Here's what's going on inside the massive tent-like structures in downtown Toronto
A trio of enormous temporary structures have taken over three major intersections in downtown Toronto, part of the transformative $27 billion Ontario Line project.
These structures, known as acoustic shelters, have been installed at the future sites of the Ontario Line's King-Bathurst, Osgoode, and Queen stations, though the enormous tent-like constructions will be long removed before the first passengers board the 15-station subway line in 2031.
Installed in 2024 and 2025, the acoustic shelters — as the name implies — exist to create a noise buffer between these 24-hour construction sites and the densely populated areas surrounding them.
In addition to offering local homes and businesses respite from the constant noise of construction, these massive shelters minimize the spread of dust, while also serving a key function in the round-the-clock construction process — housing for the enormous gantry cranes that move across the length of the station excavation sites.
Metrolinx has shared a rare view inside one of these large structures at the Ontario Line's future connection with Osgoode Station on Line 1, offering a glimpse at the ongoing dig to carve out the interchange.
Inside the cavernous acoustic shelter, Metrolinx states that "we're working our way to a depth of 40 metres below ground at Osgoode Station. Once we reach the bottom, the roadheader that's currently working to dig underneath University Avenue will break through to connect the two tunnelled areas to make way for Libby and Corkie, our two new tunnel boring machines."
A graphic produced by the transit agency offers some context as to how the current shelter structure and ongoing 24-hour excavation work interact with the active mining for station platforms and the soon-to-begin tunnelling process.
Osgoode Station's new Ontario Line connection faced controversy ahead of the acoustic shelter's construction.
The 2.4-hectare grounds of the station's namesake law building were previously home to some of Toronto's oldest and most beautiful trees. Their removal was met with resistance and even a court injunction in 2023 seeking to spare the mature trees from becoming mulch.
After the trees were removed in a rushed operation, a lengthy pause in construction allowed new seedlings to sprout, and work eventually resumed with the Osgoode shelter being assembled earlier this year.
Similar work is being carried out at the site of the new King-Bathurst Station, along with the footprint of the Ontario Line's future eastern Line 1 connection with the existing Queen Station.
Metrolinx
