Ontario Construction News staff writer
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says this year’s proposed budget will fully fund the construction of the Scarborough busway, expected to cost $67.9 million.
Chow unveiled the 2024 budget Thursday at Scarborough Centre Station, a former stop on the now decommissioned Scarborough Rapid Transit line (SRT), announcing her plans to fund the conversion of the SRT to a dedicated busway.
OTTC Board received an update on the status of a busway in the former SRT corridor at a meeting Jan. 25.
The board discussed a delay required to conduct a Transit Project Assessment due to planned acquisition of new lands to provide station and corridor access, requiring a cultural/archeological review.
Construction will also include a barrier between the busway and the adjacent GO line to protect buses accidentally coming onto their corridor. This adds cost, but should not substantially affect the construction schedule.
Total cost is now forecast at $67.9 million, up $12.2 million from the earlier estimate of $55.7 million which is part of the TTC’s 2024 Capital Budget. Of this, $4.3 million is due to the Metrolinx barrier, and $4 million goes for a grab-bag of items that appear to have been omitted in the original estimate. This increase is compounded by other cost lines which are calculated as a percentage of the base.