City takes first step in tunnel project
Engineering firm assembling team to study proposed downtown light rail project
By DEREK PUDDICOMBE, Sun Media
The city has hired an engineering firm to begin working out the best route for a downtown light rail tunnel.
Delcan Corporation, an engineering, management and technology consulting firm, will immediately begin assembling a team of engineers, planners, architects and other specialists to work on the project, a part of the City of Ottawa's new long-term transit plan. Included in the team of experts will be Halcrow Group, a firm based in London, England.
Nancy Schepers, the deputy city manager for planning, transit and the environment, said in a memo today that Halcrow has worked on similar projects in Britain, Scotland, Portugal, Italy, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Halcrow will be the tunnel planning and design experts for the project.
Schepers said the city's rapid bus transitway network has reached capacity.
"Without a tunnel, it is estimated that by 2031 we will require a total of 340 OC Transpo buses and 250 STO buses per hour, per direction during peak hours to accommodate ridership demand," Schepers said. "That translates into an articulated bus every 14 seconds through the core. As the downtown cannot handle this volume with continued on-street transit service, a grade separated tunnel to accommodate part or all transit service is required ..."
The Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel (DOTT) study will consider main routes through the downtown, the role of Bayview and Hurdman OC Transpo stations as potential interim transfer points, opportunities for interprovincial linkages with the Outaouais and a potential connection to the Via Rail station.
The study is expected to take 20 months to complete.