ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Canard]

Those may be for the "type 2" Catpole with tensioner we're seeing installed in certain sections. When it's an I-beam, the tensioner counterweight is external. When it's round, the counterweight is inside the cylindrical pole. The deep foundation would suggest high lateral loads - ie, a tensioner.

These "type 2" catpoles with tensioner are starting to pop up at the OMSF and just outside of Clay and Glass.

   

[tomh009]

Thanks! I think Charles already has catpole bases installed between Gaukel and Queen, so they could possibly be for the Queen-Benton stretch. But the rebar is two blocks away from there, so it seems to be a bit of stretch.

[Markster]

Those are for the poles they put up (cat poles?). I was surprised how deep they go! Here are some pics I took (from my living room window) of them being placed at Duke & Water.

Wait, you mean you aren't raising hell and writing to the City/Region/Newspaper and complaining about the pole that's going to positively ruin the view out of your window?!

[jgsz]

Those may be for the "type 2" Catpole with tensioner we're seeing installed in certain sections. When it's an I-beam, the tensioner counterweight is external. When it's round, the counterweight is inside the cylindrical pole. The deep foundation would suggest high lateral loads - ie, a tensioner.

These "type 2" catpoles with tensioner are starting to pop up at the OMSF and just outside of Clay and Glass.

Why are the ballasts(?) numbered?

[ElsieEm]

Those are for the poles they put up (cat poles?). I was surprised how deep they go! Here are some pics I took (from my living room window) of them being placed at Duke & Water.

Wait, you mean you aren't raising hell and writing to the City/Region/Newspaper and complaining about the pole that's going to positively ruin the view out of your window?!

Haha, well since our view was already marred by stoplights etc I'm not sure what case I could have made... Truly though, as someone who literally lives right in the middle of the construction with all the noise and vibration, who's driveway has been inaccessible for months, and now has the wonderful Victoria detour traffic to deal with the only time I've ever considered contacting the newspaper was over our garbage collection when Duke/Water was fully closed. For more than 2 months it was a constant battle, phone calls every week etc. We  had to give up using our green bin which pained us deeply lol.

[timc]

Why are the ballasts(?) numbered?

I may be wrong, but I think this is near a crossover by the Perimeter Institute. Each tie in this group is likely a different length, and they are numbered so that they end up in the right order.

[Canard]

Correct.

[KevinL]

A Midtown update.

A fresh look at the dig at King and Moore/Breithaupt:


The view in the opposite direction included a pipe delivery this morning:


Track installation clearly ends just before Wellington:


Hydro was busy in front of King Edward School:


One of the few incomplete gaps is right here just before Green Street:

[tomh009]

Paving under way on Charles, between Ontario and Queen!

   

[GtwoK]

Y'know, it would have been really nice to see power lines buried on Charles between Benton and Manulife. that could've cleaned up the area a good bit, I'd think.

[tomh009]

I have been thinking exactly the same thing. Sadly, no budget was allocated for that.

[panamaniac]

Will they not be? I've been assuming that all the overhead wires are temporary. Or is "we don't do pretty" Kitchener keeping true to itself?

[KevinL]

The overhead power lines in this part of downtown are temporary. The wooden poles you see here will be removed later, once more of the project is completed.

[GtwoK]

Oh, really? So they'll be digging up the road again to bury them? Is that why most places that have had sidewalks rebuilt already have skipped the sections that the hydro poles are in? Closer to Striling, concrete was poured around the hydro poles for sidewalks, so I assume THOSE one's are permanent.

[KevinL]

No, the new underground routes have been going in all along. They're not live yet, though; power is running through the overhead lines until the new underground system is complete. The power will later be switched over, and the overhead mess removed.