Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Hurontario LRT will be knows as the Hazel McCallion Line to commemorate the achievements of the former Mississauga mayor, Premier Doug Ford and transportation minister Caroline Mulroney announced on Monday.
“What a great day,” McCallion said. “You know, I’ve had many things named after me and this one is quite unusual.
“Thank you Mr. Premier, for this great honour of having this line named after me. I know my family . . . want to thank you for this recognition. So, on with the Hazel McCallion line!”
With decades of public service under her belt, McCallion is known locally as “Hurricane Hazel”, is a trailblazer and inspirational figure in Canadian history, and it is only fitting to have her legacy honoured on her 101st birthday.
McCallion served as Mississauga mayor from 1978 until 2014.
“The Hazel McCallion Line will be a gamechanger for the people of Brampton and Mississauga. The 18-kilometre LRT line will connect people to public transit and link GO Transit’s Milton and Lakeshore West lines, the Mississauga Transitway, Brampton Transit, Züm and MiWay.”
The project will continue to be referred to as the Hurontario LRT while construction is underway, but will adopt the name once the line opens, adding 18 kilometres of rapid transit between the Brampton Gateway Terminal at Steeles Avenue and the Port Credit GO Station in Mississauga.
“With 19 stops, the LRT will connect to other major transit systems including two GO train lines (Milton and Lakeshore West Lines), the Mississauga Transitway, Zum, Brampton Transit and MiWay services.
Hurontario LRT vehicles will run along their own dedicated lane which means they will be able to move quickly along the region’s busiest street.
In October 2019, Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario (IO) officially announced Mobilinx is the winning bidder for the Hurontario Light Rail Transit project, bringing one of the largest infrastructure projects in Ontario to Peel Region.
Major construction began in 2021 with the completion date anticipated for fall 2024.
Currently, construction crews started working on the installation of watermain along on Hurontario Street between The Queensway and Dundas Street. Work is scheduled to continue until March 6.