By Lisa Gordon | November 12, 2012 Estimated reading time 6 minutes, 2 seconds.
Two Canadian-made tunnel boring machines (TBMs) nicknamed after a famous pair of Disney chipmunks have arrived at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (BBTCA). The machines, purpose-built to bore the airport’s long-anticipated pedestrian tunnel, were manufactured by Newmarket, Ont.-based Technicore. Weighing in at 90 tonnes each, “Chip and Dale” measure 6.5 feet in diameter and are 36 feet long. The TBMs are worth $2 million each, and will excavate the tunnel at a rate of 39 to 49 feet per work day.
The pedestrian tunnel linking BBTCA with the mainland will be 800 feet long and will cost $82.5 million dollars to build. The tunnel will be financed through the airport improvement fee charged to passengers at BBTCA, with the initial funds realized through a 20-year public-private partnership deal. The project, which will be completed in the spring of 2014, will be the world’s only known pedestrian walkway connecting to an airport via an underwater path. Located 10 stories beneath the surface, the tunnel will feature four moving sidewalks that will transport pedestrians across the Western Gap in about three and a half minutes.
Along with people, the tunnel will also carry city water to the Toronto Islands, replacing outdated water lines and saving taxpayers an estimated $10 million in redundant construction costs.
At a media event held at the airport on Nov. 9, Carol Wilding, president and CEO of the Toronto Board of Trade, told attendees that the BBTCA is a “jewel in our economy” and the tunnel is being constructed to “smooth the traveller experience and maximize airport capacity.”
That capacity has certainly grown over the last few years. In 2005, the year before Porter Airlines began operating at the airport, less than 25,000 commercial passengers used the facility. Geoff Wilson, president and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority (TPA), which operates the airport, said it now takes less than a week for 25,000 passengers to travel through BBTCA.
“Billy Bishop has become essential to the growth of trade and tourism in the city of Toronto,” said Wilson. “In 2011, after nearly four years of 30 per cent annual compound growth, Billy Bishop became the ninth busiest airport in Canada, welcoming 1.5 million passengers.”
Passengers can fly directly to 18 cities from downtown Toronto, on either Porter Airlines or Air Canada, with connections available to 60 major international destinations.
Economic Engine
According to a recent economic impact study commissioned by the TPA and released at the media event, BBTCA generates $1.9 billion in annual direct and indirect economic output, with 1,700 jobs directly associated with the airport generating $290 million in wages. A further 4,000 jobs are indirectly tied to the facility.
Wilding said, “It’s clear that the BBTCA is more than just a convenient transportation link into and out of the region. We believe it is an important economic driver, vital to ensuring our economy remains locally competitive.”
She added that a recent Toronto Board of Trade survey found that 91 per cent of the organization’s 10,000 members believe the airport improves the economic vitality of the Toronto region.
These impressive statistics come as no surprise to Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. Deluce, a long-time champion of BBTCA, told Canadian Skies that it’s clear the airport is having a very positive effect on the city of Toronto and the surrounding area.
“We’re pretty pleased with that, obviously,” said Deluce. “Porter has grown from some 200 team members when we started in October 2006, to some 1,400 today, most of whom are based here in Toronto. When you look at the overall economic impact, the numbers are pretty impressive. In terms of our future, the improved access that comes with a tunnel is very good news. It ensures the overall travel experience will remain strong in the future, and that will allow for some natural expansion over time.”
Opened in 1939, Toronto’s island airport has had a long and colourful history. The construction of a fixed link to the facility has been the subject of heated political debate since before the airport was even opened. It’s been a long time coming, but in 2014 the wait will be over.
