LRT tunneling not resumed one month after Rideau sinkhole
City manager had expecting tunnelling to start week of June 20
One month after a watermain break caused a massive sinkhole on Rideau Street, work on the last 50 metres of the downtown light rail tunnel remains at a standstill.
And there is no word when it will restart.
The digging beneath Rideau Street, just east of Sussex Drive, came to halt on June 8 when the tunnel flooded following the watermain collapse.
It took city workers 90 minutes to turn off the valves, during which time water poured into the tunnel. After the deluge, water stood at least two metres deep in some areas.
Crews from Rideau Transit Group — the consortium building the $2 billion light rail line — spent days pumping out the tunnel.
On Monday, June 20 — the day the last of the water advisories were lifted for Rideau Street businesses — city manager Steve Kanellakos said in a statement that he expected excavation for the tunnel to restart that week.
That still hasn't happened.
No word on why tunneling is delayed
Rideau Street was reopened to buses and taxis last weekend. And work on the underground Rideau Station and the existing tunnel are "underway," according to a city email attributed to Steve Cripps, director of the rail implementation office, sent to CBC Friday afternoon.
"Notification will be provided prior to the recommencement of tunneling near Rideau Station," the email continued.
No one from the city gave any reasons for the delay, nor is there any confirmation from any officials whether the sinkhole is related to the light rail tunneling.
Rideau Transit Group has maintained that the sinkhole will not cause a delay in the LRT project, which is expected to be completed in July 2018.