"The completion of the seven drift tunnels is a major project milestone," said Geoffrey Wilson, TPA president and CEO. "It marks the end of an important phase of construction that takes us one step closer to providing passengers with fast and efficient access to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport."
The seven interlocking drift tunnels, three of which will house City of Toronto water and sanitary mains, will form a crown that will prevent water ingress. The drifts were completed using two Canadian-made boring machines dubbed "Chip" and "Dale". The machines will now move onto the project’s next phase, which facilitates the excavation of the main pedestrian tunnel.
Forum Infrastructure Partners is responsible for the design, construction, financing and maintenance of the tunnel and will be responsible for operating the project for a period of 20 years. The consortium is led by Forum Equity Partners and construction responsibilities are contracted with PCL Constructors, with Technicore Underground as the tunnelling subcontractor. Project design is led by Arup, with ZAS Architects and Exp geotechnical engineers. Facility management responsibilities are contracted with Johnson Controls.
The tunnel project will be privately financed at a cost of CAD 82.5M (USD 82.9M). Construction began on the pedestrian tunnel in March 2012. The tunnel will link Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to the mainland and provide enhanced service and convenient access for the airport’s users. Project completion is expected in mid-2014.
