Innovative construction techniques to reduce disruptions on Hazel McCallion project

Metrolinx

Metrolinx is delivering the Hazel McCallion Line which will help keep people moving through Mississauga and Brampton.

The next step in Hazel McCallion Line construction will be installation of an underpass below the QEW.

Necessary construction work is required to help bring the new LRT to life, which may cause temporary disruption for some drivers and residents.

To minimize disruptions as much as possible, innovative construction techniques are being used to reduce the duration of the work.

From Friday night, Oct. 28 at 10 p.m., to Monday morning, Oct. 31, traffic restrictions will be in place on the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) near Hurontario Street in Mississauga, which will be closed between the North Service Road and the South Service Road.

QEW traffic will be reduced to two lanes in each direction and diverted to Hurontario Street before returning to the highway.

At the QEW and Hurontario, a push box will be installed for the Hazel McCallion Line. As the name suggests, it is a large, hollow concrete box that will be pushed into place, forming a new underpass.

This push box will form a new underpass along Hurontario Street for northbound vehicular traffic to accommodate the future LRT and minimize traffic congestion. 

New LRT tracks will span the existing northbound lane, with the push box diverting traffic into a brand-new northbound lane. 

Record timing

A new technique is being used to save time.

“The box is being pushed over 55 hours through the QEW, which is a record timing,” said Rhythm Vyas, a project coordinator at Mobilinx, constructor of the Hazel McCallion Line.

“Without these innovative methods, construction of the underpass, in my estimate, would have taken over at least one-and-a-half years and been significantly more disruptive to traffic. 

“This push box infrastructure will be the first of its kind to be pushed through a highway in Ontario.”

Crews are now building the roof of the push box, which will be directly under the QEW. 

Once complete, the QEW will be excavated while hydraulic jacks will simultaneously push it into place.

Concrete slabs 

Crews have already finished a launch slab to carry the weight of the entire push box as it’s being built and pushed through.

The team has also completed the construction of the base slab that sits on top of the launch slab (separated by a thin plastic layer) and both walls of the box.

The 1.2-metre-thick base slab took 10 hours to pour, with crews starting at 6 a.m. on the day of installation. 

Concrete – 846 cubic meters of it – was sourced from two nearby plants, InnocOn Mississauga and InnocOn Brampton.

At Port Credit GO, a push-box has already been constructed.

This will serve as the underpass for light rail vehicles to enter and exit the station. It will be pushed underneath the Lakeshore West GO Transit tracks later this year.

All QEW lanes will be fully re-instated on Oct. 31. 

Waterproofing will be done on the surrounding roadway, acting as protection against harsh Canadian winter weather conditions, salt and precipitation.

Read more articles about light rail.