It’s not always about the tunnels.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the tunnels for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (and don’t forget the tunnel boring machine naming contest currently underway).

https://blog.metrolinx.com/2021/12/02/metrolinx-reaches-another-milestone-on-the-eglinton-crosstown-west-extension/

But there is another important element of the project that is now getting more attention – the elevated section between Scarlett Road and Jane Street.  

The elevated section will be about 1.5 kilometres in length, emerging from underground just west of Scarlett Road, running north of Eglinton Avenue West as close to the road as possible, before heading back underground east of Jane Street.

The prequalification released today (Dec. 10) is for selection of qualified teams to later compete for the contract to design and build this elevated section.

The remaining parts of the project – most notably, the stations, rail, and systems – work is expected to start on that contract in 2024.

“We’ve had a lot of questions about why we’re elevating the route in this area,” says Joshua Engel-Yan, Metrolinx program sponsor for the project.

“Elevating the route here means we avoid tunnelling through a flood plain zone, which will simplify construction and help prevent potential service disruptions along the corridor during times of heavy rain and flooding,” he continues. “Tunnelling between Scarlett and Jane would also require significantly more intense and longer local community construction impacts.”

Engel-Yan says this prequalification is just the start of the procurement process – there is still a lot of feedback needed from the community on the design of the elevated section and the elevated stations.

What’s next?

Stay tuned for a survey in early 2022, where the community will have a chance to provide feedback on some of the design elements of the elevated section.  

For more information about the project, visit the project website or follow on the project on Twitter @EglintonWestEXT