Bike underpass progresses

The City is inserting a new bicycle underpass parallel to the O-Train track where it goes under the Somerset Street viaduct.

A viaduct is like a bridge, except it isn’t hollow underneath, it has dirt fill between side retaining walls. In the picture below, the far side wall is visible as is the wall of the O-Train underpass  on the left edge of the picture.

 A construction worker, busily supervised by another, is shown with a large horizontal saw blade (about 36″ diameter) riding on rail attached to the wall, cutting a horizontal opening through the wall. I suspect this is the top of the tunnel opening.

The underpass will be completed by Sept 8th; however it will be boarded up until such time as funding permits constructing the paths that go the underpass. Here is a pic of the cut that was made in the wall, as seen from the “other side”. It now has a steel beam inserted, presumably to act as a lintel: