Junction Triangle

Today Metrolinx issued a Notice of Commencement for the Georgetown South Service Expansion and Union-Pearson Rail Link Project (GSSE).

There will be a series of Open House meetings during the month of April. Here are the details of our local meeting:

When: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 3:00pm – 8:00pm
Where: The Lithuanian House, Hall B, 1573 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON (map).

If you can't make it to the local meeting, there will be five other sessions along the length of the study area. You can view the list here. An "online virtual house" will also be available starting April 15th.

The details below come from the Metrolinx meeting announcement flyer. Further details about the whole GSSE project can be found on the Metrolinx website.

If you wish to discuss this project, please use our forum.

Pile driver, part of GO Transit's West Toronto Diamond rail grade separation project. Viewed from the south end of Old Weston Rd. at Dupont St.

Photo by Vic Gedris, 2009-03-28.

We have reported on the GO Transit rail grade separation project in the past, but in the last few days it seems that members of the Junction community and their local politicians have been making their complaints known in a stronger way.

On the afternoon of Friday March 27th there was a rally on Hook Ave., where residents along with Parkdale - High Park MPP Cherie DiNovo demonstrated against the excessive noise of the pile driving.

The CBC and the Toronto Star both reported on the rally and the noise issues, as did the Junctioneer blog.

This morning, Monday March 30th, CityNews featured this story on Breakfast Television and broadcast the construction noise on live TV.

The ongoing noise from the pile driving, which may take up to 16 months, affects people on "our side of the tracks" as much as it does the people in The Junction. However, I haven't heard as many complaints from residents here, or action from any levels of government. In Parkdale - High Park, MP Gerrard Kennedy, MPP Cheri DiNovo and Councillor Gord Perks have all sent around information about this project and tried to get the noise issues resolved.

Residents of Hook Ave. have started a discussion list about the piling noise. This is probably the best place to get the most recent updates on the issue.

This is very short notice, but I just read about this upcoming rally over on the Junctioneer blog:

Rally for noise and shutter happening with the West Toronto Diamond construction

Note: The photo has a marking that says "Bloor St.", but the Toronto Archives says this is Dupont St. Comparing to other photos from the area, this does indeed appear to be Dupont St., and not Bloor.

Photo is from the City of Toronto Archives.

City of Toronto Archives Description Display

Archival citation Fonds 1231, Item 2064

Title Royce Avenue (Dupont Street) east to Osler Avenue

Date(s) of creation of record(s) March 9, 1914

Royce Ave. (now Dupont St.) is one of the major roads that enters/exits out neighbourhood on both sides. Back in 1914, the intersection of Dundas St. West, Annette St., Royce Ave. (Dupont St.), and Old Weston Road was a much simpler affair, with a level crossing of the railway tracks. In this photo, we're looking east from Dundas St. over the tracks.

Photo is from the City of Toronto Archives.

City of Toronto Archives Description Display

Archival citation Fonds 1231, Item 2044

Royce Ave. (now Dupont St.) is one of the major roads that enters/exits out neighbourhood on both sides. Back in 1923, the intersection of Dundas St. West, Annette St., Royce Ave. (Dupont St.), and Old Weston Road was a much simpler affair, with a level crossing of the railway tracks. In this photo, we're looking east from Dundas St. over the tracks.

Sometime after this photo was taken, an underpass was built to eliminate this level railway crossing at the edge of our neighbourhood.

Here is another photo with a similar view from 1914.

Royce Ave. (now Dupont St.) is one of the major roads that enters/exits out neighbourhood on both sides. Back in 1914, the intersection of Dundas St. West, Annette St., Royce Ave. (Dupont St.), and Old Weston Road was a much simpler affair, with a level crossing of the railway tracks. In this photo, we're looking east from Dundas St. over the tracks.

Here is another photo with a similar view from 1923.

Photo is from the City of Toronto Archives.

City of Toronto Archives Description Display

April 6, 1923. Looking north up the CN/CP tracks from Royce Ave. (now Dupont St.). On the left is the old CPR West Toronto rain station at Dundas and Dupont, and Osler Ave. is off the screen to the right.

Here's another photo taken looking south from the same place on the same day.

Photo is from the City of Toronto Archives.

City of Toronto Archives Description Display

Archival citation Fonds 1231, Item 1096

Title Royce Avenue south

Date(s) of creation of record(s) April 6, 1923

April 6, 1923. Looking south down the CN/CP tracks from Royce Ave. (now Dupont St.). On the right is Dundas St. West, and in the distance you can see the Wallace Ave. pedestrian bridge.

Here's another photo taken looking north from the same place on the same day.

Photo is from the City of Toronto Archives.

City of Toronto Archives Description Display

Archival citation Fonds 1231, Item 1093

Title Royce Avenue south CPR - C.N.R. Right-of-way east from Royce Avenue