This overpass is one of the grade separations for the Georgetown South (GTS) Project which provides infrastructure improvements to meet GO Transit ridership demand and growth. This project lowered a rail corridor connecting Toronto’s Union Station to Pearson International Airport, allowing a major road thoroughfare to pass overhead. The grade separation required extensive steel structural support. Strachan Avenue has been raised by two metres to pass over the existing rail corridor.
Approximate Tonnage: 1,600 tons
181 permanent struts each weighing roughly 5000 kg and measuring 18.2 meters in length
116 temporary struts each weighing roughly 3000 kg
242 architectural covers were installed to cap each end of the struts.
Walters role provided the detailing, supply, fabrication and installation of the temporary and permanent struts, as well as architectural covers on the ends of each strut between three new concrete walls at the newly recessed rail line at Strachan Ave. We redesigned the covers to make them erectable along with the ability to be opened up by the client in the future for regular inspection.
It was a challenge to pre-fabricate a strut that would fit onsite taking into consideration concrete tolerances. We fabricated an embed that was carefully positioned and surveyed, then fabricated the strut to fit between the two embeds. The strut was locked into position. The architectural cover needed to be constructed in such a way that it could be strong enough to be shipped/assembled on-site in pieces, yet be able to drain water to protect the end connection of the strut.
