City Hall
23rd Floor, East Tower
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5H 2N2
October 15, 1998
To:Works and Utilities Committee
From:Barry Gutteridge, Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services
Subject:Western Beaches Storage Tunnel, Progress Report and Award of Phase II
(Trinity-Niagara and High Park)
Purpose:
To provide, for information purposes, a report on the progress of the construction of Phase I
of the Western Beaches Storage Tunnel (WBST) project and on a revision to the alignment of
the tunnel in the vicinity of Ontario Place from the south side of Lake Shore Boulevard West
to the north side of Lake Shore Boulevard West onto Exhibition Place lands.
Furthermore, to obtain authorization to award Phase II of the WBST at a contract price of
$17,259,100.00 to McNally-Frontier Joint Venture Inc. in accordance with the provision of
the WBST Design-Build Agreement between the Joint Venture and the City of Toronto,
subject to the necessary funding being approved as part of the City's 1999 Water and
Wastewater Capital Budget.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
Funding in the total amount of $38.5 million for the design and construction of Phase I of the
Western Beaches Storage Tunnel (WBST) project has been previously approved by the
Council of the former City of Toronto.
As of September 30, 1998, expenditures and funding commitments related to the contract
award for Phase I of the project, engineering design and inspection services, geotechnical
services, power supply to site, City staffing cost and other related costs amount to
approximately $33.45 million.
Additional funding in the amount of $19.4 million to complete the project has been requested
as part of the 1999 Water and Wastewater Capital Budget and is to be provided from the
Water Pollution Control Measures Reserve Fund. The additional funding requested for 1999
will increase the total budget for the project from $38.5 million to $57.9 million. It is noted
that a contribution of $10.65 million for this project is being provided under the
Canada/Ontario Infrastructure Works (COIW) Program of which one third each is being
provided by the Federal Government, Provincial Government and the City of Toronto.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1)the report on the progress of the construction of Phase I of the WBST project and on a
revision to the alignment of the tunnel in the vicinity of Ontario Place from the south side of
Lake Shore Boulevard West to the north side onto Exhibition Place lands be received for
information;
(2)subject to the necessary funding being approved by City Council as part of the 1999 Water
and Wastewater Capital Budget, approval be given to award Phase II of the WBST at a
contract price of $17,259,100.00 to McNally-Frontier Joint Venture Inc. in accordance with
the provision of the WBST Design-Build Agreement between the Joint Venture and the City
of Toronto; and
(3)the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to
give effect thereto including preparation and execution of the necessary amendments of the
Design-Build Agreement between McNally-Frontier Joint Venture Inc. on terms and
conditions satisfactory to the City Solicitor and the Commissioner of Works and Emergency
Services.
Council Reference/Background/History:
On October 31, 1997 the former City of Toronto issued a (revised) Request for Proposals
(RFP) call to six prequalified bidders for the design and construction of the WBST. The Board
of Management of the former City of Toronto at its meeting of December 18, 1997, in
considering the report on the WBST Proposal call from the City Engineer (December 17,
1997), accepted the low bid submitted by McNally-Frontier Joint Venture Inc. at a total price
of $49,294,900.00 for the entire project and awarded to the Joint Venture Phase I of the
project at a price of $32,035,800.00 (Meeting No. 1997-50, Minute No. 24).
Subsequently, the Council of the City of Toronto at its meeting of February 4, 5 and 6, 1998,
in considering the report dated January 8, 1998 from the Commissioner of Works from the
former Metropolitan Toronto (Clause 6, Community & Neighbourhoods Services Committee,
Report No. 1), approved to accept Alternative B of the proposal submitted by the Joint
Venture at a reduced total contract price for Phase I of the project of $31,500,800.00.
Under Alternative B, the main shaft and pumping station of the WBST is located at Battery
Park (south of Lake Shore Boulevard West at Strachan Avenue) instead of Coronation Park as
previously proposed by the City as part of the RFP process.
Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:
- Phase I Progress Report
Phase I of the WBST includes the work between Strachan Avenue and Dufferin Street and the
forcemain along Strachan Avenue from Battery Park to King Street West, as shown on the
attached schematic 1. The contract price for Phase I amounts to $31,500,800.00. In
accordance with the Design-Build Agreement with the Joint Venture, Phase I of the WBST
shall be constructed to be fully operational by October 31, 1999 unless the City awards Phase
II to the Joint Venture (prior to March 31, 1999), in which case the overall project shall be
substantially completed by October 31, 2000.
The Joint Venture has engaged Acres & Associated, Environmental Scientists and Consulting
Engineers to prepare the detailed design of the project and their work commenced in January,
1998. As of September 30, 1998, approximately 60% of the detailed design for Phases I and II
of the WBST has been completed and it is expected that the design work for the entire project
will be substantially completed by January 31, 1999.
The Joint Venture mobilized and occupied the construction site for the main shaft and
pumping station at Battery Park in early March, 1998. At this time, excavation of the main
shaft (30 metres in diameter and 50 metres or 18 stories deep) is nearly completed and
concrete lining of the shaft has been installed in the upper portion of the shaft. A tunnel boring
machine will be launched in the main shaft on October 16, 1998, which will then advance the
tunnel in a westerly direction. Excavation of the Phase I section of the tunnel to Dufferin
Street is scheduled to be completed by April, 1999. Work on the forcemain on Strachan
Avenue, from the main shaft at Battery Park to King Street West, commenced in July, 1998
and is expected to be completed by the end of December, 1998. Upon completion of the
excavation work, the main shaft and tunnel will be completely lined with concrete. Besides
the main shaft and pumping station at Battery Park, which also connects the large Strachan
Avenue combined overflow outlet sewer to the tunnel system, three drop shafts will be built
as part of Phase I at Aberdeen Avenue, Remembrance Drive and Dufferin Street to connect
existing sewer outlets at these locations to the tunnel system, as shown on the attached
schematic 1.
In summary, the design and construction of Phase I of the WBST is progressing well and is, in
general, on schedule and within budget.
- Revision to the Alignment of the WBST
The alignment of the WBST, as originally proposed, extends from Battery Park to Glendale
Avenue just to the south of Lake Shore Boulevard West. This alignment would require the
construction of the tunnel on the northern perimeter of the Ontario Place parking lots.
However, negotiations with Ontario Place and the Ontario Realty Corporation for the
acquisition of the necessary subsurface easements for the tunnel structure, as well as surface
easement for the two interception chambers at Aberdeen Avenue and Remembrance Drive,
have not been successful.
An alternative alignment for the tunnel runs immediately north of Lake Shore Boulevard West
along the southern perimeter of the Exhibition Place lands. The Exhibition Place lands are
under the ownership of the City of Toronto and, therefore, registered easements are not
required. The Board of Governors of Exhibition Place at their meeting of September 25, 1998,
in considering a request from this Department to locate the tunnel on their lands, have
indicated that it had no objection to the request, provided this Department complies with
certain terms and conditions so as to ensure that the operation of Exhibition Place is not
affected. In this regard, the City's Legal Services Division has prepared an Operating
Agreement satisfactory to the City Solicitor, the General Manager of Exhibition Place and the
Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services, which ensures that the requirements of
Exhibition Place and that of the City are satisfied.
It is noted that the change of the tunnel alignment as described above does not affect the
contract price for the WBST project, because the overall length of the facility remains
approximately the same.
- WBST Phase II Award
Phase II of the WBST project includes the tunnel system from Dufferin Street to Parkside
Drive as shown on the attached schematic 1. As stipulated in the Design-Build Agreement, the
Joint Venture is obligated to construct Phase II of the WBST at a contract price of
$17,259,100.00 providing the City awards Phase II to the Joint Venture prior to March 31,
1999.
It should be noted that phasing of the WBST project was selected to allow an early start of the
project and to take advantage of available funding provided by the former City of Toronto and
under the COIW Program. It should also be noted that the award of Phase I of the WBST to
McNally-Frontier Joint Venture Inc. was based on the lowest bid for the entire project (Phases
I and II).
There are significant benefits in proceeding with Phase II of the project and in extending the
Design-Build Agreement with the Joint Venture at this time, for example:
- The Western Beaches (Windermere/Ellis Avenue, Sunnyside and Boulevard Club Beaches)
have been posted for up to 75 days this summer by the Medical Officer of Health as not
suitable for swimming or bathing. By comparison, at the Eastern Beaches where the City
installed storage tanks to intercept polluted discharges from the sewer system in 1989 and
1994, the Woodbine Beach has not posted at all in 1998 and Kew Beach, Balmy Beach and
Beaches Park were posted a maximum of 6 days this summer.
Detailed investigations have confirmed that the primary reason for the posting of the Western
Beaches during the summer is the pollution originating from the City's sewer system. The
Western Beaches Storage Tunnel will virtually eliminate the pollution problem from the
sewer outlets at the Western Beaches and drastically reduce beach postings.
2.Phase I of the WBST will improve the water quality along the waterfront between Strachan
Avenue and Dufferin Street (e.g., mooring area of the Toronto Yacht Club and in the vicinity
of Ontario Place), but it will have little effect on the water quality at the beaches to the west of
Dufferin Street. Construction of Phase II is required to achieve the desired water quality
improvements at the beaches.
- Phase I, at a contract price of $31,500,800.00, will intercept 4 of the 10 sewer outlets
between Strachan Avenue and Parkside Drive and will intercept 38% of the CSO and storm
water discharges to the waterfront between Strachan Avenue and Parkside Drive.
Phase II at a contract price of $17,259,100.00 will intercept 6 of the 10 sewer outlets and
intercept 62% of the CSO and storm water discharges to the waterfront between Strachan
Avenue and Parkside Drive.
It should be understood that the contract price for Phase I includes start-up costs related to
engineering design, mobilization and equipment acquisition/modification while the Phase II
price is somewhat reduced, because improved productivity can be achieved due to increased
quantities.
In summary, Phase II of the WBST will provide the City with a higher value for money than
Phase I. Furthermore, should the City choose not to proceed with Phase II at this time and
decide to construct the works at a later time under a new contract, the cost would be
significantly higher because of additional start-up costs and loss in productivity.
- As indicated in the Progress Report for Phase I, above, excavation of the main shaft and
pumping station at Battery Park is completed and tunnelling will commence in
mid-October. It would be advantageous to move the work crews and equipment involved
in the excavation of the main shaft to the Cowan Avenue storage shaft excavation site
(Phase II) as soon as possible. This would allow the excavation of the large shaft at Cowan
Avenue to occur concurrently with the tunnelling operation and would assist in advancing
the construction schedule.
Naturally, the award of Phase II of the WBST is subject to approval of the required additional
funding for this project in the amount of $19.4 million which is being requested as part of the
1999 Water and Wastewater Capital Budget.
Conclusions:
Construction of Phase I of the WBST (Strachan Avenue to Dufferin Street), as shown on the
attached schematic 1, commenced in March, 1998 and has progressed well. The project is, in
general, on schedule and within budget. At this time, excavation of the main shaft and
pumping station at Battery Park is completed and following the launching of the tunnel boring
machine on October 16, 1998, tunnelling will advance in a westerly direction to Dufferin
Street.
A revision to the alignment of the WBST in the vicinity of Ontario Place from the south side
of Lake Shore Boulevard West to the north side onto Exhibition Place Lands has been
approved by the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place and does not affect the contract price
for the project.
In accordance with the Design-Build Agreement for the WBST between the City and
McNally-Frontier Joint Venture Inc. the City may award Phase II of the WBST (Dufferin
Street to Parkside Drive) at a contract price of $17,259,100.00 to the Joint Venture, subject to
the award being made prior to March 31, 1999. Phase II of the WBST offers greater value for
money to the City than Phase I because it will provide the required improvements at the
beaches west of Dufferin Street, e.g. intercepting 6 of the 10 sewer outlets at the Western
Beaches and providing 62% of total storage capacity of the tunnel system. Delaying the award
of Phase II beyond March 31, 1999 would significantly increase the contract price for Phase II
because of additional start-up cost (e.g. mobilization/equipment acquisition) and loss of
productivity. On the other hand, an early award of Phase II would allow concurrent excavation
of the tunnel and the second storage shaft at Cowan Avenue and, therefore, would assist in
accelerating the construction schedule.
It is, therefore, requested that approval be given to award Phase II of the WBST at a total
contract price of $17,259,100.00 to the Joint Venture in accordance with the Design-Build
Agreement, subject to the required additional funding being approved as part of the 1999
Water and Wastewater Capital Budget.
Contact Name and Telephone Number:
Werner Wichmann, P.Eng.
City Engineer
Works and Emergency Services
Toronto Community Council Area
Phone: (416) 392-7703
Fax: (416) 392-0816
email "wwichman@city.toronto.on.ca"
Michael A. Price, P.Eng., FICEBarry H. Gutteridge
General Manager Commissioner
Water and Wastewater Services DivisionWorks and Emergency Services
WW/sk
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