Project Description

The West Toronto Diamond project will separate Canadian Pacific Railway's North Toronto freight line from GO's Weston Subdivision (Georgetown line). The north-south tracks to and from Georgetown will be lowered so that they run under CPR's North Toronto line.

Improvements:

• More reliable GO service by eliminating the need to accommodate both freight and GO trains at this crossing point.
• Less pollution and noise for residents due to fewer trains stopping and idling in the neighbourhood, and commuter traffic running through the lowered corridor.
• Less noise and whistling from trains crossing the West Toronto Diamond.
• Increased train service for northwest Toronto and Peel Region.

Location: The Junction area in Toronto, where Old Weston Road cross the rail tracks.

Project area map

Legend
        G - Giken
        I - Impact Hammer
        V - PTC Vibro Hammer
        M - Moveable Sound Barrier
        (#) - Total piles driven each day

Project schedule

	Mon Aug 30	Tue Aug 31	Wed Sept 1	Thurs Sept 2	Fri Sept 3	Sat Sept 4	Sun Sept 5
Zone A						No activity	No activity
Zone B
Zone C	I V	I V	I V	I V	I V
Zone D	V G (2)	V G	V G	V G	V G

	Mon Sept 6	Tues Sept 7	Wed Sept 8	Thurs Sept 9	Fri Sept 10	Sat Sept 11	Sun Sept 12
Zone A	No activity - Labour Day					No activity	No activity
Zone B
Zone C		I V	I V	I V	I V
Zone D		V G	V G	V G	V G

*Shrouded impact hammers will be used to complete piles that cannot be completed using the other piling methods alone as permitted by the CTA order. In zones A, B, and C, when impact hammers are used, noise barriers will be in place. Zone D does not permit the use of noise barriers as space is restricted.

**denotes work that is part of the CP track closure and has been approved by the CTA.

Archived Schedules

Project schedule and updates

Construction - Phase 2 (piling construction)

Total steel pipe piles driven to date: 2253 of 2338 (85 remaining)

GO has implemented several noise mitigation measures to lessen the impact of the noise from this work on local residents and businesses. These measures include noise shrouds placed around the machinery and the installation of moveable sound barriers at the piling site. Since June 8, 2009, GO has voluntarily required that impact hammers, when used, must be equipped with a noise shroud. The CTA decision placed additional restrictions on the use of impact hammers effective December 22, 2009. Impact hammers have not been used at all between December 21 and January 4, 2010, and when work begins again on January 5, shrouded impact hammers will only be used for the limited use permitted by the CTA decision.

The noise mitigation measures have been very effective in reducing the noise disruption, but they have also resulted in a longer construction schedule for Phase 2 works. The pile installation phase was originally projected for completion in December 2009, with the mitigation GO started using in June 2009 and in accordance with the information previously distributed to the community, the piling contract would have been extended. It was anticipated last November that the piling would continue into the summer of 2010 due to the implementation of these mitigation measures. With the recent decision imposed by the CTA, piling will now be complete in late 2010. Following this phase of the project, excavation will occur and the overall project is now scheduled for completion in the fall of 2014.

Construction hours

The use of the vibratory hammer and impact hammers will be restricted to the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays only. Giken technology may operate between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays, and between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

After December 18th, 2009, the use of impact hammers has been limited and will be used only in conjunction with a PTC vibratory hammer or only in exceptional circumstances where no other method is possible.

The CTA decision affects only pile driving activities. Other construction work that does not include pile driving will generally occur between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays, and between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays. On occasion, weekend and/or overnight track work will be required.

May newsletter
May update
June update
July update

West Toronto Diamond Grade Separation – Definitions

Interlocking steel pipe piles: Pipe piles make up the majority of the piles required for the West Toronto Grade Separation. They provide the structural strength and the required water tightness for the walls that will make up the structure for the lowered track section.

Impact hammers: Impact hammers are the fastest, most effective and reliable means of installing pipe piles. They provide a high level of accuracy, which is important because of the tight corridor dimensions and surrounding operational tracks. Impact hammers are also the noisiest.

(Conventional) vibratory hammers: In the industry, vibratory hammers are currently mostly used to remove piles out of alignment and/or temporary piles, but can also be used for pile driving. Vibratory hammers use vibration rather than impact to advance the pile; therefore, they have more difficulty getting through dense soil conditions at depth. Vibratory hammers are also less accurate with the sites soil conditions and depths of piles required for this project. Vibratory hammers do produce less noise; however, the vibration they produce is constant and can be unsettling to residents of the neighbourhood. The vibration levels produced by the vibratory hammer are also more difficult to control. For these reasons, the conventional vibratory hammer is only used for pre-work setup, and has not ever been used on the project for actual pile installation.

Computer-controlled (French or PTC) vibratory hammer: A unique computer-controlled vibratory hammer was brought in from Europe for this project. This machine allows much greater control of vibration levels, although when in use has caused some disruption in the neighbourhood. Progress with the machine has been slow, and often it has not been able to fully drive piles to the required depth.

Giken unit (or technology): This technology uses a hydraulic press-in method. The machine is one of two in the world with sufficient capacity to install the size of piles required for this project. The Giken unit has some significant limitations. The machine was brought in from Japan and was untested in the type of soil conditions at this site. With a maximum production rate of up to two piles per day, the project schedule will be significantly extended.

Shrouds: Hydraulically operated enclosures around the impact hammer that muffle the noise from the hammer impacting the pile, and the hammer itself. The shrouds are made using special sound absorbing material resistant to high temperatures, and were custom developed and fabricated for this project.

Noise walls: Sections of sound absorbing noise barrier (used along highways) mounted on a moveable frame.
Depowering of the impact hammer: Reducing the power produced by the hammer to soften the blow. This reduces the noise level by up to 10 decibels (50 per cent), but increases the number of blows needed to install the pile.

West Toronto Diamond Grade Separation: Canadian Transportation Agency Order

The CTA decision dictates ways and means of the types of equipment used for pile driving, how the equipment is used, and when equipment can be used. These restrictions will dramatically slow the pace of the work, and the overall project is anticipated to take five years (to fall 2014) to complete.

In accordance with the CTA decision, GO has restricted the use of impact hammers and hours of pile driving activity as the December 7, 2009 decision is outlined below:

"Giken Hammer:

1. extend the use of the Giken hammer for the duration of the steel pipe pile-driving activities on the project and for more than the previously scheduled 250 piles. To that end, GO Transit is required to pursue an extension of the contract for the use of the Giken hammer with the supplier for the duration of the pile-driving activities. If GO Transit is not able to secure an extension to the contract with the supplier, GO Transit is to notify the Agency, the WTDCG, and the City of Toronto with an explanation of the reasons why it was not possible to secure the extension.
2. use the Giken hammer in more sensitive areas.
3. use the Giken hammer, in addition to weekday pile-driving activities, for pile-driving activities that take place outside the standard hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays."

COMMENT: GO is required to pursue an extension of the contract for the use of Giken. The current piling contract ends on March 31, 2010 and GO can, through our general contractor, continue to use Giken. Since September, GO has been using the Giken unit north of the Old Weston Road crossing, next to the National Rubber Technologies (NRT) building. Use of the Giken unit has been successful, but its progress is also very slow. It will take over six months (to the end of March 2010) to install the 250 piles, about 10 per cent of the total number of steel pipe piles for this project.

"PTC-Vibro Hammer:

1. Within 14 days from the date of this Decision, use a PTC-Vibro hammer as the primary method to install the steel pipe piles by augering them, if needed and where possible, to complete their installation. Where complete installation with a PTC-Vibro hammer and augering is not possible, drive the piles to the maximum depth possible, considering soil conditions, with the PTC-Vibro hammer and only then use an impact hammer to finish the pile-driving activities. This does not preclude GO Transit from employing a conventional vibratory hammer in areas that are less sensitive to vibrations or where GO Transit can mitigate the impact of vibrations."

COMMENT: As of December 21, the CTA ordered GO to use the PTC vibratory hammer as the primary method to install steel pipe piles. This direction is being complied with where possible, although there are very few of the remaining piles that can be installed with this equipment. This is because the PTC vibratory hammer often cannot meet vibration limits set by City of Toronto by-laws or the restrictive limits set by engineers.

"Impact Hammer and Related Mitigative Measures

1. use an impact hammer on the project only in conjunction with a PTC-Vibro hammer or where no other method is possible.

COMMENT: At a minimum, the impact hammer will have to be used to install the final one to two metres of the pipe piles as the PTC vibratory hammer cannot work close to or below ground level. Previous experience with the PTC vibratory hammer determined that it was often only able to install the pipe pile as little as halfway.

2. where the impact hammer must be used, de-power the impact hammer and decrease the hammer energy wherever possible and use shrouds, skirts and rubberized chasers. If shrouds are opened, any opening must be positioned, wherever possible, down the tracks and not toward any residential area.

COMMENT: These noise mitigation measures have been in place since June 8, 2009.

3. where the impact hammer must be used, employ moveable noise barriers, wherever possible, to deflect noise away from nearby residential areas by moving them to current pile-driving locations."

COMMENT: This is already in place, although noise barriers can only be used where they do not interfere with worker safety or train operator sightlines.

"Limited Hours for Pile-Driving Activities

1. use the Giken hammer, the preferred method of pile-driving, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays (excluding statutory holidays) and between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
2. restrict the hours of work for installing piles with the PTC-Vibro, conventional vibratory and impact hammers to between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.
3. negotiate agreements with the City of Toronto to allow for road closures such that pile-driving activities undertaken with the PTC-Vibro, conventional vibratory and impact hammers are limited to between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.
4. negotiate agreements with other railway companies to allow for train blocks such that pile-driving activities undertaken with the PTC-Vibro, conventional vibratory and impact hammers are limited to between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.
5. on those exceptional occasions when pile-driving activities must take place outside of the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays and it is not possible to use the Giken hammer, the PTC-Vibro, conventional vibratory and impact hammers may only be used following 14 days prior notice on GO Transit's Web site of the proposed activity, including specific details of the constraints that preclude the use of the Giken hammer. In addition, GO Transit must report within its communication program the actual use of the PTC-Vibro, conventional vibratory and impact hammers."

COMMENT: All restrictions as noted in the limited hours of pile driving activities are being adhered to.

"Noise and Vibration Monitoring

1. within 14 days from the date of this Decision, prepare and submit to the Agency, for approval, a proposed methodology for an enhanced noise and vibration monitoring program to provide weekly noise and vibration level measurements, including equipment to be employed, method of measurement and associated metrics, and the criteria for selecting the location of measurements.
2. at the same time as it submits its proposal to the Agency, provide copies to the WTDCG and the City of Toronto, which will then have seven days from receipt of the proposal to submit their comments regarding the proposed methodology."

COMMENT: The CTA decision required GO to submit for CTA approval a proposed program for noise and vibration monitoring by December 22, 2009.

GO has retained the services of a specialist noise and vibration consultant who provided assistance with the development of the ordered noise and vibration monitoring program (submitted on December 21, 2009). The proposal for the terms of reference for this program has been submitted to the CTA, WTDCG and City of Toronto for review and comment. Comments were requested for December 29, 2009. As of December 29, 2009, the Agency has neither approved nor commented on the plan. The City of Toronto commented on the plan as of December 30.

Once the CTA approves the plan, the implementation of the required monitoring program will require two to six weeks beyond the approval of the program as submitted. This is due to the public tendering process and GOs ability to approve and secure a contract for the supply and installation of the noise and vibration monitors, the supply and installation of these monitors, in accordance with and when the terms of reference that have been agreed to.

The proposal for the terms of reference for this program has been submitted to the CTA, WTDCG and City of Toronto for review and comment. Comments were requested for December 29, 2009.

"Communications

1. within 7 days from the date of this Decision, post on the current Web site and update daily all scheduled pile-driving activities for the project and their location, as well as any scheduled periods of inactivity (project plans) for a projected period of no less than 14 days from the date of posting, which project plans cannot be changed except following notice as set out in c) below.

COMMENT: Implemented on December 14, 2009.

2. within 28 days from the date of this Decision, consult with the WTDCG and the City of Toronto, and implement, a more comprehensive communication program, which must include:

• an enhanced Web site, which is updated daily, to communicate information to local residents and businesses including, without limitation, detailed information about the current pile-driving activities and associated equipment on the site; the project plans for a projected period of no less than 14 days from the date of posting, which project plans which cannot be changed except following notice as set out in c) below; and, the locations and projected locations of moveable barriers and any constraints that preclude the use of moveable barriers at any location; and
• an e-mail address and phone line, both to be answered by a person knowledgeable about the project and its schedule, for residents and businesses to communicate particular concerns about the current and projected pile-driving activities and to which GO Transit must investigate and respond within 48 hours.

COMMENT: Implemented on January 5, 2010 with input received from the City of Toronto and individual community members, but not the WTDCG.

3. in the event of exceptional circumstances which necessitate a temporary change in the project plans and prior to such change being implemented, GO Transit is to post such change on the current, and thereafter the enhanced, Web site, together with the anticipated duration of the change and the reasons necessitating the change; and if required, revise the project plans to reflect such change.
4. within 14 days following the approval by the Agency of the noise and vibration monitoring methodology, commence posting on the Web site a weekly report containing the results of noise and vibration measurements as well as an assessment of the effectiveness of implemented mitigative measures; and, subject to compliance with privacy protection legislation, any complaints received, and how they were addressed and resolved."

COMMENT: Posting of complaints information is implemented and an update on the status of the noise and vibration monitoring program has been provided on January 4, 2010.

For a summary of the complete Canadian Transportation Agency Order of Specific Corrective Measures, please see the CTA website posting.

West Toronto Diamond Grade Separation: Noise and Vibration Monitoring Log

GO has received approval for its proposed noise and vibration monitoring program and implemented the program. The monitoring results will be provided each week.

Noise and vibration monitoring results for the week of July 9 to July 13, 2010 are available.

Archived noise and vibration logs

Week	Noise	Vibration
April 7 to April 12, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
April 13 to April 19, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
April 19 to April 26, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
April 26 to May 2, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
May 3 to May 10, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
May 11 to May 18, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
May 18 to May 21, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
May 21 to May 28, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
May 28 to June 4, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
June 4 to June 11, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
June 11 to June 18, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
June 18 to June 25, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
June 25 to July 2, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
July 5 to July 9, 2010	download pdf	download pdf
July 9 to July 13, 2010	download pdf	download pdf

Noise and Vibration monitoring map

 

West Toronto Diamond Grade Separation: Community Comments Log

Comments log from August 16 to 20, 2010

Date Received	Response Date	Received By	Comments	Action	Zone
17-Aug-10	17-Aug-10	On-site Community Liaison	Inquired about noise and vibrations	Explained that current work requires intermittent use of impact and vibratory hammer and that vibration levels are being monitored.	A
17-Aug-10	17-Aug-10	On-site Community Liaison	Inquired about general work schedule	Explained that current work requires intermittent use of impact and vibratory hammer and that project history is available on the website.	Outside of area

Project Area Map and Zones

Comments Archive

West Toronto Diamond Grade Separation: Contacts

West Toronto Diamond project pile driving and construction comments and inquiries
Kathryn Hanford
West Toronto Diamond project on-site community liaison
Tel: 416.604.9582
Email: Kathryn.Hanford@gotransit.com

Canadian Transportation Agency
Tel: 1.888.222.2592
TTY: 1.800.669.5575
Email: info@otc-cta.gc.ca

GO Transit (CTA Order)
Tel: 416-869-3200
Toll free: 1.888.438.6646
TTY: 1.800.387.3652
Email: info@gotransit.com

GO Media Relations
Vanessa Thomas
Media Relations and Issues Specialist
Tel: 416.874.5974
Email: Vanessa.Thomas@metrolinx.com

Robin Alam
Media Relations and Issues Specialist
Tel: 416.874.5975
Email: Robin.Alam@metrolinx.com