a)that the bridge design address concerns regarding emergency access and urban form;

b) that staff further review the traffic impacts of the bridge and the funding of the alterations to lower Bathurst Street and provide the opportunity for community input on these matters;

c)that the bridge be built and operated at no expense to City taxpayers, and

d) that City officials report further on amendments to the Tripartite Agreement.

By approving the bridge, Council ended many years of public debate over whether the existing ferry service to the airport should be replaced by a fixed link in the form of either a bridge or a tunnel. The bridge is designed to be built from the foot of Bathurst Street to connect directly across the Western Gap to the airport (See Exhibit 1). The former Toronto Harbour Commissioners (recently replaced by the new Toronto Port Authority) are the proponents of the bridge project and they are expected to cover both the construction and operation costs of the bridge.

This report focusses on the design of the bridge and the extent to which it meets the conditions of Council described above. In addition, this report brings forward some carry-over conditions contained in my report of May 6, 1998 which reviewed the fixed link Environmental Assessment that had been commissioned by the Toronto Harbour Commissioners. Dillon Consulting Limited is the Prime Engineering Consultant for the bridge and supported by the team of Montgomery Sisam Associates Inc. (Architects) and Ferris and Quinn Associates Inc. (Landscape Architecture and Urban Design).

Following Council's approval of the bridge in December 1998, two Working Groups were established to finalize the bridge's design. The first was an all staff Technical Work Group that included representatives from Planning, Works, Parks, Fire, Ambulance, Legal, Transport Canada and the former Toronto Harbour Commissioners and their consultant team. The Working Group met as a whole on five occasions during the period March 18 to May 28, 1999. The second was a combination of staff and an invited number of community representatives who comprised the Bridge Design Community Working Group. The former Toronto Harbour Commissioners retained the services of a facilitator to assist the Design Group which met on three occasions. In addition, the former Toronto Harbour Commissioners hosted a public Open House on the bridge design on the evening of May 20, 1999. It should be noted that the community representatives who agreed to serve on the Design Group did so without prejudice and their involvement cannot be taken to indicate support for the bridge either in concept or as a design.

The following section of this report provides a description of the recommended bridge design which includes the reconfiguration of lower Bathurst Street. The description is followed by sections of the report that evaluate the extent to which the bridge design and operations meet the conditions of Council and the concerns of the public as expressed through the Design Group's discussions and the comments received at the public Open House. Planning concerns raised in the earlier review of the fixed link Environmental Assessment are also revisited. On the basis of these evaluations, final recommendations are brought forward regarding the terms on which Council should approve the bridge's design and construction.

2. Description of the Bridge Concept

2.1The Bridge Design

The bridge will be located at the foot of Bathurst Street, just east of the existing ferry slip. It will have three spans across the 120 m wide Western Gap with an overall length of 144 m and a width of 13 m. It is designed with a moveable centre span that will be raised and lowered from two supporting piers in a manner similar to a double drawbridge (See Exhibit 2).

The 13 m bridge width will consist of:

• two vehicular lanes which are each 3.5 m wide
• two 0.5 m wide shoulders
• two 2.5 m wide sidewalks with railings

In the closed position, the bridge will look like any other roadway bridge but with large piers. In the open position, the central portion of the bridge will rotate up so that the two cantilever portions of the main span will extend about 30 m in the air.

The driving surface of the bridge is designed to allow for a 50 kph vehicular speed, with a maximum approach slope of 8%. The maximum height of the roadway embankment above existing grade is about 4.5 m at each end of the bridge.

The elements of the bridge include:

• Two 28 m Fixed-end Spans

- typical roadway structures

- exposed concrete deck supported by steel girders

- depth of 1.5 m

- the road deck has a transverse cross fall of 2% for drainage purposes.

• A Moveable 50 m Centre or Main Span

- known as a "double bascule" and similar to a double drawbridge

- the deck and sidewalk are an open steel grating

- the sidewalk has a finer mesh for pedestrian safety

- variable depth of girders - from 1.0 m at mid span to 3.7 m at the pier

- a transverse cross fall of 0%

• A 19 m long by 14 m wide Pier on each side of the Centre Span

- to support and accommodate the movement mechanism

- the exposed concrete road deck above is supported by a series of floor beams - the transverse cross fall of deck is between 0% and 2%

- the piers are of reinforced concrete. To facilitate construction, the bottom portion of the pier will be precast, fabricated offsite, then shipped into place, lowered on the channel floor and secured to the bedrock. The upper portions of the piers can then be constructed on-site.

• Bridge Counterweights and Associated Mechanical and Electrical Hardware

- these are located in the two main piers and below the roadway

- a feature of the piers, the trunnions (i.e. hinged supports that rotate the bridge to open) will be exposed and viewable by the public, and will be lit at night.

• Control Tower

- this will be located above the south pier, on the west side

- it will be sufficiently elevated above the pier to allow the operator to have a clear view of the roadway, sidewalks and the channel in both directions

- both ends of the bridge will be visible from the tower, so that one operator can control the traffic lights, the closure gates and the movement of the bridge from one set of controls. Video surveillance will provide additional safety

- the control room will be fully equipped so that the operator need not leave the control room during working hours

- the movement of the bridge will be operator controlled. Remote activation will not be possible except for emergency situations. An auxiliary control will be provided at the north pier to permit emergency personnel to lower the bridge.

• Abutments

- small, non-intrusive, set back about 12 m from the water's edge so as to:

- avoid any interference with the existing channel walls, cribs and tiebacks

- provide for a water's edge walkway under the bridge

• Railings

- the railings will be of an aesthetic design while meeting safety codes

- pedestrian-scale lighting will be provided on the under side of the railing

- there is no barrier between the sidewalk and roadway except for a normal 180 mm high curb.

2.1.2Bridge Clearances

Main span:- a clear horizontal navigational channel opening of 50.0 m between the two piers when the moveable main span is in the open position.

- a minimum navigation opening of 31.0 m wide and 5.0 m high and centred in the channel is provided when the bridge is in the closed position. The 5.0 m vertical clearance is based on the average (June) High Water Level.

Approach spans:

- a waterway clearance of 15 m between the channel walls and the piers.

- a minimum vertical clearance of 4.3 m in these two side spans.

- a 7.0 m wide walkway under the bridge and along the channel walls, with a minimum headroom of 2.5 m.

2.1.3Pier Protection

A fendering system will be provided all around both piers, more robust on the walls adjacent to the navigation channel in the main span. Additional protection will be provided by a "dolphin" system at each corner of both piers along the outside edge of the navigation channel. The bridge will be marked with appropriate lights and other navigational aids to further minimize the likelihood of any accident.

2.1.4Police and Boater Access to the Piers

The pier design has incorporated the Police Marine Unit recommendations for safety.

These include:

(1)rescue or refuge platforms on the east and west sides of the piers;

(2)emergency ladders on the east and west sides of the piers to provide access from the water to the platform, and from the platform to the roadway above, and

(3)provision of emergency mooring rings around the pier and adjacent channel walls.

2.1.5Bridge Operations

The bridge will operate on a fixed schedule, opening twice per hour. The schedule set out in the Environmental Assessment represents a balance between the needs of airport users and boaters using the Western Gap. At peak times for vehicular traffic, the duration of the bridge opening should not exceed 11 minutes per half hour (including time for the bridge to open and close), or car queuing will exceed the available storage on Bathurst Street. Normally a "bridge opening " cycle would be 11 to 20 minutes in duration (each half hour), allowing for a free waterway passage of 7 to 16 minutes (in each half hour). The initial schedule will be monitored and adjusted as required.

The airport is closed at night. Consequently, the bridge will remain in the open position overnight from 11:15 pm to 6:15 am. In the case of an emergency, the bridge can be lowered in 2 minutes from either pier location.

2.1.6Bridge Maintenance

The machinery to operate the bridge will be located within the two piers, but controlled from the one control room. Access to the inside of the piers for installation and maintenance purposes will be strictly controlled.

In the event of equipment failure when the bridge is open, the design will include a mechanism to lower the bridge manually. There would thus be a short interruption to road traffic and a longer one for marine traffic if significant repairs are required.

Although the bridge is designed for a 75 year life and to be durable, routine maintenance will be required, and can be done outside the peak traffic and boating times. In the case of a major structural replacement (e.g. the deck), the bridge has been designed so that it need not be totally closed to traffic. The main deck can be replaced in stages. The approach spans can be replaced by reducing the traffic to one lane over the bridge.

2.2Lower Bathurst Street

The existing Bathurst Street south of Queen's Quay consists of a two lane roadway terminating in the ferry parking lot. Along the west side of the street is a linear parking lot which separates the street from the adjacent park. This results in an overall pavement width of approximately 22 metres from the eastern curb face to the edge of Little Norway Park.

With the construction of the bascule bridge connection, the road is to be reconfigured to a four lane cross section: one northbound lane along the existing east curbline, three southbound lanes consisting of a continuous left turn lane, a traffic lane and a queueing lane. This new cross section results in about 14 metres of asphalt measured between the new curb lines (See Exhibits 3 and 4).

The remaining land within the right of way on the west side of Bathurst Street is available for pedestrian and park use. The design proposes to provide a defined curb line on the west side along with a 2.5 metre sodded boulevard, a 2 metre concrete walkway and an additional 4.5 metres of sodded area added to the park. Within this new pedestrian zone a double row of trees would frame the walkway creating an arcaded promenade to the waterfront. Pedestrian scale lighting is proposed

to be integrated between the trees along the curbline and would match the harbourfront decorative light standard.

The existing street lights on the east side of the street would be replaced with the harbourfront cobra head light standard which would provide light for both the road and the eastern sidewalk. The sidewalk on the east side would be extended south of its present terminus to connect to the bridge In conjunction with this work, the existing overhead power lines would be placed underground.

Approaching the bridge, the sidewalks on both sides of the street would rise with the grade leading to the walkways on each side of the bridge. Additional concrete walks are to be provided on both sides to allow for direct universally accessible connection to the existing water's edge promenade.

The cost of all the changes to lower Bathurst Street described above will be included in the total cost of the bridge project and, consequently, will require no funding from the City.

1. Evaluation of the Bridge Design

The bridge design can be evaluated in three components: its architectural features; the urban design aspects of the bridge, and the traffic impacts of the bridge's operation. Each of these components is discussed below:

3.1The Bridge Architecture

Overall, as the above description indicates, the bridge is designed to present a clean, low profile with only the control room above the roadway and creates a pleasing architectural statement (See Exhibit 5). The bridge will be an attractive gateway to the City from the lake and from the airport. Furthermore, the drama of the opening and the closing of the bridge will make the bridge a destination as well as a means of access.

On the land side, the bridge abutment carries over the dockwall and supporting cribbing at a sufficient height to enable a continuous water's edge promenade to be built under the bridge (See Exhibit 6). The path under the bridge would be connected to either side of Bathurst Street by stairs and appropriate seating and lighting provided. The pedestrian experience on the bridge itself will be heightened by modification of the handrail to accommodate a safe and comfortable place from which to enjoy the view out over the channel.

The themes of the bridge as a gateway, an event and a destination have been further emphasized through such design features as exposing part of the bridge mechanism so people can see how the moveable spans work and by designing the control tower to evoke the notion of a ship's bridge. In addition, efforts are being made to incorporate informative materials, such as bas-relief, artwork or interpretative panels, into the bridge design to document the local history of the site and community and to provide a description of the bridge and its operation. Great care has been taken over the choice of materials, cladding and surface treatments to reinforce the visual quality of the bridge. Particularly, to make the piers less obtrusive, their walls have been broken into a series of planes that will be made even more interesting at night by the creative use of lighting effects.

3.2Urban Design: Lower Bathurst Street and Little Norway Park

Even with the queuing lane, the paved width of Bathurst Street is reduced by some 8.0 metres which frees up additional land on the west side of the street for park and pedestrian uses. An arcade of trees will be established along the west side of the street and decorative harbourfront street lighting introduced (See Exhibit 4).

The east side of Bathurst Street will also be improved by extending the sidewalk all the way down to the bridge, tree planting and other landscaping, as well the removal of the overhead power lines. Access from the bridge sidewalks down to the water's edge will be provided from both sides of Bathurst Street (See Exhibit 4).

Apart from the above improvements, which are an integral part of the bridge project, there is the opportunity to make other beneficial changes by:

- the extension of Little Norway Park to the existing water's edge promenade

(once the ferry access and parking is removed);

- redevelopment of the ferry slip into an amenity;

- refurbishment of the Waterfront promenade

It should be noted that the section of the north dockwall in the vicinity of the bridge is in the City's ownership while the ferry slip, parking and access areas belong to Public Works Canada (See Exhibit 7). To facilitate the extension of Little Norway Park, the federal lands should be transferred or leased to the City. In previous discussions, the former Toronto Harbour Commissioners have indicated that, although the park extension and the water's edge promenade are not directly related to the bridge project or on THC lands, they are prepared to include $500,000 in the overall funding of the project towards the cost of these additional improvements.

While $500,000 is likely more than enough to pay for converting the ferry parking and access road to green open space, it may not be enough to cover the refurbishment costs of the ferry slip, dockwall and water's edge promenade. Consequently, this report recommends that the $500,000 funding offer be made a formal condition of Council's approval of the bridge design and that a separate process be established to design and fund the full program of improvements related to the extension of Little Norway Park.

Additionally, the City has retained a consultant to assess the condition of the north dockwall. This will enable the City to determine any damage that might result from the construction of the bridge and, if so, to charge the cost of repairs to the Toronto Port Authority.

3.3Traffic Impacts

The operation of the bridge will impact both marine traffic in the Western Gap and local vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Bathurst Street.

3.3.1Marine Traffic

One of the major concerns with the bridge is that it may disrupt, congest or create unsafe conditions for vessels transiting the Western Gap during the summer boating season. This issue was addressed at some length in the April 1998 Environmental Assessment of the Fixed Link to the Toronto City Centre Airport and an "Addendum" was produced in January, 1999 to address additional concerns raised by the Canada Coast Guard. The study conclusions are that the opening and closing cycle of the bridge can be varied and incorporated into a schedule to afford sufficient capacity to accommodate boating demands

with minimal disruption and that regulatory controls can be introduced to ensure safe and efficient navigation in the Western Gap.

The Addendum document notes that the Toronto Port Authority will be able to designate the Western Gap as a "Traffic Control Zone" under section 56 of the Canada Marine Act. The bridge operator, stationed in the control tower, will be the designated Traffic Control Officer with the powers of a Deputy Harbour Master and the responsibility for administering the "Practices and Procedures" that are established. Key among the proposed Practices and Procedures are:

• Larger vessels, with a length in excess of 90 metres or a beam in excess of 15 metres, will require written permission from the Harbour Master in order to transit the Western Gap;

• Vessels with a beam greater than 6 metres will be required to contact the Traffic Control Officer and to receive permission to proceed before entering the Western Gap, and

• non-powered vessels will be restricted from transiting the Western Gap unless towed or pushed by a powered vessel.

However, there are those among the boating community who remain concerned over the impact the bridge might have on their use and enjoyment of the Western Gap. It should also be noted in this context that the Canada Coast Guard has not yet issued a permit under the Navigable Waters Protection Act and final Federal approval of the Environmental Assessment remains outstanding. As this report recommends, Council should not approve the actual construction of the bridge till the Environmental Assessment is approved.

3.3.2Traffic and Pedestrian Impacts

First, it should be noted that the reconfiguration of lower Bathurst Street (including the queue lane) in conjunction with the proposed design and operation of the bridge presents an overall plan which meets the 12 conditions for approval set out in the November 16, 1998 joint letter of the General Manager of Toronto Ambulance and the Chief of Toronto Fire Services. Emergency services issues were discussed at length by the Technical Work Group and the Fire and Ambulance services representatives felt confident the bridge design will meet all their requirements and result in a significant improvement to the airport's emergency response capabilities.

The proposed design includes the provision of the southbound queuing lane from the outset to provide greater assurance that traffic queued to cross the bridge will not reach back to the Bathurst Street/Queen's Quay intersection. Having the queuing lane in place may also make it easier for emergency response vehicles to reach the airport in the event of an incident. Also, by putting the queuing lane in somewhat ahead of demand, the inevitable situation of having to tear-up and reconstruct the east side of lower Bathurst Street after, perhaps, only a few years is avoided.

As a traffic calming feature, the south leg on the west side of the Bathurst Street/Queen's Quay intersection is narrowed to one through lane. The queue lane does not begin till some way south of the intersection and thus has more of the appearance and function of a lay-by than a traffic lane. Similarly, the southbound left-turn lane does not begin till south of the intersection. In addition to traffic calming, the narrowed intersection substantially improves the pedestrian environment and enhances the safety at a key pedestrian crossing point for area residents and students. The narrowing also creates an area for additional landscaping features and helps ensure that Bathurst Street will operate with one lane of southbound traffic (excluding the left-turn lane) until such time as the queue storage lane or lay-by is required. The narrowing will also make it easier to control the use of the queue lane when it is brought into operation (See Exhibit 3).

Concerns have also been raised over heightened levels of pollution that might result from vehicles queuing to cross the bridge. Possible responses to this situation include stepped-up enforcement of the City's anti-idling by-law and more extensive landscaping to produce a buffering effect. The public have also expressed concern that many people, including school children, cross lower Bathurst Street at mid-block locations and the new design of the street, coupled with potentially higher traffic volumes, will only increase the danger to pedestrians. It may be possible to alter the features of Little Norway Park to encourage or draw pedestrians to the signalized crossing point at the Bathurst/Queen's Quay intersection which, as described above, has been designed to facilitate safe pedestrian crossings. However, like the pollution threat, the pedestrian safety situation should be closely monitored and if it proves to be a real concern remedial measures should be investigated and implemented.

The issue was raised that pick-up and drop-off activities at the school and community centre on the east side of Bathurst Street will become increasingly difficult as a result of the introduction of the light rail transit (LRT) line and bicycle lanes on Queen's Quay West and the prospect of increased volumes of airport traffic on Bathurst Street. Various ways of addressing this issue are currently being looked at, including the possibility of introducing a two or three space lay-by on the east side of Bathurst Street, and the matter will be reported upon separately.

Finally, it should be noted that the design profile of the bridge enables both the north and south driveways to the Canada Maltings site to be maintained. The south driveway has to ramp up slightly to join Bathurst Street as it rises on the approach to the bridge but the grades and sightlines for the driveway are within acceptable design standards.

3.4Outstanding Issues

There are a number of issues that extend beyond the question of the bridge's design that remain to be addressed:

3.4.1Airport Business Plan

When City Council approved the airport bridge in December, 1998 it imposed, among others, the following two conditions:

• "the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer being requested to submit a report to the Urban Environment and Development Committee recommending that City Council give approval to the bridge's business plan, and

• approval being conditional upon a legally binding commitment that not one penny of City tax dollars will be spent on the bridge or on Airport losses which result from the bridge financing."

These two conditions have yet to be addressed and , consequently, are restated in the recommendations of this report.

3.4.2Transfer of Lands on Bathurst Quay to the City

There are several parcels of land on Bathurst Quay which are associated with airport use (See Exhibit 7). The existing parking lot at the end of Bathurst Street and the access area around the ferry slip is owned by the federal government. This land should be transferred or leased to the City. The so-called "orange lands" on the east side of Bathurst Street are owned by the City but are referred to in certain agreements as a potential permanent parking site for the airport. These arrangements need to be rescinded.

To the west of the Bathurst Street road allowance is a one hundred foot wide right-of-way in favour of the Crown held for the purposes of securing an access route to the airport should Bathurst Street be closed. This federal easement should be released once the new terms of the Tripartite Agreement are in place.

The recommendations of this report address these concerns of land ownership and control on Bathurst Quay.

3.4.3Amendments to the Tripartite Agreement

The Tripartite Agreement is, essentially, a 50 year lease agreed upon by the three owners of the airport lands, namely, the City of Toronto, the Toronto Port Authority (formerly the Toronto Harbour Commissioners) and the Federal Government. The Tripartite Agreement imposes certain terms and conditions on the operation of the airport and, currently prohibits the construction of a fixed link to and from the airport. Obviously, the Tripartite Agreement will now have to be amended to permit a fixed link and there are other additional conditions that the City should include in the amended Agreement as a result of the bridge being built. These conditions are discussed in my report of May 6, 1998 which reviewed the fixed link Environmental Assessment and are briefly recapped here:

1. Require the construction of a remote (off-site) airport terminal:

The Environmental Assessment study notes that when passenger volumes at the airport reach 600,000 a year vehicle congestion on the Bathurst Street approach to the bridge will become problematic. Current annual passenger volumes are around 130,000. The construction of a remote terminal in conjunction with the use of shuttle bus services would relieve congestion on Bathurst Street associated with airport growth. Consequently, it is recommended that the Tripartite Agreement be amended to require the Toronto Port Authority to construct and operate a remote terminal once a sustained annual passenger volume of 600,000 passengers has been reached or when the queuing capacity of vehicles on the section of Bathurst Street south of Queen's Quay has been consistently exceeded. The

former Toronto Harbour Commissioners acknowledged that expanding the airport beyond 600,000 to what is considered the ultimate level of around 900,000 passengers a year would require a further round of substantial capital investments.

1. Limit the total number of parking spaces on the airport lands:

The City should seek to control the amount of passenger parking that can be provided on the airport lands by stipulating a maximum number of spaces in the Tripartite Agreement. This report recommends that the Tripartite Agreement be amended to impose a cap of 450 passenger parking spaces on the airport lands.

1. Encouraging public transit access to the airport:

The Tripartite Agreement should be amended to add the requirement that the Toronto Port Authority encourage the use of public transit to access the airport through such means as a shuttle bus service operating between Union Station and the major hotels in the downtown area and the airport.

1. Monitoring traffic impacts;

My May 6, 1998 report recommends that , given the importance of the bridge operation on traffic in the area, the Tripartite Agreement should be amended to require the monitoring of traffic impacts. It is suggested that the Toronto Port Authority be required to retain the services of a qualified consultant(s) to monitor such factors as:

- traffic volumes using the bridge

- use of the parking facility

- extent of queues on Bathurst Street

- impact on access to abutting properties

- pedestrian safety

- pollution levels and anti-idling enforcement

- conflicts between airport-related traffic and other vehicular and pedestrian activity on lower Bathurst Street

The result of the monitoring exercise should be reviewed to determine the need for changes to the timing of bridge operation or the access control, along with other mitigation measures.

Initially, it is recommended that the monitoring process be reported upon annually.

Conclusions:

This report concludes that the design of the bridge is both attractive and functional. It meets the requirements of emergency services and, with the alterations to lower Bathurst Street, provides an enhanced streetscape and the opportunity to extend Little Norway Park and improve the water's edge. The former Toronto Harbour Commissioners have indicated a willingness to budget $500,000 of the total project costs to help fund these related off-site improvements. Consequently, this report recommends that Council approve the bridge design so that the project can advance to the finalization of technical drawings and specifications to enable tender calls to be issued in time for a Fall start to construction.

However, before Council approves actual construction of the bridge, this report points out that there are a number of conditions that need to be met as a result of community concerns, issues discussed in earlier planning reports and the recommendations of Council in December, 1998. It is anticipated that these conditions, including amendments to the Tripartite Agreement, can be resolved before the projected Fall construction date. It is recommended that the pursuit of the ultimate park design and water's edge improvements, including funding arrangements, be pursued as a separate matter in parallel with the bridge project.

Finally, it is worth recalling that the Tripartite Agreement will continue to impose strict noise controls on flights to and from the airport, including a ban on jet aircraft. Also, restrictions on extensions to the runways will limit the type and size of aircraft that can use the airport. The introduction of the bridge means the airport can operate more safely and its use as a terminal for regularly scheduled passenger flights will likely increase. Increased passenger use will mean more traffic to and from the airport that will impact on the lower Bathurst Street area and summer boating activities. However, the bridge design accommodates and balances the various competing demands for access in an acceptable manner and, by monitoring the impacts of the bridge's operation, mitigating measures can be introduced if required.

Contact Name:

Greg Stewart

Toronto Metro Hall

Telephone:(416) 392-2691

Fax: (416) 392-3821

E-mail: gstewart@toronto.ca

Reviewed by:

Paul J. BedfordVirginia M. West

Executive Director and Chief PlannerCommissioner of Urban Planning

City Planning Divisionand Development Services

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