Construction now under way on Hanlan Feedermain Project in Mississauga

The photo shows an early stage of the work on the Hanlan Feedermain Project at Dixie Road and Lakeshore Road East in Mississauga. Jaan Pill photo

I’ve been following with interest, and for some time, the construction details of the work on the Hanlan Feedermain Project, which I have discussed in previous blog posts in relation to the Lakeview Waterfront Connection Project.

I’ve been following the process, regularly taking photographs and short videos, since before the time that a temporary wall (that is, a construction barrier – see photo above) was built a short distance north east of the remaining Small Arms Ltd. building, which served as a small arms testing facility during the Second World War, at the foot of Dixie Road. This is an area that is rich in history.

At the end of this blog post, I’ve posted two photos, of a photo (from a September 2013 Doors Open event) showing what the corner of Lakeshore Road East and Dixie Road looked like in the 1960s.

Updates: The Peel Region website provides an overview of the Hanlan Feedermain Project. The project is also outlined in a Region of Peel PDF file. A Sept. 25, 2013 Mississauga News article is entitled “Hanlan Water Project: Residents learn all about the big dig.”

You can follow the Hanlan Water Project on Twitter; the Twitter handle is @hanlanwp and the associated website is hanlanwaterproject.ca

[End of updates]

QEW Improvements from Evans Ave. to Cawthra Road

Work is also under way at a site further north along Dixie Road (north east of Dixie Plaza) at the South Service Road alongside the Queen Elizabeth Way. The latter site is within the study area of the QEW Improvements from Evans Ave. to Cawthra Road Preliminary Design and Class Environmental Study.

A recent air quality report regarding south Etobicoke comes to mind, with regard to the QEW and Highway 427. The latter report notes that poor air quality – including the presence of carcinogens in south Etobicoke and elsewhere – is part of a regional problem that calls out for advocacy on behalf of public transit. How to help with advocacy? Among the many ways in which a person can help, I would suggest, is through learning about the work of the Toronto Environmental Alliance. It’s an organization worth joining, and worth supporting financially, in my view.

Sense of history

In previous posts, I’ve discussed history along the QEW to the west of Dixie Mall. There’s also a sense of a rich history, and there are some lovely old houses – at least one that I’ve regularly walked by is over a hundred years old, according to a resident I spoke with recently – in the Mississauga neighbourhood to the east of Dixie Plaza, as well.

Some of the lots – associated with some remaining older buildings – are enormous and there are many mature trees. Some redevelopment is about to get under way in the area.

Additional feedermain work may be ongoing elsewhere. The two above-mentioned sites are the ones that I know about, because I live in Long Branch (Toronto not New Jersey) not far from the Mississauga-Toronto border.

Because of other time commitments, I haven’t been posting many photos in this category, but today I’m pleased to share a sight that really caught my eye.

One of the circular configurations that have been constructed in recent months has now begun to be emptied of soil. That’s the purpose of this post: to share with you a  photo of the process. If you look closely at the photo below, you will note that one earth moving machine is now at work below the grade level. A new aspect to the work has emerged, as indicated in the photo below.

Feb. 15, 2014 photo of start point of Hanlan Feedermain construction site. You can see one piece of earth moving equipment (on the left) at ground level. A second piece of equipment (center of photo) is situated slightly lower, inside the circular cavity that is now in the process of being constructed. The water tower in the background (left) is also visible in the 1960s aerial photo (see below) of the Small Arms Ltd. plant as it appeared before most of the buildings were demolished. Jaan Pill photo

History of Dixie Road and Lakeshore Road East

The following photos – showing the corner of Dixie Road and Lakeshore Road East in the 1960s – are from an earlier blog post. With these two photos, if you click on them, you can enlarge them. Click again, and enlarge them further. I’m cutting back on such high-resolution photos, because they take up a lot of space on my website. In time, I plan to repost a lot of the photos in smaller sizes.

The Small Arms Ltd. building where a Sept. 28, 2013 Doors Open event was held has been saved from demolition, thanks to the efforts of Mississauga Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey and other Lakeview residents. The water tower remains in place as well.

The Preserved Stories website has extensive information about the history of the area and related topics including the Lakeview Legacy Project.

Photo of Small Arms Ltd. from the 1960s, on display at Sept. 28, 2013 Small Arms event

Detail from aerial photo showing the building where the Sept. 28, 2013 Doors Open event took place. During the Second World War, the building served as a testing facility for the Sten Guns and Enfield Rifles manufactured at the now-demolished, larger Small Arms Ltd. buildings.