The Challenge

Over the years, Toronto’s lively Entertainment District has been growing and attracting more and more arts and cultural enterprises, restaurants and people. Visitors to the city and residents alike now flock to this popular area year round.

John Street in particular, which runs from Stephanie Street/Grange Park south to Front Street, is an important corridor in this BIA because it connects many of Toronto’s major cultural institutions, such as the Art Gallery of Ontario and the TIFF Bell Lightbox, to Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre and the waterfront.

For this reason, the City of Toronto recently embarked on an ambitious plan to transform John Street into a welcoming cultural and pedestrian-friendly corridor by redesigning the streetscape between Front Street and Stephanie Street. The design includes the widening of sidewalks and boulevards, greening the street by planting additional trees, and installing new paving materials in the roadway and on the sidewalks to add visual interest and calm traffic.

The addition of new roadway, pedestrian, event and traffic lighting requires replacements and improvements to the existing electrical infrastructure to not only enhance and beautify the street but also to power the many events and festivals that are held along John Street.

Moreover, the system will need to last 20 – 30 years. The goal is to build a system that will accommodate capacity for future growth and development on John Street.

DPM Playing a Key Role

DPM Energy Inc. is the lead contributor to the roadway, pedestrian, event and traffic lighting component of this complex corridor improvement project. The project requires DPM’s technical know-how in order to replace old chamber, duct banks and primary cables, relocate chambers and duct banks in coordination with the City’s road rebuild, and introduce new soil management system in boulevards to help the trees grow.

DPM’s many responsibilities include:

• Assisting Toronto Hydro in predesign site inspections

• Creating preliminary civil and electrical design

• Creating detailed civil and electrical design

• Coordinating with surrounding utilizes (Bell, TTC, Cogeco, etc.)

• Coordinating with Toronto Hydro to finalize the design and to ensure that all requirements were incorporated

• Gaining approval and permits from the city

• Preparing work order package and drawings for construction

• Providing support during construction

DPM’s Complete System

DPM is designing and building a complete underground distribution system, including all new manholes, duct structures, underground cables and transformers. Especially challenging is the need to rebuild the new system while the old one is still energized, which requires the relocation of the existing infrastructure for the duration.

DPM is proud to be a part of this visionary project, one that will further enhance Toronto’s downtown core by revitalizing an already exciting and dynamic BIA and prepare it for future growth and capacity.