Strabag AG has been awarded a contract from Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx to design, build and finance the Scarborough Subway Extension tunnel. Strabag Inc. will lead the construction team and serve as the project's financial advisor, with project design being handled by Arup Canada Inc. and Brian Isherwood & Associated Ltd.
Another tunneling project is being awarded to West End Connectors, a construction team headed by Aecon Group Inc., Dragados Canada Inc. and Ghella Canada Ltd. They have been picked as the winning bidder for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension's tunnel work.
An article in On-Site Magazine states that the two Crown agencies awarded two contracts. One for the $757.1 million Scarborough Subway Extension project and one for the $729.2 million Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. Both will include tunneling work.
The projects include:
- The Scarborough Subway Extension project will include supplying the tunnel boring machines to bore 7.8 kilometers (485 miles) of tunnel between Kennedy Station and McCowan Road/Sheppard Avenue that will eventually shuttle riders on the Toronto Transit Commission's Line 2 into Scarborough. The three-stop Scarborough extension is scheduled to open by 2030.
- The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project will include six kilometres of tunneling, design and construction of the launch and extraction shafts, and the supply of TBMs. Work is scheduled to start this spring, with the TBMs set to begin moving earth next summer.
Tunneling Online states that once the Scarborough extension is complete, it will help to reduce gridlock by attracting more than 100,000 riders each day. It is part of Ontario's historic $28.5 billion subway expansion program, which also includes the Ontario Line, the Yonge North Subway Extension, and the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. All together, these projects will add more than 40 km of new subway service to the rapid transit network.
In order to deliver the project as quickly as possible, Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario have split up the delivery of the project into two contracts:
- The advanced tunnel contract
- A stations, railway and systems contract
Strabag, as a consortium, is made up of a mix of international and local companies who have extensive experience working on other major tunneling projects in Canada and around the world.
When Strabag was first identified as First Negotiations Proponent, Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario got all the agreements in place with Strabag to ensure that they could carry out early works at the launch shaft site which is located at the northeast corner of Sheppard and McCowan. This site is where the tunnel boring machine will descend into the ground to begin the tunneling process.
Since April, Strabag's crews have been very busy working on the following:
- Disconnecting utilities
- Clearing structures
- Setting up office trailers to prepare for construction
- Preparing for the massive excavation required before the arrival of the tunnel boring machine early next year.
Metrolinx will continue to keep the community informed as work progresses and about what to expect during every phase of construction. A virtual townhall is being hosted on May 31st to provide the latest project updates and to answer any questions that the community may have.
"Since day one, our government has been clear that building better, faster transit is a key priority and core piece of our mandate. Under Premier Ford, Ontario's historic multi-billion dollar subway plan for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is, by far, the largest and most ambitious transit undertaking in Canadian history."
Ontario Minister of Transportation | Caroline Mulroney
For far too long, Scarborough commuters have unfairly dealt with outdated transit that couldn't keep up with the growing and thriving communities in Toronto's east end. The Scarborough Subway Extension will create thousands of jobs during construction and unlock better access to employment spaces, schools and other key destinations throughout the city.
DataBid is currently reporting on this project - IO/Metrolinx Scarborough Subway Extension Advance Tunnel - DBF (0095031020)
DataBid is currently reporting on this project - IO/Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown West Extension Advance Tunnel - DBF (0093031020)
