Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[rocketphish]

Major gas leak in downtown Ottawa forces evacuations and road closures

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: May 2, 2017 | Last Updated: May 2, 2017 7:22 PM EDT



A construction crew on an LRT-related work site tore open a gas line on Tuesday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of at least five downtown buildings and snarling rush hour traffic.

A loud hissing noise echoed through the downtown core for nearly three hours while Enbridge worked to shut off the gas line and firefighters emptied buildings surrounding the construction site on Queen Street just east of O’Connor Street. The scent of gas lingered in the air for blocks.

Ottawa Fire Services received a call for a “major gas leak” at 1:21 p.m. Firefighters expanded an evacuation zone to cover a four-block radius in each direction. Police directed pedestrians away from the site and closed surrounding roads to traffic.

The leak had an immediate impact in the area bounded by Wellington, Elgin, Albert and O’Connor streets.

The closure of Albert Street between Elgin and O’Connor streets forced Transitway buses to take detours around the evacuation zone during the beginning of the afternoon rush hours.

Emergency services reported no injuries.

Deputy Fire Chief Kim Ayotte said the fire department’s job was to minimize the hazards by evacuating the area and keeping ignition sources away. Firefighters were monitoring the air quality at various locations around the evacuation zone.

“It’s only dangerous when we get into the flammable ranges of the gas and the gas reaches an ignition source. That’s why we evacuated people,” Ayotte said at a command post set up on O’Connor near Slater.

“The evacuation was very successful of the buildings. It was orderly and people got out of the buildings. We had no incidents and no injuries.”

The hissing noise stopped just after 4 p.m. when Enbridge workers shut off the gas. Life downtown slowly started to return to normal, although it took some time for traffic to flow smoothly again.

Ayotte said firefighters were going through buildings to make sure there weren’t pockets of gas before opening the doors to office workers and the public.

The creation of a large evacuation zone was a necessary safety measure, he said.

“We create large evacuation zones and we monitor the air quality,” Ayotte said. “I can assure you the air quality or the gas in the area was never in a range that was dangerous to anybody that was in any of those zones, and had it been, they would have been quickly moved out of those areas.”

Anthony Di Monte, the city’s general manager of emergency and protective services, said the concentration of gas in the open air wasn’t considered high enough to be worried about an explosion.

Queen Street is being reconstructed as a showcase corridor for the $2.1-billion Confederation Line LRT system. The work that caused the gas leak was related to the road renewal, but it’s part of the larger LRT project under construction by the Rideau Transit Group.

RTG spokeswoman Kathryn Keyes said the company believes it was an abandoned stub connected to a gas main that was hit during the road construction. RTG was still investigating the cause Tuesday night.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

With files from David Reevely.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...orces-evacuations-near-queen-and-oconnor

[rocketphish]

A council member finally asks what's up with LRT construction: 'I feel like I shouldn't have to ask'

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: May 2, 2017 | Last Updated: May 2, 2017 6:19 PM EDT

After not seeing any updates to council about the ongoing LRT construction, Coun. Diane Deans submitted a written inquiry to staff Tuesday asking for updates on the project schedule and provincial labour orders.

“I feel like I shouldn’t have to ask,” Deans told the Citizen after a finance and economic development committee meeting.

“Communication is sparse to say the least.”

There is usually no timeline for staff responses to written inquiries from council members.

Council has appointed the mayor-led finance committee as the political oversight body for the $2.1-billion Confederation Line LRT construction.

The committee doesn’t receive regular updates on LRT construction during its monthly meetings. The transit commission has received updates on OC Transpo’s preparations for switching to a transit system with an LRT backbone.

But there have been growing questions about when exactly the LRT system, which is the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history, will be open for business.

The 2012 report authorizing construction said the LRT line would be running in spring 2018. A ribbon-cutting on the Confederation Line would come just months before the next municipal election in fall 2018. The end date was accelerated from the previous plan, which originally called for trains to be running by mid-2019.

Even in the months after the June 2016 sinkhole on Rideau Street, the city stuck to the original construction schedule.

However, the city has started deflecting questions about the timelines and softening on the 2018 launch schedule.

Steve Cripps, the director of O-Train construction, sent a written statement through the city’s communications department Tuesday.

“The city is confident that Rideau Transit Group will meet its construction deadlines and ensure that the Confederation Line is operational in 2018,” Cripps said. “A start date for the line will be determined when all of the systems have been fully tested and commissioned and we are confident it is safe and ready for customers to use.”

There is one significant, fast-approaching milestone for the project. The downtown elements of the project are contracted to be wrapped up by June 1, 2017.

In her inquiry, Deans has also asked staff to explain the stop-work orders reported by journalists and to say if RTG has missed any construction milestones.

Deans told the Citizen that she’s surprised the city hasn’t proactively provided updates to council, especially in light of recent mishaps, such as a crane toppling at the east tunnel portal last Wednesday.

The city and RTG are in lockstep when it comes to the project’s safety record, even though they are frequently challenged by the Ottawa and District Labour Council.

RTG says the stop-work orders have related to isolated matters that don’t affect the overall construction schedule.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...ction-i-feel-like-i-shouldnt-have-to-ask

[daud]

I casually said to someone in the office here that September was looking more and more likely. He laughed and said "You really think it will be that soon?"

Its a big project, its clear from some stations, we are behind. if you use the comment made by someone (I forget who) that the sinkhole set them back 5 months, then that would put things at October, if they were already a month or so behind, even later. It seems to me the goal is before the end of 2018 unfortunately.

It will all be worth it in the end, especially once phase 2 is integrated.

[Admiral Nelson]

Originally Posted by daud

I casually said to someone in the office here that September was looking more and more likely. He laughed and said "You really think it will be that soon?"

Its a big project, its clear from some stations, we are behind. if you use the comment made by someone (I forget who) that the sinkhole set them back 5 months, then that would put things at October, if they were already a month or so behind, even later. It seems to me the goal is before the end of 2018 unfortunately.

It will all be worth it in the end, especially once phase 2 is integrated.

I imagine major P3 infrastructure projects incorporate some degree of scheduling contingency when there's a penalty associated with late delivery. And since major construction was originally intended to be done later this year (?) I wonder if they'll still manage. It looks like they're pulling out all stops in view of the financial incentive to be on time.

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by daud

I casually said to someone in the office here that September was looking more and more likely. He laughed and said "You really think it will be that soon?"

Its a big project, its clear from some stations, we are behind. if you use the comment made by someone (I forget who) that the sinkhole set them back 5 months, then that would put things at October, if they were already a month or so behind, even later. It seems to me the goal is before the end of 2018 unfortunately.

It will all be worth it in the end, especially once phase 2 is integrated.

It's going to take some analysis to actually see where the schedule lies. I don't think that station construction is the critical path, and there are totally separate, dedicated crews for that work. I know that the stations are not complete, and appear to be behind schedule, but does that actually matter when they don't need to be complete until next summer? From what I see the progress of above-ground stations is now super-fast in good weather. Substantial completion of all items is not necessarily required to get an occupancy/use permit at the end of the day.

The real test will come with laying track and installing switches/cabling/safety/commissioning (always an issue, looking at other train projects around the world). Where are we with THAT schedule?

[1overcosc]

It should also be noted that (bizzarely) most stations were scheduled for completion a very long time before service opened; often over a year. "Behind schedule" is a relative term at this point.

Originally Posted by daud

I casually said to someone in the office here that September was looking more and more likely. He laughed and said "You really think it will be that soon?"

Its a big project, its clear from some stations, we are behind. if you use the comment made by someone (I forget who) that the sinkhole set them back 5 months, then that would put things at October, if they were already a month or so behind, even later. It seems to me the goal is before the end of 2018 unfortunately.

It will all be worth it in the end, especially once phase 2 is integrated.

Pre-sinkhole most surface elements were actually a few months ahead of schedule (major milestones like the Preston street extension, moving the buses onto the 417, the booth bridge, etc. were completed a full season ahead of originally planned).

The financial penalty on RTG for a delay must be severe, if they worked so hard to get all those things early, and are now spending what must be a massive overtime budget to accelerate work.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

The real test will come with laying track and installing switches/cabling/safety/commissioning (always an issue, looking at other train projects around the world). Where are we with THAT schedule?

That entire set of stuff is basically done on the eastern third of the line, not sure where we're at elsewhere,

[rocketphish]

LRT contractor wants to know why gas 'stub' was struck

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: May 4, 2017 | Last Updated: May 4, 2017 5:36 PM EDT



The Rideau Transit Group, the city’s contractor on the $2.1-billion LRT project, says it’s trying to understand why a subcontractor didn’t know there was a stub for a natural gas line in the exact spot where crews were digging Tuesday.

“They didn’t know the stub was there. They knew the line was there,” technical director Peter Lauch said Thursday, adding that sometimes utility information doesn’t go to that level of detail.

“One of the things we’re investigating is how and why they weren’t aware of it,” he said.

There were labourers and an excavator at the Queen Street construction site when the natural gas leak happened. Lauch said there are procedures for when work gets close to a gas line, but RTG is still looking into the root cause of the break.

The subcontractor work on the Queen Street renewal is related to the LRT project, since the city wants to have a nice road and sidewalks where there are station entrances. The LRT tunnel runs deep under Queen Street.

Firefighters and police evacuated buildings in a four-block radius of the construction site when the natural gas line broke. It took almost three hours for the gas to be turned off.

Enbridge Gas said there were 34 customers affected by the outage.

The gas line was repaired by about 11 p.m. Tuesday and all natural gas service was restored by 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The Ontario Ministry of Labour was still investigating Thursday, but inspectors had released the site back to RTG and road work resumed. The province’s Technical Standards and Safety Authority was also looking into the gas leak.

It wasn’t the first time a natural gas line was struck during LRT-related construction.

Lauch said there was a smaller cut of a gas line about three years ago at the west tunnel portal. Another cut happened during work on Highway 417, he said.

The city continues to assess the financial impacts of the gas leak, but the fire department said it won’t take a budgetary hit.

“Ottawa Fire Services did not incur additional costs as on duty personnel and apparatus were utilized during (Tuesday’s) gas leak,” Fire Chief Gerry Pingitore said in an email. “The deployment of vehicles and firefighters is not considered an additional cost as they are always available as per the city’s 24/7 fire operations.”

Lauch complimented emergency services tasked with managing the evacuation zone.

“It was an orderly vacating of the buildings which speaks well to how organized everybody was,” Lauch said.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/lrt-contractor-wants-to-know-why-gas-stub-was-struck

[acottawa]

Interesting article on the Bombardier gong show in Toronto (i.e. it could be a lot worse in Ottawa).
http://projects.thestar.com/bombardier-ttc/index.html

[1overcosc]

Yeah we dodged a MAJOR bullet on that one. How exactly did we squirm out of the province's obsession with sole-sourcing everything to Bombardier? Thank god we did.

[rocketphish]

Construction Update
Week of May 1

Guideway activities continue to progress along the alignment this week, with crews pulling sections of rail at Bayview Station and in the running tunnel moving west to Lyon Station. At the integrated station entrances in the downtown core, structural steel is installed for the head house at Lyon Station west entrance and walls have reached ground level at the Rideau Station east entrance.

---

Work on stairs and structural steel installation at Pimisi Station

West Stations

Tunney’s Pasture Station
Work is ongoing at the station, including construction on the retaining wall on the south side of the station, in addition to the north side elevator walls, installation of beams for the station foundation and concrete work for the walls in the concourse area.

Bayview Station
Station construction progresses this week and includes backfilling, mechanical and electrical work, installation of steel columns, waterproofing of pits, and work on grade beams.

Pimisi Station
Progress continues to be visible with ongoing steel installation, slab on grade concrete pours and work on stairs. Crews install rebar for the concourse slab on the west side of the station. Backfilling and conduit work also occur.

---

Architectural work is ongoing in Lyon Station cavern

Central Stations

Lyon Station cavern
Architectural work is ongoing in the cavern, including door frames, installation of blocks and elevator guard rails, tiling and painting on stairs. Crews also drill dowels in the sub platform area.

Lyon Station west entrance
Integrated entrance construction advances with the installation of steel for the roof, delivery and installation of escalators, and final reinstatement of utilities at the beginning of the week. Formwork and slab pours are ongoing at the east vent shaft.

Lyon Station east entrance
This week, crews continue installing masonry at the retail concourse level and structural steel at the ground level. On the mezzanine, rebar and formwork installation occur as part of concrete activities, and work on elevators and escalators and rough-ins are ongoing. At the HVAC shaft, sections of concrete work are completed and curing takes place this week.

---

Structural steel installation at Lyon Station west entrance

Parliament Station cavern
The station cavern continues to take shape with crews installing rebar and formwork on the pillars in preparation for the next section of concrete pours. Architectural work also occurs this week and includes installation of the structural steel columns and work on stairs.

Parliament Station west entrance
Integrated entrance work is ongoing and includes hoe-ramming, rock removals, rock support and rock bolt installation. Crews also complete saw cutting for a breakthrough to the HVAC shaft.

Parliament Station east entrance
Crews continue waterproofing, installing rebar, forming walls and pouring concrete for walls and slabs at the concourse level. Dowels are installed on the lower pits.

Rideau Station cavern
Work on the invert occurs this week, and includes waterproofing and concrete pours in sequence. Dowels are installed for the station columns and footings and rebar for the arch final lining. Shotcrete final lining activities also continue this week, in addition to construction of the station walls.

Rideau Station west entrance
Mining of the bench for the future entrance escalator is ongoing.

Rideau Station east entrance
Progress of concrete work continues to be visible with crews pouring walls at ground level this week. Rebar and falsework are installed on the ground level slabs, and concrete work occurs for the escalator pits. At the HVAC shaft, shoring and backfilling are completed and crews also install beams this week.

---

Structural steel installation and work on stairs at uOttawa Station

East Portal
Construction of the ramp advances with ongoing rebar installation, formwork and concrete pours for walls and slabs. Crews also continue line drilling and excavation on the north side of the ramp, and install tiebacks, rock bolts and whaler beams.

uOttawa Station
Station construction advances with mechanical and electrical work, concrete pours for the service trenches, installation of structural steel and work on stairs.

---

Work on the ancillary building and progress of structural steel at Hurdman Station

East Stations

Lees Station
Crews ramp up construction at the ancillary building, including concrete pours, masonry and mechanical rough-ins. Rebar is also installed at the concourse area this week, followed by concrete pours in the next weeks.

Hurdman Station
Crews continue installing structural steel, frame stairs and begin working on the roof of the stairs. Wiring, concrete activities and station signage work are also ongoing.

---

Glazing is ongoing at Cyrville Station

Tremblay Station
Station construction continues to progress. This week, crews begin installing porcelain and composite panels, work on elevators and rough-ins and continue initial landscaping work.

St-Laurent Station
This week, duct work, ceiling panel, station signage installation and finishing work in the communications room are also ongoing. Masonry is completed at the plenum, and work on the head house HVAC shaft occurs.

---

Glazing is ongoing at Blair Station

Cyrville Station
Crews continue glazing the next section of elevators this week, work on station signage and install porcelain panels on sections of wall. Final heat tracing and installation of precast concrete on stairs also take place.

Blair Station
Construction continues at the station and includes final soffit installation, glazing at the lower concourse area and the installation of aluminium doors.

---

Installing dowels, poles and ready to pull rail west of Bayview Station

Guideway and Trackwork

Concrete pours for plinths are ongoing east of Tunney’s Pasture Station and rail is pulled in sections at Bayview Station. In the tunnel, track teams continue pulling rail and installing dowels in sections moving west to Lyon Station. Final concrete lining pours are also ongoing east of Parliament Station to west of Rideau Station. Ballast installation is ongoing at Lees Station, and rail crews mobilize to begin pulling rail. Crews also continue installing ballast at Lees Station, which will be followed by concrete tie installation. Rail is being pulled on the Rideau River Bridge and tamping is ongoing at Hurdman Station. Systems teams are also installing Overhead Catenary System wires near St-Laurent Station.

---

Installing Overhead Catenary System wires near St-Laurent Station

Upcoming Construction Activities

In the coming weeks, the following construction activities are scheduled to occur:

• Hoe ramming as part of work on the western section of the guideway.
• Blasting begins at the Lyon west vent shaft.
• Ongoing overnight work at the Rideau Station west and east entrances, and at the East Portal.
• Ongoing structural steel installation at uOttawa Station requiring overnight lane restrictions.
• Final work on the pedestrian tunnel at uOttawa Station.
• Fencing installation on guideway just west of Tremblay Station.
• Hydro connection work to Hurdman Station requiring lane restriction on Riverside Drive.
• Manhole work as part of guideway activities at intersection of Riverside Drive and Tremblay Road, requiring lane restrictions.
• Systems installation along the guideway, including Overhead Catenary System poles and wires.

http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/news/construction-update-122/

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Yeah we dodged a MAJOR bullet on that one. How exactly did we squirm out of the province's obsession with sole-sourcing everything to Bombardier? Thank god we did.

I would guess the fact that this is a construction project with some train sets rather than strictly a train project.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Yeah we dodged a MAJOR bullet on that one. How exactly did we squirm out of the province's obsession with sole-sourcing everything to Bombardier? Thank god we did.

To be fair to the TTC, Bombardier offered a cheaper product (by $500 million!) as a derivative of a proven existing trainset. It seemed like a no-brainer and picking the more expensive Siemens trainset would have caused an outrage by taxpayers.

Bombardier's inability to deliver is more a symptom of a specific incompetence of this particular project.

[JM1]

Can anyone explain why there are so many tensioning pulleys on the new confederation line? They don't seem to be as common on other lrt systems. They look kind of Victorian!

[PHrenetic]

Good Day....
I would have to hazard an opinion that they are to accommodate the greater range of temperature fluctuations experienced in Ottawa than in almost any other location in the world, from -40c to +35c at average extremes, which means a heck of a lot of contraction/expansion in the rails / OCS / signal cables / etc that no one else commonlly sees. IMHO.
EnJoy!

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by JM1

Can anyone explain why there are so many tensioning pulleys on the new confederation line? They don't seem to be as common on other lrt systems. They look kind of Victorian!

It depends on the system. The San Diego Trolley has them.

[swimmer_spe]

How has the flooding affected the construction of the line?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

How has the flooding affected the construction of the line?

I have seen no signs that it has.

[PHrenetic]

Good Day....
I would have to say that it has given them a good clue as to what kind of drainage they need to / provide / expect / deal with !
EnJoy!

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by PHrenetic

Good Day....
I would have to hazard an opinion that they are to accommodate the greater range of temperature fluctuations experienced in Ottawa than in almost any other location in the world, from -40c to +35c at average extremes, which means a heck of a lot of contraction/expansion in the rails / OCS / signal cables / etc that no one else commonlly sees. IMHO.
EnJoy!

That's a little too big of a range on the low end.. -40 has never actually happened in Ottawa (record low is -37); even -30 doesn't happen most years (last time was six years ago).