The Toronto Port Authority has decided to go ahead with a plan to build a pedestrian tunnel to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
On Friday morning, the TPA initiated a process that will bring forward "proposals to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain a pedestrian tunnel" to the city's island airport.
“The ferries, while still a good service, were beholden to the winter weather and fog and ice buildup and heavy waves at times,” said Geoffrey Wilson, the president and chief executive officer of the TPA. “Clearly it’s in our interest to have a more consistent access to the airport.”
The idea of a tunnel to the airport gained traction last summer, but slid to a lower level when it became clear it couldn't be built in time to qualify for federal infrastructure funds.
TPA chair Mark McQueen said in a statement Friday that the port authority would push ahead with a so-called P3 approach — a public-private partnership.
"Although the idea of a government-funded tunnel concept received broad public support last year, this P3 approach is a perfect marriage of accepted public infrastructure financing strategies and the concept of 'user pays,'" said the statement.
The TPA says it has no intention of seeking out public funds, but last year both Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and federal Transport Minister John Baird had said a previous $38-million proposal was worthy of funding considerations.
Under the newest plan the cost of building the tunnel would be recovered, over time, by an airport improvement fee.
About one million passengers are expected to use the Billy Bishop Airport in 2010.
Passengers of Porter Airlines, the airport's main tenant, currently have to take a 90-second ferry ride to reach the island.
The TPA says the ferry service will continue as a means to get vehicles and cargo back and forth to the airport.
The port authority first floated the idea of an underwater pedestrian tunnel connecting the mainland waterfront to the airport in June 2009.
The tunnel will probably be eight metres wide and four metres high and outfitted with moving sidewalks for Porter passengers.
Both Toronto Mayor David Miller and island community groups were critical of the earlier plan, saying it would increase air traffic in the area.
I guess the brand new $5 million dollar ferry will get to become a pure fancy ass cargo boat! Spend some more money! Should of built the bridge in the first place or the tunnel. What a waste of money this tunnel is.
Why is $100k/foot out of line for tunneling? IIRC from my tour of the mine up in YTH, that was the cost of driving a standard mine shaft, and at 8m x 4m, this tunnel is somewhat larger.
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Happiness is V1 at Thompson!
Ass, Licence, Job. In that order.
shitdisturber wrote:I wonder how happy the tax payers of Toronto are going to be when they see the cost of the tunnel versus what they would have paid for a bridge.
The bridge wasn't going to cost taxpayers anything because the entire thing was financed privately within Deluce's original business plan. Instead, when Miller unilaterally revoked approval for the bridge Canadian taxpayers shelled out $35 million in penalties that went to various aggrieved parties including Aecon, Deluce, TPA and other players on the Island. This after Miller promised that cancelling the bridge wouldn't cost a dollar.
If people in Toronto don't like paying for a tunnel they have only themselves to blame.
About time there was some construction in Canada. There is more going on in banana republics that at home...
Well done Porter!
BTW, Montreal had a downtown STOL airport, in my days, and the DASH-7 was built for it!
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Success in life is when the cognac that you drink is older than the women you drink it with.
Say yes to the tunnel. Was sweatin' at the prospect of a bridge. After a long day of the Q and 'trying to upset' the folks on Ward I like to take the sailboat out. But how to get under the bridge??? Tunnel good. I don't want to have to turn to avoid the ferry either though. What if I spill my drink!?!The whole thing becomes so complex. Now let's see if we can pay someone else and get the runway extended.
TPA initiates Public-Private Partnership process to construct pedestrian tunnel
11:15 EST Friday, January 29, 2010
TORONTO, Jan. 29 /CNW/ - At a meeting earlier today, the Board of Directors of the Toronto Port Authority ("TPA") initiated a process that will bring forward Public-Private Partnership ("P3") proposals to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain a pedestrian tunnel connecting to theBilly Bishop Toronto City Airport ("BBTCA") under the Western Gap of the Toronto harbour. To be conducted over the coming months, the process will involve three key elements: an environmental assessment of the proposed tunnel; a rigorous public consultation process managed by an independent consulting firm; and the consideration of private sector proposals to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the proposed pedestrian tunnel.
"In light of the popularity of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport with travellers and airlines, it's the right time to move forward with the pedestrian tunnel initiative," said Mark McQueen, Chairman of the TPA Board of Directors. "Although the idea of a government-funded tunnel concept received broad public support last year, this P3 approach is a perfect marriage of accepted public infrastructure financing strategies and the concept of 'user pays'. The TPA Board has designed this financing strategy to ensure that the private sector takes on the initial equity and construction risk of the project. Over time, Airport Improvement Fees collected from passengers will pay for both the construction of the tunnel and the cost of its annual operation."
Under this process, the TPA has attempted to address certain concerns that were raised in 2009. The TPA's pedestrian tunnel initiative is also predicated upon the following themes:
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- The BBTCA is expected to receive in excess of 1 million passengers in
2010, a 50-fold increase from 25,600 passengers in 2005;
- "Public-private partnerships for infrastructure are saving time and
money" for the public agencies involved in the project, according to
a new study by the Conference Board of Canada, released on
January 28, 2010;
- The project will benefit from a rigorous public consultation process
in conjunction with the environmental assessment. This consultation
process will be managed by an independent consulting firm with broad
environmental assessment experience;
- The private sector proponent would arrange Bank financing
representing approximately 50 per cent of the project's estimated
$45 million cost. In addition, the TPA will consider providing up to
20 per cent of the project's cost in the form of a subordinate loan
or other instrument.
- 100 per cent of the cost of designing, building, financing and
maintaining the tunnel will be ultimately borne by passengers via the
BBTCA's Airport Improvement Fee ("AIF"). Recognizing the cost of the
proposed improved passenger service, the AIF that departing
passengers currently pay will increase to $20 from $15 per departing
flight (GTAA passengers currently pay an AIF of $25 per departing
flight);
- The operation of the pedestrian tunnel will have a zero carbon
footprint, using electricity provided by Bullfrog Power(TM), Canada's
100 per cent green electricity provider;
- The tunnel project will be maintained by the private sector proponent
during the life of the proposed 20 year concession period;
- Up to 100 per cent of the equity required to design, build and
finance the proposed tunnel project will be provided by the private
sector proponent. The winning consortium is also expected to take on
100 per cent of the risk associated with any cost overruns during the
construction phase of the tunnel project; and
- Once the 20 year concession period ends, operation and maintenance of
the tunnel will revert to the TPA and the P3 proponent is expected to
have no further economic interest in the project.
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"This project is a natural fit for a number of experienced institutional infrastructure investors," added Geoffrey A. Wilson, President & CEO of theToronto Port Authority. "We intend to run a broad qualification process, and expect to generate a wide range of attractive construction and financing proposals to consider."
The TPA would continue to operate the ferry Marilyn Bell I to provide airport access for fuel and catering vehicles, construction equipment, cargo operators and ambulances transporting Medevac patients to Ornge's helicopter and fixed wing medical evacuation aircraft. The TPA's existing ferry service does not operate between midnight and5:30 a.m. and as such, the tunnel would provide Ornge paramedics and their patients safe, reliable, round-the-clock access to downtown Toronto hospitals.
"Although the TPA provides suitable ferry capacity for the current commercial air traffic, our ability to provide efficient peak service to airline passengers in the coming years requires consideration of more than just a single access strategy," continuedMr. Wilson.
The TPA also advised that it has not approached any level of government for financial assistance in relation to this specific project concept, and has no intention of seeking public sector funds to assist in the construction and operation of the proposed P3 pedestrian tunnel. According to an independent public opinion poll, 62 per cent of Toronto residents surveyed support the construction of a pedestrian tunnel to improve access to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Only 21 per cent of respondents "strongly oppose" the concept, while 10 per cent "somewhat oppose" it. The 500-person survey was conducted July 6-7, 2009 by Pollara Strategic Insights.
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Supporters of the BBTCA pedestrian tunnel initiative have this to say:
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"The evidence is clear: Building a pedestrian tunnel to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport makes economic sense by creating much needed construction jobs. This tunnel will clearly be a benefit to the City ofToronto and the GTA and I support its construction."
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Mark Adler
President & CEO
The Economic Club of Canada
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"Ornge works to reduce the barriers to accessing Ontario's medical system by operating one of the largest and most innovative transport medicine programs inNorth America. One of our busiest bases is located at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. We believe that a pedestrian tunnel would improve our operational capabilities...and we are pleased to wholeheartedly support this proposal."
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Tom Lepine
Chief Operating Officer
Ornge
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"Since the launch of Porter Airlines in 2006, the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport has demonstrated itself to be an enormously important economic asset to Toronto's regional economy, linking our downtown business and tourist hub to an every-expanding inventory of destinations. A pedestrian tunnel would not only increase the reliability and convenience of the use of the airport, it would eliminate the risk of occasional ferry service interruptions associated with weather conditions."
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Carol Wilding
President & CEO
Toronto Board of Trade
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Relevant Survey Results
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Details: Pollara Strategic Insights surveyed a random sample of 500 City of Toronto residents by telephone between July 6-7, 2009; the margin of error is +/- 4.4%, 19 times out of 20. It is the third annual survey probing Torontonians' views of the TPA, its performance and its strategic objectives. A key question posed by Pollara sought to gauge the potential support for the construction of a pedestrian tunnel connecting the mainland with the BBTCA.
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Q25N: As you may know, access to this airport is by a short ferry ride
across a distance of 400 feet (or 121 metres) of water. Do you strongly
support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose the
construction of a pedestrian tunnel underneath this waterway to improve
access to the Toronto City Centre Airport?
Total Support..................................... 62%
Strongly Support................................ 34%
Somewhat Support................................ 28%
Total Oppose...................................... 31%
Somewhat Oppose................................. 10%
Strongly Oppose................................. 21%
Don't Know........................................ 7%
Refused................................. (less than)1%
N Size............................................ 500
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For further information: Janet MacDonald, Toronto Port Authority, (416) 863-2003
Build a pedestrian bridge? Typical small town mentality!
Toronto should extend the streetcar system through a tunnel to serve the island. it would serve not just the airport but all those people who like to visit the Island for recreational purposes. The tunnel need not be that much bigger than a pedestrian tunnel as a short single line stretch under the water would suffice.
The extra streetcar customers would be paying fares for their trips so that would go towards the cost of the tunnel. Rail or light rail access to airports has a history of being successful and profitable. The most profitable part of the London Underground is the short extension that was built about thirty years ago to serve Heathrow airport. Apart from pax using it, it provides extensive traffic from all the employees at the airport using it to get to and from work. Both pax and employees do not use just this short extension but continue their journey on the Underground to and from places farther away in London, for which they pay additional fares. This would apply also in Toronto. Many visitors to the Island, whether pax, employees or pleasure visitors, would be paying additional fares for the part of their journeys beyond the tunnel. Visitors would also be able to find parking farther away and use the convenient streetcar.
It would be very convenient to hop on a streetcar in downtown Toronto with a briefcase for a business flight from the Island airport or roller skates for a pleasure visit to the Island in the summer. Vancouver is now set up for this benefit with the Skytrain extension to the airport. What is Toronto waiting for? While at it, extend the subway to LBPI airport and also have a Birmingham International Airport style Maglev from LBPI to the nearby rail line to the north.
Carrier wrote:Build a pedestrian bridge? Typical small town mentality!
Toronto should extend the streetcar system through a tunnel to serve the island. it would serve not just the airport but all those people who like to visit the Island for recreational purposes. The tunnel need not be that much bigger than a pedestrian tunnel as a short single line stretch under the water would suffice.
The extra streetcar customers would be paying fares for their trips so that would go towards the cost of the tunnel. Rail or light rail access to airports has a history of being successful and profitable. The most profitable part of the London Underground is the short extension that was built about thirty years ago to serve Heathrow airport. Apart from pax using it, it provides extensive traffic from all the employees at the airport using it to get to and from work. Both pax and employees do not use just this short extension but continue their journey on the Underground to and from places farther away in London, for which they pay additional fares. This would apply also in Toronto. Many visitors to the Island, whether pax, employees or pleasure visitors, would be paying additional fares for the part of their journeys beyond the tunnel. Visitors would also be able to find parking farther away and use the convenient streetcar.
It would be very convenient to hop on a streetcar in downtown Toronto with a briefcase for a business flight from the Island airport or roller skates for a pleasure visit to the Island in the summer. Vancouver is now set up for this benefit with the Skytrain extension to the airport. What is Toronto waiting for? While at it, extend the subway to LBPI airport and also have a Birmingham International Airport style Maglev from LBPI to the nearby rail line to the north.
The streetcar line would come under the TTC, which is a creature (for now) of the City -- the councillors won't be voting for anything to cater to increased use of YTZ.
(for now) The province has been making noises about taking the TTC under its wing, but whenever somebody reminds them who would then be stuck for the TTC's bills, they drop the idea.
Cat Driver wrote:What is wrong with carriers suggestion rm_pic?
Well, given the present state of the TTC with all the scandal surrounding their leadership, not to mention the huge amount of bad press they've been getting lately, I'd say they have bigger fish to fry, than to provide a TTC to YTZ. As it stands now, the TTC stops about 300 meters from the ferry terminal on queens quay.
CAT, I'll assume you've flown out of YTZ before. The airport has no link (minus a maintenance path) to the touristy part of the island. I've seen alot of people come on the airport ferry for free, thinking they've beat the system by not paying for the ferry to get to the park on the island, only to realize that theres nowhere else to go once they reach the fire hall....
Anyways, just the observations of a 4 year (non-porter) YTZ guy.
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