ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[timc]

Why are the ballasts(?) numbered?

I may be wrong, but I think this is near a crossover by the Perimeter Institute. Each tie in this group is likely a different length, and they are numbered so that they end up in the right order.

[Canard]

Correct.

[KevinL]

A Midtown update.

A fresh look at the dig at King and Moore/Breithaupt:


The view in the opposite direction included a pipe delivery this morning:


Track installation clearly ends just before Wellington:


Hydro was busy in front of King Edward School:


One of the few incomplete gaps is right here just before Green Street:

[tomh009]

Paving under way on Charles, between Ontario and Queen!

   

[GtwoK]

Y'know, it would have been really nice to see power lines buried on Charles between Benton and Manulife. that could've cleaned up the area a good bit, I'd think.

[tomh009]

I have been thinking exactly the same thing. Sadly, no budget was allocated for that.

[panamaniac]

Will they not be? I've been assuming that all the overhead wires are temporary. Or is "we don't do pretty" Kitchener keeping true to itself?

[KevinL]

The overhead power lines in this part of downtown are temporary. The wooden poles you see here will be removed later, once more of the project is completed.

[GtwoK]

Oh, really? So they'll be digging up the road again to bury them? Is that why most places that have had sidewalks rebuilt already have skipped the sections that the hydro poles are in? Closer to Striling, concrete was poured around the hydro poles for sidewalks, so I assume THOSE one's are permanent.

[KevinL]

No, the new underground routes have been going in all along. They're not live yet, though; power is running through the overhead lines until the new underground system is complete. The power will later be switched over, and the overhead mess removed.

[Canard]

Do you have confirmation of this or are you just guessing? I am only asking because what may look like underground ducts for overhead wires is actually underground ducts for ion - communications, signalling, that sort of thing. I am not aware of any sharing of these duct banks for hydro or cable etc.

[GtwoK]

Do you have confirmation of this or are you just guessing? I am only asking because what may look like underground ducts for overhead wires is actually underground ducts for ion - communications, signalling, that sort of thing. I am not aware of any sharing of these duct banks for hydro or cable etc.

I mean, it would explain why sidewalks and curbs have been avoided everywhere that there is a hydro pole, despite them being laid on either side of the poles. It would also explain how they plan on dealing with catenary wires at spots that hydro wires are currently crossing them!

[Canard]

Don't get me wrong, it would be great if all the overhead utilities were going in ion's duct banks. I thought we discussed this like a year ago or so and everyone was all "no they're not burying anything, we love wood poles" etc.

[KevinL]

Do you have confirmation of this or are you just guessing? I am only asking because what may look like underground ducts for overhead wires is actually underground ducts for ion - communications, signalling, that sort of thing. I am not aware of any sharing of these duct banks for hydro or cable etc.

Just my understanding, nothing official as such. But as others have pointed out, these poles have always been clearly temporary.

[Canard]

I would be more inclined to believe that the catpoles will be outfitted with additional arms for supporting these utilities rather than everything going underground.

I really hope I'm wrong! Underground is obviously the best, and we'll actually end up with a net reduction in overhead clutter, even with the addition of all the massive OCS infra.