New bridge for walking and cycling to be built at Hwy 401 at Hurontario in Mississauga for LRT

Multi-use paths that will allow pedestrians and cyclists to safely coexist are being built on a portion of the $1.4-billion Hazel McCallion light rail transit (LRT) line in north Mississauga that passes over Canada’s busiest highway.

Officials overseeing the massive transit project, which when completed in fall 2024 will run 18 kilometres along Hurontario St. from south Mississauga into Brampton, took to social media this week to provide a glimpse into ongoing construction.

“As part of Hazel McCallion Line construction, the (Hwy.) 401 overpass is seeing new multi-use paths to replace standard sidewalks, making transit safer for everyone,” project officials said in a Twitter post. “Parapet walls are also being raised for better protection.”

A parapet wall is a low or dwarf wall built along the edge of a roof, terrace or walkway to offer additional safety for people.

As part of #HazelMcCallionLine construction, the 401 overpass is seeing new multiuse paths to replace standard sidewalks, making transit safer for everyone. Parapet walls are also being raised for better protection. Check out mid and post-construction photos of the west side. pic.twitter.com/CgkxTrl6Jd

— The Hazel McCallion Line (@HMcCallionLine) February 6, 2023

Meanwhile, an important and very visible part of the LRT line continues to take shape near Mississauga’s downtown core.

The elevated guideway that will eventually connect the 19-stop LRT route to the City Centre stop near Square One is making significant progress, project leaders said in an update in mid-December.

“You may have spotted the guideway piers (the vertical structures that will support the guideway) going up near Hwy. 403 and Rathburn Rd. Now, the structure is starting to take shape,” Metrolinx officials said earlier in a Twitter post.

Metrolinx, the provincial agency overseeing the massive transit project, told insauga.com earlier that while some residents may have thought construction in the area was related to the cancelled City Centre loop, that is not the case.

A City Centre loop that would conveniently connect Hazel McCallion Line trains with the many condos in Mississauga’s downtown core was initially part of the huge transit plan before being cut from the project by the provincial government three years ago.

Plans for the downtown core loop were dropped in order to save money.

Mayor Bonnie Crombie, council and other City of Mississauga officials have been fighting for reinstatement of the loop ever since. In fact, Crombie has often identified it as among the very top priorities for the City.

The Hazel McCallion LRT, when completed, will move passengers from Port Credit GO station in the south to Brampton in the north, with 19 stops along the way.

It will link to GO stations at Port Credit and Cooksville, the Mississauga Transitway, Square One GO Bus Terminal, Brampton Gateway Terminal, and key MiWay and Brampton Transit routes.