Work on the US$627m contract is expected to start imminently and be completed by autumn 2024. A design-build-finance model is being used.
The contract was awarded through a public procurement process. Evaluation criteria included design and construction methodology, approach to project management and the collaborative behaviours of key individuals of the team.
Included in the contract are a launch shaft, an extraction shaft, five headwalls for future stations and 14 headwalls for future emergency evacuation buildings. The tunnel will have a 10.7m diameter.
Located in the northeast of Toronto, the 7.8km extension will run underground for its entire length, connecting the existing terminus at Kennedy Station with Sheppard Avenue/McCowan Road.
Strabag CEO Thomas Birtel said: “This contract is one of several large infrastructure projects that we are implementing in Toronto at this time. We are pleased that our tunnelling expertise, which is currently also being applied to the construction of a pumping station and a railway tunnel, has helped to secure another order for us.”