The $5.3-billion Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit
(LRT) line is the largest transit expansion project in
Toronto’s history; running 19 kilometres east to west
with a 10-kilometre underground stretch. The transit
line will have up to 25 stations and stops and will link passengers
to 54 bus routes, greatly improving Toronto’s public
transportation system.
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is the largest project financed
by Infrastructure Ontario’s Alternative Financing and
Procurement model. Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx,
formerly known as the Greater Toronto Transportation
Authority, awarded the contract in the summer of 2015 to
Crosslinx Transit Solutions (CTS), a design and construction
consortium comprised of infrastructure heavyweights
including ASC-Dragados, Aecon, EllisDon and SNC-Lavalin.
In addition to designing and constructing the project, the
consortium will maintain the line for 30 years.
Currently under construction, the Eglinton Crosstown
LRT project is slated to be complete in 2021. Keller
Foundations Ltd., formerly Geo-Foundations, was awarded
Eglinton Station and began work on the project in April 2017.
Although Keller has worked on other LRT projects across
Canada, the Eglinton Crosstown is the largest and most logistically
challenging project to date.
Keller rises to challenges with adaptability
The scope of Keller’s work involves providing excavation
support adjacent to and underneath a live subway line. The
surface works include a 30-metre-deep secant pile wall, soldier
piles and lagging, 40-metre-deep structural caissons and
jet grouting where utilities intersect the secant pile wall. The
team must also install a traffic deck to maintain vehicle flow
throughout the project duration. Most of the design work
was provided to Keller by SOE Yonge Ltd., a member of the
Isherwood Group of Companies.
“The Yonge line will remain in operation throughout the
entire project duration,” said Sean Morrisroe, project manager,
Keller Foundations. “In addition, by installing a traffic
deck, we will be able to keep two lanes of traffic in operation
to mitigate the impact to the public.”
Once the surface work is complete, four lanes of traffic
will open back up to the public while construction of the station
box advances below.
COVER FEATURE
Keller Foundations Ltd. is
using its experience with
challenging projects to help
deliver the largest transit
expansion in Toronto’s history
By Colleen Birchwood
PILING CANADA 27