TORONTO, Jan. 11, 2013 /CNW/ - 'Chip', one of the two tunnel boring
machines being used to construct the pedestrian walkway to Billy BishopToronto City Airport, has been lowered into the tunnel shaft.
The Canadian-made tunnel boring machine joins its twin, 'Dale', which is
creating the first of seven drift tunnels that will form the walkway's
crown. 'Chip' was lowered into the shaft on January 10 and will begin
boring the second drift tunnel.
"This is an exciting project milestone," said Toronto Port Authority
President and CEO Geoffrey Wilson "The pedestrian walkway will be a
first-class piece of infrastructure that will give passengers
convenient, predictable and reliable access to Billy Bishop and we're
well on course to completing it on time and on budget."
The Toronto Port Authority is building a pedestrian walkway across the
Western Gap to Billy BishopToronto City Airport. The walkway will be
completed in Spring 2014.
About the Toronto Port Authority (www.torontoport.com)
The Toronto Port Authority (TPA) owns and operates Billy BishopToronto
City Airport, the Port of Toronto (Terminals 51 and 52), and Toronto's
Outer Harbour Marina. In addition to moving more than two million
passengers through the airport in 2012, the Port Authority provides
transportation, distribution, storage and container services to
businesses at the Port, and owns and operates Toronto's largest
freshwater marina. The Toronto Port Authority was incorporated on June
8, 1999 as a government business under the Canada Marine Act as the
successor to the Toronto Harbour Commissioners.
FACT SHEET
Billy BishopToronto City Airport Pedestrian Walkway
The Toronto Port Authority is building a pedestrian walkway across the
Western Gap to Billy BishopToronto City Airport (BBTCA) that will
allow passengers and airport users an alternative, efficient access
point. Billy Bishop will serve more than 2 million passengers in 2012.
The airport, which was completed in 1939, provides connections to more
than 18 cities in Canada and the U.S. with connections to more than 80
cities across the globe.
The new walkway will be completed in Spring 2014 and flanked by a new
pavilion on the mainland and an addition to the airport terminal
building on the island. When it is completed the walkway will be the
only known pedestrian tunnel in the world that connects to an airport
and sits beneath a body of water.
Key Facts
-
Pedestrian walkway will be 800 feet (243.8 metres) long
-
Pedestrian walkway will cost $82.5 million to build
-
Total construction cost is 100 per cent financed by the private sector
and ultimately paid for by a portion of the existing $20 BBTCA
passenger Airport Improvement Fee (AIF)
-
Pedestrian walkway is one of the few being constructed through a public
private partnership model
-
Pedestrian walkway will be 10 stories (100 feet/30.4 metres) down
-
Pedestrian walkway will have four moving sidewalks
-
Moving sidewalks will move at 2.3 Km/h
-
Two 90 tonne Canadian-made tunnel boring machines and one large
excavator will be used for tunnelling
-
The tunnel is below approximately 32.8 feet (10 metres) of rock and
river bed, and 65.6 feet (20 metres) of water
-
To reduce the potential for water ingress during construction seven
six-foot (1.8 metres), interlocking tunnels will be constructed to form
an arched roof for the walkway. Three of these tunnels will carry city
mains to Toronto Island
FACT SHEET
Tunnel Boring Machines
The Toronto Port Authority is building a pedestrian walkway across the
Western Gap to Billy BishopToronto City Airport (BBTCA) that will
allow passengers and airport users an alternative, efficient access
point. The walkway will be completed in Spring 2014.
Construction will utilise the latest in tunnel and construction
technology. The walkway roof will be arched and comprise seven smaller,
interlocking tunnels (six feet/1.8 metres) designed to reduce the
potential for water ingress during construction. These tunnels will be
constructed to form an arched roof for the walkway. Three of these
tunnels will carry city mains to the Toronto Islands. The small (drift)
tunnels will be created using tunnel boring machines.
What is a tunnel boring machine?
A tunnel boring machine (TBM) is a circular machine used to excavate
soil and rock when constructing tunnels.
Key Facts
-
The pedestrian walkway is the only tunnel in the Toronto area built
using drift tunnels as a canopy for the main structure.
-
Two Canadian-made TBMs dubbed Chip and Dale will be used to create the
drift tunnels
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The TBMs were built specifically for the project at Billy Bishop
-
The TBMs were built by Technicore Underground, a leading tunnelling
company based in Newmarket, Ontario
-
The TBMs are 6.5 feet (2 metres) in diameter and 36 feet (11 metres)
long
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Each TBM weighs 198,416 pounds (90 tonnes)
-
The TBMs are made of steel, hydraulic cylinders and pumps, electric
motors and have carbide cutters
-
One TBM excavates 39.3 to 49.2 feet (12 to15 metres) per work day
-
The TBMs that will be used for the pedestrian walkway project can bore
through soft ground, shale and limestone
-
The cutter at the TBMs' head turns at a variable speed
-
The TBMs cost $2 million each
Image with caption: "'Chip' being readied to begin boring second drift tunnel, which will form part of the crown over the pedestrian tunnel at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (CNW Group/Toronto Port Authority)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130111_C5287_PHOTO_EN_22428.jpg
Image with caption: "'Chip' being readied to begin boring second drift tunnel, which will form part of the crown over the pedestrian tunnel at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (CNW Group/Toronto Port Authority)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130111_C5287_PHOTO_EN_22426.jpg
Image with caption: "'Chip' being readied to begin boring second drift tunnel, which will form part of the crown over the pedestrian tunnel at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (CNW Group/Toronto Port Authority)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130111_C5287_PHOTO_EN_22427.jpg
Image with caption: "'Chip' being lowered into tunnel shaft at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (CNW Group/Toronto Port Authority)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130111_C5287_PHOTO_EN_22425.jpg
Image with caption: "'Chip' being lowered into tunnel shaft at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (CNW Group/Toronto Port Authority)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130111_C5287_PHOTO_EN_22424.jpg
Image with caption: "'Chip' readied for lowering into Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Pedestrian Tunnel shaft (CNW Group/Toronto Port Authority)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130111_C5287_PHOTO_EN_22429.jpg
Image with caption: "'Chip' readied for lowering into Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Pedestrian Tunnel shaft (CNW Group/Toronto Port Authority)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130111_C5287_PHOTO_EN_22423.jpg
SOURCE: Toronto Port Authority
