Utilities
Hydro One has been working with the local utility, Toronto Hydro, to ensure that together, we can accommodate load growth and continue to reliably supply electricity to the many residents and businesses in downtown Toronto.

Local Elected Official and Staff
Hydro One has provided project briefings to various City of Toronto staff members.

Public Information Centre
Hydro One held a Public Information Centre on April 29, 2004. Through a series of session panels (PDF 7.8 MB), brochures (PDF 69 KB) and discussions, interested parties were informed of the need for the project, the options being considered and the process. From these sessions the public was able to give us valuable feedback.

Interested Stakeholders
Meetings with various stakeholder groups continue to provide valuable input in the assessment of route alternatives.

As part of stakeholder consultations, Hydro One has attended several meetings of the Toronto Public Utilities Coordinating Committee to brief the members on this plan and to coordinate the project with the planned works of the various City departments and other utilities represented on the Committee. Hydro One has also met with the St. Lawrence Business Improvement Association to discuss and address their concerns.

A Public Information Centre was held on June 29, 2004 and a preliminary preferred route was presented. As proposed, the preliminary preferred route was to be a deep tunnel under Front and Sherbourne Streets. Through a series of session panels (PDF 13.4 MB), brochures (PDF 318 KB) and discussions, interested parties were informed of the route and deep tunnel construction method.

A Public Information Centre was held on August 5, 2004 to present a modified route. As a result of additional technical review, Hydro One proposed that the route portion located on Sherbourne Street be moved to Frederick Street. Construction of the route portions on Front and Frederick Streets would use the deep tunnelling method. Through a series of session panels (PDF 7.2 MB), brochures (PDF 466 KB) and discussions, interested parties were informed of the route modification.

Draft Environmental Study Report
Hydro One has completed the Class Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Supply to Downtown Project. In accordance with environmental review requirements, the Class EA Environmental Study Report (PDF 15.7 MB, High-speed Internet connection recommended) is available for stakeholder review and comment for a 30-day period from September 10, 2004 to October 12, 2004.

Stakeholder questions or comments on the Environmental Study Report must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 by John Monczka, Hydro One, at 483 Bay Street, North Tower TCT 14, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2P5, fax 416-345-6919, or e-mail j.monczka@HydroOne.com.

Hydro One received Class EA and Ontario Energy Board approvals for the project. Both were necessary before construction could begin.

Construction began with excavation of a large entry shaft at Esplanade Transformer Station at the southwest corner of Sherbourne and The Esplanade. Soon after, a tunnel boring machine was delivered to the site and began to bore the tunnel deep below the city.

The first stage of the tunnel construction process ended on October 23, 2006 when the tunnel boring machine was lifted out of a shaft excavated on the side of John Street between Hydro One's John Transformer Station and the CBC Headquarters building.

The Tunnel boring machine emerges on John Street between the CBC Headquarters and the John Transformer Station.  This machine is now a veteran of three tunnels.  It is owned by underground excavation contractor, Dibco.  After removal, the machine travelled to Dibco’s workshops for an overhaul, and will then begin work on another tunnel.

Work to line the tunnel with concrete is now complete.  And crews are in the final stages of connecting the six large cables in the tunnel.

A section of the concreted tunnel that runs under Jarvis Street.

Cable arrived from France in 19 steel reels sealed with steel on the
sides to protect their valuable contents.

The cable was carefully rolled into the tunnel: first from the
Esplanade TS end, shown here; later from the John end.

Cables are then firmly clamped to the walls of the vertical shafts and
tunnel.  This is the vertical shaft at the Esplanade TS end of the tunnel.

Once the cables emerge from the Esplanade shaft, they proceed through a trench
lined with compacted limestone screenings that leads to the Esplanade TS Switchyard.

After the cables are laid, they are covered by another layer of compacted limestone screenings. The red square in the foreground is a electronic marker that will allow for easy cable locates once the cables are buried.

A layer of red concrete was then poured over the compacted sand to act as a
physical barrier to protect the cable from errant backhoes in the future.

Following installation of circuit breakers at both Esplanade Transformer Station and John Transformer Station, the lines will go into service at 115,000 volts. The lines are designed to eventually double their capacity by switching to 230,000 volts when extra capacity is needed in the future. The tunnel is also designed to accommodate six additional 230,000 volt cables should they be needed because of further growth in the city centre.