: Leslie LRT Stop

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Pedestrian Connections • Pedestrian connections from the Laird and Don Mills LRT Stations to the park lands at

the intersection of Eglinton Avenue and Leslie Street exist today. • Metrolinx will work with the active transportation community and the City of Toronto to

improve the streetscape along Eglinton Avenue between Laird and Don Mills Stations through this project.


Ferrand LRT Stop • At the previous PIC (December 2012), it was proposed that the Ferrand LRT

Stop be removed due to geometric constraints. • The LRT design and operational plan has been revisited, and it is now feasible

to maintain the proposed Ferrand LRT Stop. • The Ferrand LRT Stop has therefore been reinstated in the current proposed

LRT plan, consistent with the previously-approved plan.

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Commitments to Future Work Metrolinx is proceeding with the delivery of the Eglinton LRT through Public Private Partnership and Alternative Financing + Procurement (AFP)

Through this process Metrolinx is committed to:

• Continuing Public Consultation: Consult with the public, property owners and stakeholder agencies during the design of the LRT alignment, stops/ stations, bus terminals and ancillary facilities.

• Incorporate City of Toronto urban design criteria into the design of the LRT facilities.

• Construction Issues: Conduct further research, analysis and develop plans including : ― Noise, vibration and air emissions monitoring and mitigation ― Traffic, transit and pedestrian management strategies ― Utility and municipal services relocation plans ― Emergency response plans (Fire, Police and Emergency Medical Services) ― Vegetation restoration, edge management and streetscape plans ― Soil and groundwater management strategy ― Erosion and sedimentation control plan

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PART TWO

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Comments received •The evening of the Open House Dec 11, 2012 •On-line survey results received by Jan 4, 2013 •Email comments and mail @ Community Office

Comment Format Tally Written Comments at the Open House Dec 11, 2012

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On-line surveys received to Jan 21, 2013 135 Email comments and mail received at project Community Office

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General Questions Why is this change happening now? During the initial environmental assessment (2010), a concept is proposed. As

the process of detailed engineering begins, costs and contract details before refined and additional considerations are discovered. Any changes to the number or locations of stops must go through an Environmental Assessment Amendment process.

The considerations would have been important then had they been known at the time of the preparation of the EPR. But this is why we have the environmental assessment process, to enable further research and investigation.

What are the benefits of the proposed changes? The proposed change will result in significant improvements to construction

staging, schedule and traffic impacts. Although the length of the tunnel would increase by approximately one

kilometre, cost savings associated with the elimination of a crossover and storage track at Laird Station and the elimination of a tunnel launch/extraction shaft at Bayview Avenue offset the additional tunnel costs.

General Questions cont’d

Is it not possible to construct the launch shaft on the north side of Eglinton? No. There is not enough space

available to construct it on the north side.


Leslie Stop/Station Why is the Leslie LRT stop being eliminated? The costs associated with an underground station at Leslie are not be justified

given low ridership forecasts. It would be the highest cost station, with the lowest ridership on the LRT line.

What information has Metrolinx taken into account in estimating ridership levels at Leslie Street? The travel demand forecasts shown in the Environmental Project Report were

based on land use/development forecasts for the City of Toronto for the year 2031. Information is based on the City of Toronto Official Plan.

Only the northeast corner of the Leslie Street/Eglinton East intersection has development potential.

What about all the people that access the park for many special events? Stations are planned on the basis of ridership during peak travel periods.

Metrolinx will work with the City and the local community to enhance access to the parks system from the Don Mills and Laird Stations.


Leslie Stop/Station cont’d Given that an emergency exit is required around Leslie Street, why not just construct a station? Construction of an emergency exit is relatively simple and inexpensive

compared to the cost of constructing a station and the footprint required is not much more than a standard office space.

Does the tunnel construction make possible the addition of a Leslie Street station in the future? Additional stations on the underground route are possible. However, co-

ordination of station construction and tunnelling work is preferred in order to maximize the construction investment.

A future station at Leslie Street is technically feasible, but the limited ridership potential at that location does not justify the expense of a station.

LRT Service and Bus Routes With no stop at Leslie, how will transit riders connect to the LRT? Bus routes would be modified to

provide enhanced connections between Leslie Street and Laird Station. During peak travel periods, passengers will be served by a Leslie/Laird bus every ten minutes.

What will be the impact on traffic of a Laird Street station? There will be no bus station or loop

at the Laird Station. The Leslie/Laird turn south on Laird, stop in front of the station and passengers will transfer into the underground station.


Alignment Option: Over West Don River Will the team consider an underground option that crosses OVER the West Don River?

This alternative is NOT RECOMMENDED as it requires (and therefore does not address the issues with) a TBM Launch Site at Brentcliffe.

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Active Transportation-Walking and Cycling How does the change affect plans for bike lanes on Eglinton east of Laird committed to in the 2010 approved plan? Metrolinx is consulting and coordinating with the City of Toronto City Planning

and Transportation Services Divisions to develop a plan to provide enhanced pedestrian access and bike lanes along Eglinton Avenue.


Next Steps Following the Public Information Centre, the Project Team will: • Finalize the Environmental Project Report (EPR) Addendum, summarizing the

study findings and recommendations; • Receive Recommendations and Approvals from the Metrolinx Board • File the EPR Addendum for a 30-day public and agency review and comment

period; • Following the 30-day review period, the EPR Addendum and responses to any

comments submitted during the review period will be submitted to the Minister of the Environment for approval.

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Eglinton LRT: Laird Drive to Don Valley Parkway Update December 11, 2012 29

Consultation Process

Eglinton LRT: Laird Drive to Don Valley Parkway Update December 11, 2012 30

The Crosstown Team Please get in touch with us Franca Di Giovanni Denise Jayawardene Mark Iogna Nicole Di Carlo Grace Lau E-mail: [email protected] Online: www.thecrosstown.ca Tel: 416-782-8118

Visit our West Community Office at 1848 Eglinton Avenue West (at Dufferin) Community Office Hours — 2013 Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday & Thursday: by appointment

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.thecrosstown.ca/

laird drive to don valley parkway update: environmental project report addendum presentation

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