It’s a bit of the wonder of down under.

Driving down Hurontario Street you might not realize that Metrolinx has been steadily working along the corridor for the past three years, moving utilities to make way for a new transit line. Just last week, crews reached final completion of the work, a significant milestone for the new LRT project that will serve communities in both Mississauga and Brampton.

Before Hurontario LRT constructor, Mobilinx, was selected as the consortium to build the new LRT line, Metrolinx worked alongside Alectra, Bell, Rogers, Beanfield, PSN and Enbridge to work through early work utility relocations.

Here’s a bit of how the significant undertaking breaks down:

• It involved coordinating and executing 46 projects.
• That included the relocation of approximately 22 km of hydro cable.
• And, 11 km of new gas mains.
• As well as pulling 28 km of new telecom cables into ducts located along the street side.
• Combined, these new utilities equal about the length of 650 football fields.

The benefits of the new 18 km transit line won’t just start once in service. This early, tough and dirty work provides significant benefits to the community. Not only does relocating utility services out from under the guideway, where the light rail vehicle will travel, help prevent interruption during major construction, but also enables easier repair once the transit route is in service.

It will also allow for telecommunication companies to upgrade their own services – a win for residents in the area.

Utility works, carried out by Mobilinx, will continue into the new year.