Hurontario LRT: Guideway Crews ‘Dig In’

A closer look at asphalt milling, a process that reuses asphalt material. (Photograph and Caption Courtesy of Metrolinx)

Guideway construction for the Hurontario LRT (light rail transit) project in Ontario is under way.

Work along Hurontario Street marks an important step for the LRT line, which will extend from Mississauga to Brampton. 

The team’s current task is to construct the guideway in preparation for track installation. Work will progress from south to north, beginning between Matheson Boulevard to Britannia Road.  

“Once the foundation is installed, the guideway will be backfilled and topped with a concrete slab, followed by installation of the tracks,” said Bernard Sharpe, Director of Trackworks for Hurontario LRT (also known as Hazel McCallion LRT).

Here is a graphic detailing the steps in this process: 

Key areas where guideway construction is up and running include along Hurontario Street from Bristol Road to Britannia Road—which is currently being excavated—and at the operations, maintenance and storage facility (OMSF), where there has been more than 49 feet (15 meters) of track laid in the yard to date.  

At these locations, track work is happening on the roadway between intersections (also known as mid-blocks) before progressing to the intersections. Mid-block work has minimal impact on pedestrians and traffic flows at intersections, so it’s business as usual.  

Once work begins at intersections, there will be east-west road closures and detours for motorists and transit.  

Once completed, the entire project will use: 

• 55 miles (89 kilometers) of rail, with each segment being 82 feet (25 meters) in length and weighing approximately 5,000 metric tons, which is greater than the weight of 735 adult elephants. 
• 19 miles (32 kilometers) of rail encapsulation, which acts as insulation against vagrant electric current. 
• 13,000 metric tons of ballast. 
• 47,000 cubic meters of guideway concrete.