ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[Viewfromthe42]

There's not a huge amount of space between the TPSS and the building for an accessible pedestrian access and a delivery vehicle access with maneuvering room.

Side note: this morning, they were removing the northwest corner traffic light at King and Francis, and may be replacing that pole and/or adding other poles, likely LRT related.

[ijmorlan]

How so?  I'll admit it's a bit weird that it's not right on the King St corridor, but my understanding is that there were no viable King St options available.  While this leaves Waterloo St too narrow to be called a street, that's no biggie as it's permanently closed at the tracks anyway.

As I understand it, there were options available, they were just "expensive", and required environmental remediation.  Specifically, I think the original plan was to locate it along the mainline Metrolinx tracks behind the school of pharmacy building.  It's a great location, nobody will want to build there, it's behind everything and out of the way.  However, contamination was found on the site and in order to build on it, the contamination would have to be cleaned up.  So, they picked a far inferior site in order to save costs.

I’ve never understood this. The contamination is bad enough that it must be cleaned up if anything is done with the site, but not bad enough that it can’t just sit there indefinitely. What’s wrong with pouring a concrete pad on top of the existing ground and dropping the TPSS on the pad? Or, if that’s not OK, how is it OK to just leave the contamination there?

[danbrotherston]

"dead end"....for cars.  It's supposed to have a pedestrian access to the new terminal, but the positioning of the TPSS has made that extremely difficult to achieve.  At best, there will be pedestrian access crammed between an ugly TPSS and a loading dock for the Google building, hardly an safe and inviting view, at worst, there just won't be pedestrian access.

The space is reasonably wide for pedestrian-only access, far wider than a pair of broad downtown sidewalks, so not really "crammed" in my view.  If the alignment prevents the construction of the underpass, though, then I'll need to retract my comments.

Yes, the TPSS doesn't look nice at the moment, as I said.  Hopefully they are planning to do something about that.  If they won't do anything, I'll be disappointed.

It wouldn't be a problem for *just* pedestrians, but it isn't *just* pedestrians, there also needs to be space for trucks to access the loading dock at the Google building.  And that space cannot be shared with the pedestrian pass because it is at a different level.  All of a sudden is is very cramped.

[danbrotherston]

I’ve never understood this. The contamination is bad enough that it must be cleaned up if anything is done with the site, but not bad enough that it can’t just sit there indefinitely. What’s wrong with pouring a concrete pad on top of the existing ground and dropping the TPSS on the pad? Or, if that’s not OK, how is it OK to just leave the contamination there?

I find this frustrating as well. The region/city should just have forced it to be cleaned up, or covered the cost. Although, I feel like for a TPSS they maybe should have been able to get away without doing it. Regardless, leaving it as a contaminated site doesn't seem like a long term solution.

Does anyone know where that contamination would have come from anyway? Is it just from the railway?

[timc]

The School of Pharmacy is on the site of the former BF Goodrich/Epton factory, so the soil may be contaminated with harmful chemicals used in the rubber industry.

I'm no expert in the area, but building on contaminated land without cleaning it up may not be possible. If it is, you may end up being held liable for future harm, which could end up costing you more than just removing the contamination in the first place.

[SammyOES2]

I don't know the details, but I can imagine there are lots of cases where contamination is "fine" (read - below a somewhat arbitrary threshold) when the ground is left alone or only minimally disturbed but where its not "fine" to have heavy equipment running over it, digging it up, etc.

Edit: This is one of those cases where I feel like just because we don't know the reason, doesn't mean there isn't a good one.  Sure, sometimes its something 'silly', but more often than not the people that know what they're doing actually know what they're doing.  At least in terms of the people that say the contamination would need to be cleaned up.  The decision of where to put the TPSS and money to be spent on cleaning up the contamination may be a totally separate matter.

[danbrotherston]

I don't know the details, but I can imagine there are lots of cases where contamination is "fine" (read - below a somewhat arbitrary threshold) when the ground is left alone or only minimally disturbed but where its not "fine" to have heavy equipment running over it, digging it up, etc.

Edit: This is one of those cases where I feel like just because we don't know the reason, doesn't mean there isn't a good one.  Sure, sometimes its something 'silly', but more often than not the people that know what they're doing actually know what they're doing.  At least in terms of the people that say the contamination would need to be cleaned up.  The decision of where to put the TPSS and money to be spent on cleaning up the contamination may be a totally separate matter.

I agree in principle, but almost certainly it is an issue of cost.  But almost certainly the opportunity cost was not considered in the new location, given that Grandlinq doesn't pay that.

[Chicopee]

Personally, I think the TPSS is in a terrible spot. It has effectively screwed over the Breithaupt Block by removing access to their loading dock. I wonder if they knew this was coming, or if it came as a surprise. Additionally, it has limited access to the Boehmer Box building, and is unsightly to the neighborhood.

If the Epton grounds are so contaminated, how was a parking lot first constructed on it after the factory was torn down, then the U of W Pharmacy building?

[Coke6pk]

Canard, Corrected for you....

   

Coke

[KevinL]

If the Epton grounds are so contaminated, how was a parking lot first constructed on it after the factory was torn down, then the U of W Pharmacy building?

The soil under those areas was cleaned up when they were built. The TPSS was to go into a strip between that and the railway which was presumably not cleaned up, and that cleanup somehow came as a surprise to the Region/GrandLinq.

[panamaniac]

I’ve never understood this. The contamination is bad enough that it must be cleaned up if anything is done with the site, but not bad enough that it can’t just sit there indefinitely. What’s wrong with pouring a concrete pad on top of the existing ground and dropping the TPSS on the pad? Or, if that’s not OK, how is it OK to just leave the contamination there?

I find this frustrating as well.  The region/city should just have forced it to be cleaned up, or covered the cost.  Although, I feel like for a TPSS they maybe should have been able to get away without doing it.  Regardless, leaving it as a contaminated site doesn't seem like a long term solution.

Does anyone know where that contamination would have come from anyway?  Is it just from the railway?

Keep in mind that, in addition to the rail line, that area was historically lined with manufacturing industries for over a century.  I suspect that if you were able to find land down that way that ISN'T contaminated, you'd be eligible for some sort of a prize.

[danbrotherston]

Keep in mind that, in addition to the rail line, that area was historically lined with manufacturing industries for over a century.  I suspect that if you were able to find land down that way that ISN'T contaminated, you'd be eligible for some sort of a prize.

Lol, I live like 50 meters from that railway...:S.

[panamaniac]

Keep in mind that, in addition to the rail line, that area was historically lined with manufacturing industries for over a century.  I suspect that if you were able to find land down that way that ISN'T contaminated, you'd be eligible for some sort of a prize.

Lol, I live like 50 meters from that railway...:S.

I'm sure that no toxic vapours are wafting through your windows or seeping into your basement.  Nothing to see here folks, move along....  

[kps]

Keep in mind that, in addition to the rail line, that area was historically lined with manufacturing industries for over a century.  I suspect that if you were able to find land down that way that ISN'T contaminated, you'd be eligible for some sort of a prize.

It's quite fortunate that none of the contamination that prevented placing the TPSS where King meets the rail line was found a few feet away where King was excavated under the rail line.

[Canard]

Canard, Corrected for you....

I laughed out loud once I saw it.  Took me a second.  You win.  

1/5 Sunday, March 26, 2017

   
Duke St.  I like how the aspect signals are all lined up.

   
The anchor wall went up on Friday (the 24th).  Note the crew working away on a Sunday in the tent.

   
Mill Station now has the wraps off.

   
Catenary up all along the Huron Spur now.  Neat transition here - this is looking South where the Conestoga Parkway is.  Note the tensioners there...

   
...the tensioners for the South run are on the other side of the overpass. So, through the tunnel, there are actually four contact wires.