A drill rig in the rail corridor near the site of the Weston Tunnel is installing augered piles for the lower corridor retaining wall.

Metrolinx contractors continue working on the project to improve the Georgetown South rail corridor and build the future Air Rail Link.

In Weston, the contractors continue the Weston Tunnel project. They’re lowering the GO Transit rail corridor between Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue West to Weston Road, covering part of the line between King and Church Street. Because the rail corridor will not yet be low enough to keep the road level, the project also means that John Street will close to motor traffic. During the work, contractors will build a pedestrian bridge over the tracks to keep John Street open to pedestrians. The corridor will rise north of Church Street, returning to ground level before the Weston Road bridge.

The tunnel cover, between King Street and Church Street, will be at the same grade as the St. John the Evangelist Church and School property lines. With public access from Church or King Street, the tunnel cover will accommodate a green space or a recreation facility.

Work crews have nearly finished a retaining wall north of Church Street. They’ve started backfilling at the north end of the site and are continuing southward. Once they’ve finished, the they’ll shift the Canadian Pacific tracks slightly eastward to allow so they can start digging the Weston Tunnel.

Meanwhile, other workers are relocating and upgrading the sanitary sewer on Rosemount Avenue, and the water main and storm sewer on King Street. They need to move all three pipes to lower the rail corridor. They’ve finished working on Rosemount Avenue between King and Church Streets and are now working between John Street and MacDonald Avenue. The contractors will be paving Rosemount Avenue this month. To accommodate the ongoing construction, King Street is now one-way westbound between Rosemount Avenue and George Street and, starting Tuesday, July 3, the road is closed at Weston Road until early 2013.