At the West Portal in LeBreton Flats, a roadheader has carved out 228m of tunnel and is currently digging under Queen Street just west of Bay Street. At the East Portal near Ottawa and Laurier Avenue East, a second roadheader has mined 22m towards Rideau Street. Mining at the Central Shaft near Queen and Kent streets by the project¹s third machine has just begun over the last two weeks with 7m of the gallery that will lead from the construction shaft to the tunnel excavated to date.
"Four years ago, the future and the budget of this project were uncertain,² said Ottawa¹s mayor, Jim Watson. ³Today, we have reached a major milestone for tunnel construction. I’m very pleased with the progress that we’ve made to date, less than one year after the final contract was signed."
This project is the first stage in Ottawa’s future rail network. The 12.5km electric light rail system replaces existing diesel powered buses, going east-west. The route includes 13 stations and a 2.5km tunnel that will alleviate congestion through the downtown core.
The Confederation Line is a CAD 2.1bn project that is jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa. Rideau Transit Group is responsible for the design, build and maintenance until 2038. (See feature page 19)
