Ground broken for the cut-and-cover LRT tunnel along SirJAM

Photo: A look at how the second stage of LRT will traverse the west end.

Politicians held a socially-distanced groundbreaking late last week on the cut-and-cover LRT tunnel for the Line 1 expansion west.

Here’s some more info via the city:

The Parkway tunnel will be built using a cut and cover construction method. To prepare for tunnel construction, traffic on the parkway has been shifted, and underground utilities are being relocated. Excavation will start at the surface and support walls will be installed as the tunnel gets deeper.

East-West Connectors (EWC), the contractor building the Stage 2 east and west O-Train extensions, will build permanent tunnel infrastructure prior to backfilling to surface level. Work will be carried out in stages to minimize impacts on pedestrians, cyclists, and local traffic. When construction is complete, Byron Linear Park will be enhanced to include more trees, less pavement, more public art, and additional plaza space for local events.

The Parkway tunnel will be three kilometres long and extend from Dominion Station to north of Lincoln Fields Station, travelling underneath the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway and Byron Linear Park. It will be one of two cut and cover tunnels in the Stage 2 O-Train West Extension project. The second will be the 270 metre Connaught tunnel that will link Lincoln Fields Station with Queensview Station, travelling underneath Connaught Avenue.

There’s also a video on YouTube providing an overview of the tunnels that will be built.

Stage 2 LRT is a $4.66-billion project involving the extension of Line 1 to the west and east, as well as Line 2 further south.