“The beginning of the pedestrian tunnel’s excavation marks a major step forward in this project,” said Geoffrey Wilson, TPA President and CEO. “This next phase will bring us that much closer to providing passengers with easy and reliable access to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.”

 

Excavation began with the boring of two six-foot tunnels by two Canadian-made boring machines dubbed “Chip” and “Dale”. The two tunnel boring machines were also used to create the tunnel crown that comprises seven interlocking drift tunnels.The excavation will take place in two phases; the first phase will involve the excavation of the pedestrian tunnel’s top half. The second phase will involve the excavation of the elevator shafts to the pedestrian tunnel’s base after which the tunnel’s bottom half will be excavated. The excavation is expected to be completed by the fall of 2013.

 

Construction began on the pedestrian tunnel in March 2012. The tunnel will link Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to the mainland and provide enhanced service and convenient access for the airport’s users. The project is financed by the private sector and will be paid for by departing passengers via the existing Airport Improvement Fee. Once completed, the tunnel will also use 100 per cent green energy supplied by Bullfrog Power Inc. Project completion is expected in summer 2014.

 

For more information on the Pedestrian Tunnel project, visit www.torontoport.com or www.bbtcatunnelproject.ca

 

The Toronto Port Authority (TPA) owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, the Port of Toronto (Terminals 51 and 52), and Toronto's Outer Harbour Marina. In addition to moving more than two million passengers through the airport in 2012, the Port Authority provides transportation, distribution, storage and container services to businesses at the Port, and owns and operates Toronto’s largest freshwater marina. The Toronto Port Authority was incorporated on June 8, 1999 as a government business enterprise under the Canada Marine Act as the successor to the Toronto Harbour Commissioners.