$24,832,664.54 is being spent on the Dufferin Street Jog Elimination project and the construction of the Dufferin Street/CN/GO Transit Underpass at Queen Street. The Dufferin Construction Company (St. Lawrence Cement Inc. C.O.B.) is the prime contractor and if you look at the material making up the the bulk of the volume of the structure, they are the main material supplier too.
Looking at the method and construction engineering to be used, it appears the underpass will mix well with other nearby underpasses such as the one on King street in Liberty Village. It is the grammar of ornament used to display art in the structure that is of considerable issue in this design. In a tunnel underpass that is probably going to be wind swept at times, and with the usual short width of sidewalks used in Toronto it is going to be difficult for passers by to stand and have some contemplative time viewing the photographs.
…tending to agree with this quote from Adam Vaughan, in this Toronto Life article by Philip Preville.
Though it’s not in his district, Adam Vaughan, for what it’s worth, is not a fan of the idea. “Congestion is good,” he told me not long ago, meaning the more difficult it is for cars to navigate the grid, the more people will consider alternatives like walking or transit. It’s also true that oddities like the Dufferin Jog act as natural traffic-calming devices, and they provide incentive for drivers to disperse throughout the grid in search of alternative routes. But there’s also the fact that irregularities in the grid are what give any city its character.
jjj
kk
Picture credits St. Lawrence
Cement Inc. C.O.B. as Dufferin Construction Company [opens in new window]
City of Toronto Contract Award – Contract No. 08FS-22S [opens in new window]
Dufferin Street history on Wikipedia [opens in new window]
| Project Name: | Dufferin Street Jog Elimination |
| Project Value: | $24,832,664.54 |
| Scheduled: | 2008-2009 |
| Owner: | City of Toronto |
| Contract No: | 08FS-22S |
| Consultant: | |
| Location: | Dufferin Street at Queen Street |
| Market: | Municipal Construction – Central |
| Delivery Method: | Traditional Public Tender |
10 Comments
Somewhat agree with Councillor Vaughan. However, us Dufferinites already have to put up with sub-par TTC bus service — with more daily riders than the Sheppard subway. So for that reason, because of the potential for improvement to the bus times, I look forward to the elimination of the jog. Also, I'm not sure that it really adds "character" — what it really does is kill business and real estate on Dufferin, and make it completely unfriendly to pedestrians. And it's an eyesore as well. It will be a welcome change in my books.
…kill business and real estate on Dufferin ..yes, although kill may be a very strong word – it does hurt businesses on Dufferin Ave. The 400 hundred block has greatly been affected, but really this jog removal is going to cause that part of Dufferin Ave to be used more as an arterial road, than it is now. Really if the city had a solid public space and light industrial infill plan the problems of the area may have been solved without the removal of the jog.
It will end up being more arterial but the benefit will be for cyclists and pedestrians. I think anything that promotes cycling and pedestrians like large paths definitely help. Right now the jog makes it hard to navigate on foot since drivers often are a little confused and distracted as Toronto drivers often are. This route should have been planned in such a way as to accommodate future LRT tracks though. The 29 dufferin route is extremely busy and should have some long term plan for subway or LRT.
"This route should have been planned in such a way as to accommodate future LRT tracks though. The 29 dufferin route is extremely busy and should have some long term plan for subway or LRT."
Dufferin Street will not have plans for LRT or subway for a long time to come. The 511 Bathurst route will probably be extended beyond St. Clair-Eglinton before then.
As for the jog elimination, I see it as something that should have been planned years ago. The Dufferin route is jam-packed, so leaving it there would make things worse off for people having to use the 29 around that pass. Also consider pedestrians who have to take more time going up around the Queen/Gladstone/Peel block, if they need to go north or south on Dufferin. Dunno where Vaughan got the idea that 'congestion is good', but he better wake up and smell the octane.
Having to find ways around the Dufferin Jog causes the need for traffic calming. Having it straightened will triple property values around it. If it has given the neighborhood character it was of the twisted variety.
whats very unfortunate is that this project should proceed, but the design is wrong…
They frauded us the public and no one seems to see it but me…
Ask why an elevated railway corridor was not considered as a solution to satisfying the objectives of this project…
An elevated railway corridor examined in the original e.a. in 1994 does not mention it…
Yet it is mentioned in the powerpoint presention update of 2007…so wheres the supporting facts from 1994 ???
To understand what an elevated railway corridor would have looked like just go to gerrard and carlton where the infrstructure is similar…
whats very unfortunate is that this project should proceed, but the design is wrong…
They frauded us the public and no one seems to see it but me…
Ask why an elevated railway corridor was not considered as a solution to satisfying the objectives of this project…
An elevated railway corridor examined in the original e.a. in 1994 does not mention it…
Yet it is mentioned in the powerpoint presention update of 2007…so wheres the supporting facts from 1994 ???
To understand what an elevated railway corridor would have looked like just go to gerrard and carlton where the infrstructure is similar…
Elevated Railway????
I don't think you understand that rail line must travel on a relatively flat grade. You're proposal to elevate the rail line ove the streets makes no sense.
[…] Junctioneer Article […]
[…] Junctioneer Article […]