Can Sewer and road work Repair Work Damage The weak (most of them) Junction houses?

 



A while back a reader of this blog in the Upper Junction town-homes posted a comment about the retaining wall construction at the 30 Weston Rd development. The comment was concerned about " vibrations that are a regular feature of our day here at Weston road townhouses affect the structure of our houses".

This concern also was great when the West Toronto Diamond project was pounding large round steel piles in to the ground. Sewer and road repair work that involves digging up the street can harm the most Junctions block’s residential houses. If it does, what recourse house owners have.

Emergency road, sewer and water main repairs occur all around the greater Junction area almost every few weeks. An area that bordered in many areas by train tracks and many of the homes are over 100 years old, resting on rubble and field-stone foundations

City and private ontractors regularly cut through the asphalt or break up concrete surfaces streets, using large hydraulic diesel-powered backhoes  to break up the asphalt and concrete component of  the street  requiring excavation, pound steel supports into the trench and dump excavated dirt into trucks used to haul it away. House holders believe that this severe shaking is causing irreparable structural damage to their historic homes.

Often this pounding is so severe that it severely shakes houses.

As an alternative, many people we would like to have the contractor push and not pound pilings into the trench and  slowly lift into the trucks and onto the street so that they do not experience the excessive vibrations in our houses that we are now being subjected to. This would prevent our homes from being harmed structurally without delaying the needed repair to the sewer line.

People are often told they can file for damages after the completion of work. That is not a satisfactory response, why must there be a wait and see model.  Why not a regulatory mandated and technically monitoring system used? An industry exists  to deliver testing, monitoring and work methods advise, simply the elected person need to create tighter legislation so all companies doing such work have a equal starting point to  achieve the goal.

 

ELSEWARE ...winners of high speed rail comp

ELSEWARE is going to be a part of the blog  posting links to articles with similar happenings in the Junction.

This one is about a completion to discuss and provide ideas about high speed rail as as the  West Toronto Diamond project.

 

Click on the image to go to the site.

[caption id="attachment_8364" align="aligncenter" width="490" caption="click on the image to go to the site, this author really enjoyed the HOU(S)TATION configures a new suburban morphology founded on the logics of high-speed rail. article and the The Effect of High-Speed Rail on Six Lives proposes an ad campaign aimed at the high-speed rail public. By demonstrating the diverse set of people who could benefit from HSR, the project reminds us how personal transportation really is article."][/caption]

West Toronto Diamond – Overnight Work Temporary Change in Working Hour

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transit, Politics blog on Transit, Politics talks about the Junction and Go Transit

outtake...

GO was so preoccupied with opposition in Weston that it failed to take account of the quickly growing population around the rail corridor south of West Toronto Junction.  Aside from the question of daily train movements, GO further alienated residents with a proposal for the Strachan Avenue grade separation that would have created a major barrier within the new King West / Liberty Village community.  This matter was not resolved until intervention by Metrolinx and a compromise solution acceptable to the City of Toronto was adopted.

GO runs popular services, and as a provincial agency it is used to getting more or less what it wants.  Public participation and accommodation have not been GO’s strong suits.

Full article

Go Transit - Electrification Study Update Meeting – Georgetown Corridor

[caption id="attachment_6777" align="alignright" width="500" caption="Train passing over an area of the diamond project where the overpass will be."][/caption]

The update meeting will be held Thursday, May 27^th 2010 from 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. at the Lithuanian House, 1573 Bloor Street West. The purpose of the meeting is to provide an update on the Electrification Study progress to date.  The meeting format will consist of a presentation by the Electrification Study Team, followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions and offer feedback on the work completed to date.



[caption id="attachment_6778" align="alignright" width="500" caption="The construction and the train"][/caption]

Metrolinx drops West Diamond appeal

The Toronto Star is reporting....

In a major victory for Toronto’s Junction community, Metrolinx has agreed to drop its appeal of a decision that limits the amount of noise it can make in the west-end neighborhood.

In December, the CTA ordered GO to limit work hours and use quieter methods at the rail crossing. GO had already implemented quieter technology and shrouds over the pile drivers to try to reduce the noise.

About 85 per cent of the 2,400 piles required have been completed, Thomas said. But the project, which was to have been finished last year, now won’t be done until the end of this year.

link to full story at TS

Thanks to blog reader Helen for bringing to the blogs attention

Federal court denies GO/Metrolinx the ability to bypass a federal CTA decision

Toronto Star article

Court upholds order for GO to halt heavy hammer use - thestar.com Court upholds order for GO to halt heavy hammer use: Ruling is a victory for residents of the West Toronto Diamond..

February 4, 2010

DiNovo Congratulates Local Residents over Pile-driving Victory

Parkdale-High Park—NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo is sending her heartfelt congratulations to the citizens of the West Toronto Diamond in Toronto’s historic Junction neighborhood.

Last night, the federal court denied GO/Metrolinx the ability to bypass a federal CTA decision stating that Metrolinx’s pile-driving project was causing undue harm to residents of the West Toronto Diamond.

“This is a clear victory for the West Diamond citizens,” said DiNovo.

“The federal court has stated clearly that Metrolinx must listen to the legitimate demands of citizens. Metrolinx has lost their game of using tax dollars to go after tax payers," added DiNovo.

DiNovo is now calling on GO/Metrolinx and Minister of Transportation Kathleen Wynne to stop the noise up the line and to settle damage claims without wasting more tax dollars.

– 30 –

Media Inquiries: Charles Smith (647) 405-1425

Toronto West Diamond grade separation enters onto changing industrial streets

Monarch Road at Junction Rd as it is now, ripped up and fading from view the roadpath of Weston Rd to the road had been closed for years yet the sidewalk was there so you legally walk along it to the Monarch Rd.  Now with the sidewalk ripped up and the pile driving crew  working right up to side of old flour mill offices the change is permanent and drastic.

Bill Davenhall: Your health depends on where you live

Today we have a post sent in by a blog reader (Patrick), I watched the video, it is quite interesting.

Heres the text he sent along with the link

As a Junction resident (Mulock Avenue), I'm obviously VERY concerned about the pile-driving and destructive plans for the rails.  Today I happened to watch a fantastic presentation on "geo-medicine", which makes the case for attention to where you live, being as important as your genes, your diet, your exercise, etc.



Not especially damning for the project, but definitely useful in explaining the situation:

http://www.ted.com/talks/bill_davenhall_your_health_depends_on_where_you_live.html

Toronto West Diamond grade separation class action lawsuit meeting

MPP Cheri DiNovo's  class action lawsuit  at her office at 3136 Dundas Street West 7pm  tonight

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Now

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Junction related articles in other media today

1)

Toronto Star article by Joe Fiorito

Fiorito: Metrolinx diesels are dirty,

ugly and NOISY

 full story link

2)

Residents have say on day nurseries

Toronto City Council enacted the bylaw in May of this year, which will remain

in effect until May 2010. During this time, city staff is conducting a study

 of the area bound by Glenlake Avenue to the south, Dundas Street West to the

 north, the rear lot lines of properties fronting the west side of High Park Avenue

 to the west and the rear lot lines of properties fronting the east side of High Park Avenue to the east. The study's purpose is to evaluate appropriate standards and regulations for transforming residential homes into day nurseries.

The purpose of Monday night's meeting at Annette Recreation Centre,

 said Senior Planner Philip Carvalino, was to get feedback from community members 

"so we have a better understanding of the impacts felt or perceived."

full story link

Canadian Transportation Agency finds GO Transit to be rude

From the Bulletin GO Transit has 14 days to respond

GO Transit is in breach of its obligation under section 95.1 of the Canada Transportation Act to cause only such noise and vibration as is reasonable, in relation to GO Transit's pile-driving activities at the West Toronto Diamond. The Agency found that, in the circumstances, the prolonged exposure of the local citizens to the noise and vibration generated at that location is unreasonable.

The Agency's proposed measures are:

1. Vibratory hammer:

Use a vibratory hammer to completely install the piles by modifying the hammer's frequency settings and, where this is not possible, drive the piles to the maximum depth possible considering soil conditions and then finish the pile-driving with an impact hammer.

1. Giken hammer:

Extend the use of the Giken hammer in conjunction with vibratory hammer use, as discussed in the Decision, for the entire length of pile-driving activities and not just until the scheduled 250 piles are installed, especially in the more sensitive areas.

1. Impact hammer and related mitigative measures:

a) Use an impact-vibration hammer which switches automatically from one mode to another depending on soil resistance. Alternatively, use the impact hammer on the project only in conjunction with a vibratory or Giken hammer and only where it has been demonstrated that no other method is technically or commercially feasible;

b) De-power the impact hammer and decrease the hammer energy wherever possible and use shrouds, skirts and rubberized chasers. Any opening in the shroud should always be positioned down the tracks and not toward any residential area;

c) Employ moveable noise barriers to deflect noise away from nearby residential areas by moving them to current pile-driving locations and by setting them up around the shrouds to deflect noise from the fourth, open side of the shroud.

1. Limited hours for pile-driving activities:

a) Restrict the hours of work for installing piles to 40 hours per week from between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays;

b) Negotiate an agreement with the City of Toronto to allow for road closures during the weekday hours to complete the required work at that location between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays;

c) Negotiate agreements with other railway companies to allow for train blocks during the weekday hours to complete the required work at that location between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.

Information on the Agency's process for dealing with rail noise and vibration complaints is contained in its Guidelines for the Resolution of Complaints Concerning Railway Noise and Vibration.

full text file hosted at this blog download here

An interview with ROB PRICHARD, METROLINX PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE

The Globe and Mail online has a interview with ROB PRICHARD online here

Two local relevant section outtakes from the article

On meeting the Tier 4 emissions standards on its Georgetown corridor trains

GO Transit has ... an enviable record of adopting the best available diesel technology and the cleanest available diesel fuel in every stage in its evolution as an organization. We are known to the manufacturers as eager to see technological advances and open to embracing the best technology as it becomes available. So there's no change for GO. We think it is a price worth paying, whatever the price is. It is not our expectation that it will dramatically increase the price of the locomotives. The locomotives we are acquiring now, while Tier 2 certified, are in fact compliant with the Tier 3 standards already and we just are very much in favour of these further technological improvements to reduce the pollutants from the emissions from the vehicles and we're happy to pay the market price of that technology as it becomes available over the next few years. We do not believe it will double it, but we are happy to pay the increased costs to have a cleaner environment and less emissions.

On the electrification of the line

Our current estimate of the cost of electrifying the Georgetown line only is $1.5-billion. We estimate the cost of electrifying the GO system, including Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West and the other lines, to be somewhere between $7 and $10-billion. So those are our current estimates. We have announced a thorough study of the benefits, all the benefits, and costs of electrification of the GO system and its individual lines. We began that study in June with a community advisory council of scientists, environmentalists, community representative, engineers and others to advise us on how to properly scope a thorough study. That work is coming to a conclusion over the next two weeks. We expect to get the approval of our board of directors to then proceed with the full study pursuant to that scope of work and complete it by December of next year. as a result of that, we'll have a very clear case made of the health benefit, the environmental benefit, the transit benefits, the community benefits of electrification, and we'll have a clear view of the financial costs of electrification and of the engineering costs. That is, to electrify the corridor will require transmission lines. Do we bring the power to the corridor through some communities? Then we need to be frank and open about that. It requires putting wires above all the tracks which are going through communities, and we need to be frank about that. So we need all the costs and all the benefits on the table so that an informed decision can be made. We'll make all that work public and then, following public debate, the province can make a decision as to whether or not to make that investment, and if so, at what pace. Because you can't electrify the entire system at once, because we would have to do it in some sequence, and we want to make sure we do the most urgent lines first and then do it in the right sequence as well. So we think given the magnitude of the public investment required to electrify, we think it's prudent to spend a year doing a very thorough study of the issues before making a commitment to it. In the meantime, we're confident that using the Tier 4 diesel technology, we can expand services on the Georgetown line and do so in a way that's consistent with improving air quality.

Only Three More Days to Raise Your Concerns About Diesel Trains

This post was taken from Cheri DiNovo  Newsletter of July 27, 2009

Only Three More Days to Raise Your Concerns About Diesel Trains!

The deadline to submit your concerns to Metrolinx about their West Toronto Diamond Rail Project and its Dirty Diesel plan is July 30th. Please submit all your concerns to info@metrolinx.com, and don't forget to send a copy to Premier Dalton McGuinty! More information on the Dirty Diesel project and its consequences can be found at www.cleantrain.ca .

6 Days For Your Voice To Be Heard for Clean Trains!

Blog reader Scott sent in this link

Link to the South Junction Triangle Residents Association post on the issue.

Information can also be had at more information www.cleantrain.ca

CANADIAN TRANSPORTATION AGENCY FINDS UNION-PEARSON RAIL LINK NOT UNDER FEDERAL JURISDICTION

In the ruling which is outlined below one of the key facts in the decision seems to be  that the project is not Owned, controlled, leased or operated by a person operating a federal railway

from their site

The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled that the proposed construction and operation of a passenger rail service between Toronto's Union Station and Lester B. Pearson International Airport does not fall under federal jurisdiction. As a result, the project's proponent, Union-Pearson AirLink Group (UPAG), will not be required to obtain an Agency-issued certificate of fitness, nor will it have to seek federal approvals under the Canada Transportation Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act for the proposed railway line.

In making its decision, the Agency found that the new passenger rail service would not be functionally integrated with the operations of the federally-regulated Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which operates Pearson airport. It also noted that the proposed facilities would not be an essential or integral part of the GTAA's activities.

The Agency's decision of the jurisdictional status of UPAG's project is based on evidence provided by the applicant, and could be revisited should the project not be developed as presented.

link to full report

Junction Rd closure is here for a splash

 


This weekend will see the 1st road stoppage on Junction Rd at Old Weston Rd for the Go Transit project; a couple of years after the project 1st announced the closure was to take place.

This is the 1st step in the removal of the intersection which has for so long been a defining part of the industrial character of the Junction. The freight of all manner - the work force of many types that stood to await the crossing of trains as they walked from the industrial buildings to homes and shops, which has lessened in the past decades, but still occurs from the remaining industry will change so much with this rail road bed change. 

But as the Junction served the city greatly with its acceptance and bond with the railroads in the past it will serve even a greater part of the greater GTA population with the new transit improvements.

 

Oh and there is an increased work load announced by Go and there contractors...

Pile driving will be extended to Monday-Friday from 7am to 7pm, and on Saturdays from 9 to 5 (with other construction occurring between 7am and 7pm on Saturdays).  They say that this is for the next 3 weeks -  June 25 to July 13

Go Transit contractors creep towards Weston Rd

Pipe driving moves closer to entering on the Old Weston Rd as the machines creep slowly  onto the road. The shrouds seem to have effect in noise reduction at the close range that this image was taken at.

The intersection at Old Weston Rd and Junction Rd will see it's 1st closure this weekend in relationship to the Go Transit  West Toronto Diamond project, a considerable time after the 1st stated October 2008 closure date.

CNR Railway Track movement June 6 and 7

[caption id="attachment_4324" align="aligncenter" width="266" caption="Looking North from Junction Rd and Old Weston Rd"][/caption]

The results of the weekend work at the site was a track movement cuvring the tracks to the south/west   - near the north west end of the project. It's very difficult to get a feel for where the project mangers plan to setup and construct  the concrete road overpass which they will construct and then position. maybe on the closed section of Junction Rd when it is closed?

The CPR railroad has also been busy with an increased amount of rail riding service vehicle in the past few days.

[caption id="attachment_4325" align="aligncenter" width="473" caption="rear part of CPR Railroad train moving though the Junction to the West"][/caption]

Metrolinx Open Houses tonight 1573 Bloor Street West

There is bound to be a lot of people at the Go Transit, Metrolinx open house tonight.

Tuesday, June 9
3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The Lithuanian House
1573 Bloor Street West
Toronto M6P 1A6