Updated July 31, 2023 at 11:20 am: Photos from the 2001 reconstruction of Broadview have been added for comparison.
Early in July, construction began to replace the track on Broadview from Gerrard to Broadview Station Loop. Phase one runs south from Sparkhall to just north of Gerrard, and phase two will run north to Danforth.
The City has announced that the Broadview/Danforth intersection will be closed from August 14 to September 4.
The work on phase one is in various states of completion and provides a mix of views of how the new track will be installed. Excavation for phase two has just started.
At the beginning of the project, strings of tangent (straight) track were welded and stockpiled just north of Gerrard. This section will be rebuilt late in the overall work once the pile of track has been depleted.
There are many curves on this section of Broadview beside Riverdale Park, and the curved rails were pre-bent at the TTC’s track shop before delivery to the worksite.
This track was one of the earliest sections built with the now standard method using steel ties and Pandrol clips, with three separate layers of concrete: foundation, around the ties, and around the track. As much as possible, only the top layer is excavated exposing the existing ties. This greatly simplifies track replacement, but it has taken three decades for most of the system to reach the point where full excavation is no longer needed. (This tactic was not implemented for intersections until several years later, and so most special work replacements still involve full excavation and pouring of a new foundation.)
All track is installed with a rubber sleeve both for vibration isolation and to reduce water penetration around the rails.
May 2001 Reconstruction
In my archives, I have photos from the previous reconstruction of this track to show the difference between generations. Points to note:
- The excavation is full depth so that a foundation slab can be installed under the track.
- Track is stockpiled on the worksite and welded together piece by piece, compared with prewelding into strings for a stockpile.
- New steel ties are installed for the rebuilt track. In many places they have been reused in the 2023 project by excavating only the top layer.
- Bus service operated in the northbound curb lane.
Steve Munro 
How well have the bases for the Pandrol clips held up. 30 years of concrete exposure and wear and tear should have some impact.
Thanks
Steve: You can see from the photos that in many places the TTC is reusing what is already in the street, and this is not the first time.
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Since this is not Europe, Toronto will stretch the construction out for weeks, instead of days. All to save money.
Steve: Actually, the construction is proceeding very quickly, and the contractor, Sanscon, is doing a good job of having multiple sites in different stages concurrently. They have already done some of the sidewalk repairs (earlier than expected, to the consternation of shop owners who got less than a day’s notice). The trackwork will cross Danforth in mid-August, and they have to pause for Taste of the Danforth or otherwise they would just barrel north to Broadview Station. If they continue in the same pattern, they will start paving work on the west curb lane north of Gerrard once the track gang shifts to the north end of the project. Doing it with good planning and overlapping teams is cheaper if it’s well managed.
Other cock-ups like the notorious KQQR project were thanks to utilities – Hydro, Toronto Water and Bell – whose plant was not where expected, and who took considerable time to design around conditions they did not expect to find. Similarly with some of the Metrolinx work which operates on its own schedule in spite of the supposed co-ordination with the City and its agencies.
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How does the crew breaking up the top layer (or two as you note in some cases) prevent damage to the next layer down? Is there something between the layers that let’s them break off easily? A plastic membrane or the like?
Steve: Yes. A layer of tar is poured on top of each layer of concrete so that there is a clean break when one layer is removed. There are occasional places on the system where the absence of this layer forced complete excavation because the entire structure was one block.
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So, overall, the TTC has planned, and [so far] carried out this project in an exemplary manner?
Steve: So far. To be clear, it is the City which plans and manages the road and sewer reconstruction projects. The TTC installs the track once the contractor has prepared the right-of-way.
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Not trying to stir the pot, but just curious: Does the city have to do this kind of track replacement more often because cars and trucks drive on them? If so, has anyone estimated how much more often?
Steve: The City’s road construction standard requires concrete to the railhead whereas decades ago, paving setts were used. This is specifically to handle the weight of heavy trucks. The lifespan of the track varies depending on traffic loads as well as the volume of streetcar service which produces vibration. That can cause small cracks in and spalling of concrete that allows water penetration, and the freeze-thaw cycle damages the concrete by expansion. Newer track has better mechanical isolation from the roadbed than in earlier years. The typical cycle is 20-25 years, and Broadview has been been due for rebuilding since pre-covid times.
There was a period after the 1972 decision to keep streetcars where TTC track was built in concrete, but without mechanical isolation nor with welded joints between track segments. It lasted 10-15 years.
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I thought it seemed like just the other day they were laying that track. 😉
Steve: There has been some spot replacement notably at carstops.
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