User:Floydian/Midtown Hydro Corridor

The Midtown Hydro Corridor or Midtown Power Corridor is a 115-kV electric power transmission easement in the Canadian city of Toronto. The corridor, which generally follows the Canadian Pacific Railway's Midtown Corridor in an east–west direction through the centre of Toronto, is maintained by the Ontario power distributor Hydro One. The corridor provides the sole connection between the eastern and western hydro corridors that provide the majority of electricity into the central business district of the city; in the event that one of these corridors are disconnected, the Midtown Corridor serves as a backup route for electricity.

Several transformer stations (TS) and junctions exist along the length of the corridor to serve local neighbourhoods. From west to east, these comprise Mansby TS (near Kipling Subway Station), where the lines begin, Dufferin TS at Dufferin and Dupont, Bridgman TS at Davenport and Macpherson, Birch Junction at Mount Pleasant, Bayview Junction at Bayview Heights, and Leaside TS at Millwood and Overlea, where the line connects with the Gatineau Hydro Corridor.

History
The original transmission line along the Midtown corridor was between Leaside Transformer Station and Bayview Junction, built in 1929. A segment connecting Bridgman with Birch Junction was constructed during the early 1950s. To connect these two and provide a connection between the eastern and western grids in the old city of Toronto, a tunnel was constructed between Birch Junction and Leaside Junction in 1954.

Future
Hydro One identified the aging power lines as being in need of replacement along the length of the corridor in 2008. Currently, work is underway to rebuild the overhead power lines between Leaside TS and Bayview Junction and the underground cable between Bayview and Birch junctions. The new overhead lines will be built on taller pylons, leading to concerns from some local property owners.