January 5, 2024 Powerline Plus Supports Transit Project to Alleviate Congestion in Northwest Toronto
Crews applied expertise in civil and electrical construction to hydro electric utility relocation and upgrades for new light rail transit line
Traffic congestion in Northwest Toronto is a problem for residents. That is the reason Mosaic Transit Constructors is building Finch West light rail transit (LRT) – a new, 18-stop line for Metrolinx, Ontario’s transit agency.
The new line will “bring a faster connection to downtown for a part of the city that has long been starved for good, fast transit,” according to the Toronto Star.
Constructing an 11 kilometers rail line with 16 surface stops, an underground interchange station, and a below-grade terminal stop was a large undertaking. It involved many construction partners, including MYR Group subsidiary Powerline Plus Ltd. (Powerline).
Powerline’s work on the project included relocating existing underground and overhead hydro electric utility systems owned by Toronto Hydro. These needed to be moved to make room for the transit system. Powerline also added some new distribution feeder cables to provide power to the transit line and station facilities. Only Toronto Hydro approved contractors would be allowed to perform that work, and Powerline is a long-standing, approved contractor for the utility with the necessary expertise in civil and electrical work to succeed.
Their scope of work included installing 31 cable chambers, more than 6 kilometers of duct structure, directional drill shots, underground cable pulling through new and existing ducts, cable splicing, installing more than 100 poles, and performing needed overhead distribution work. They began construction in May 2020 and completed the bulk of the work in less than a year safely without any recordable incidents.
Staying on Track and Finding Efficiencies
There were surprises along the way. Underground work comes with more unknown factors than above-ground work, which can create unique challenges. On this project they found unmarked underground utilities. Despite that unforeseen complication, they worked hard to stay on schedule and found efficiencies wherever they could.
The work included installing 31 cable chambers, cube like structures placed in the ground that electrical cables run into, are spliced together and secured along the walls of the chamber. These chambers are large enough for a person to fit inside and can be pre-cast or cast in place.
Pre-cast chambers are faster to install, but not always possible due to space limitations, overhead power lines and other site conditions. Powerline was able to save 10-15 days per chamber by installing pre-cast cable chambers in several locations where the site conditions allowed for them, shaving two to three months off their schedule.
Having their own vacuum trucks on site also helped them work efficiently and keep their work moving toward completion.
Successfully managing their work on a project with many different contractors required excellent communication with Mosaic, regular meetings with the customer, the design team, and coordination with all the other trades working on the site. Their quality performance earned them compliments from Mosaic as the light rail project neared the finish line.