Transit projects dominate the list of top 10 public sector infrastructure projects currently underway in 2021 or planned this year in Canada. There are five transit projects on the books in and around the Toronto, Ont., and Montreal, Que., areas. Ontario has two nuclear refurbishment projects underway. A pair of hydroelectric generating projects are slated for Quebec and British Columbia—and a massive bridge project over the Detroit River at Windsor, Ont.
The total cost of the top 10 projects? $106 billion.
For a look at the top 10 largest public sector infrastructure projects currently underway or planned in Canada, see below:
1. GO Expansion – On Corridor
Work is expected to start by the end of this year on a $15.705-billion GO Expansion – On Corridor project in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area of Ontario. The estimated completion date is 2025.
The project is the largest infrastructure program ever undertaken by the province, and it includes rehabilitation and renewal of the railway transit corridor and civil infrastructure. Some grade separations, track, and tunnel work are under way, with 10 stations under construction and another 29 stations slated for early improvements. A new maintenance, train storage, and layover facilities will also be built.
2. Bruce Power Refurbishment
Preparatory work for a $13-billion refurbishment project is under way at Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ont.
Two reactor units are being refurbished under the project, which will include the replacement of key reactor components, such as steam generators, calandria and feeder tubes. Work on the first unit will begin in 2023 and the second unit in 2025.
Systems in the company’s eight reactor units are being replaced. The work will add 30 to 35 years of operational life to each reactor and create and sustain 22,000 direct and indirect jobs annually.
3. Darlington Nuclear Refurbishment
The $12.8-billion refurbishment of four units at Darlington Nuclear Generating Station east of Toronto continues to track on budget and ahead of schedule, with completion set for 2026.
A second unit has now been refurbished.
Work on the third unit has started, and all 960 feeder tubes were successfully removed in May. The unit was isolated from the remaining unit, and prep work was started for removing the fuel channel assemblies.
4. Muskrat Falls Project
Construction is expected to wrap up this fall on the $12.7-billion, 824-megawatt hydroelectric generating facility at Muskrat Falls on the lower Churchill River west of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador.
More than 1,600 kilometres of transmission lines and associated electrical equipment are also being installed.
The facility consists of a spillway, three dams, and a powerhouse and will be the second-largest hydroelectric facility in the region when complete.
5. Eglinton Crosstown LRT
The $11.996-billion Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit line under construction in Toronto, Ont., is slated for completion this year.
The line will run along Eglinton Avenue between Mount Dennis (Weston Road) and Kennedy station. The 19-kilometre corridor will include a 10-kilometre underground portion between Keele Street and Laird Drive.
The Crosstown will have 25 stations and stops and three subway stations. Capacity of the vehicles will be 15,000 passengers per hour per direction.
6. Ontario Line
The Ontario Line is a 15.6-kilometre stand-alone rapid transit line in Toronto. The $10.9-billion line will connect the Ontario Science Centre to Exhibition Ontario Place.
More than half of the route is planned to run underground through new tunnels, with the remainder running along elevated and at-grade rail corridor sections of track.
Fifteen stations are proposed, along with a maintenance and storage facility.
7. Site C Clean Energy Project
BC Hydro’s Site C Clean Energy Project will be a third dam and hydroelectric generating station on the Peace River in northeast British Columbia. The $10-7-billion project will produce about 5,100 gigawatt hours of electricity each year—enough to power about 450,000 homes.
Construction of the project started in summer 2015 and the generators are expected to be on line in 2024.
8. Réseau express metropolitain (REM)
The REM is an automated light rail network that will have 67 kilometres of tracks in the greater Montreal area in Quebec.
The $6.32-billion project will include 26 stations, with 23 stations currently under construction. More than 3,000 workers are presently deployed on approximately 30 construction sites.
The REM is the largest public transit project undertaken in Québec in the last 50 years. The first trains are expected to start running in 2022.
9. Gordie Howe International Bridge
Design, earth and utility work has been completed for the $5.7-billion Gordie Howe International Bridge over the Detroit River at Windsor, Ont. Construction of three road bridges has also started in Michigan.
Work on the project started in 2019, and the coming years are expected to be the busiest time for the project.
The six-lane, 2.5-kilometres bridge will have a clear span of 853 metres—the longest main span of any cable-stayed bridge in North America, with no piers in the water. It will be among the top five longest bridges in North America.
10. Hurontario LRT
Mobilinx is building a $5.632-billion Hurontario Light Rail Transit (LRT) that will bring a new, environmentally friendly method of transportation to the rapidly growing region between Brampton and Port Credit, Ont.
The 18-kilometre LRT will have its own dedicated lane, ensuring a smooth, reliable, and convenient ride along the region’s busiest street. The system will feature 19 stops, travel through two urban growth centres, and connect to major transit systems. There will be a maintenance and storage facility built for light rail vehicles.
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