Porter Airlines travellers will be happy to know that construction of the pedestrian tunnel connecting downtown Toronto to Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto Island is halfway complete.
The Toronto Port Authority made the announcement in an Aug. 7 release.
Excavation began in early July and is set for completion in the fall.
When finished, the pedestrian tunnel will have four moving sidewalks (two northbound, two southbound) moving at 2.3 kilometres per hour and to deliver passengers from end to end in six minutes.
From a bank of six elevators on the mainland, passengers descend 100 feet to access the tunnel and will travel 800 feet underneath the Western Gap of Toronto Harbour to escalators delivering them to the airport's check-in area.
Check-in times will be shorter since the tunnel will replace a ferry service which tended to deliver passengers to the terminal at rate of “four ferry waves per hour.”
The port authority said the tunnel is privately financed and will be paid for by departing passengers through an airport improvement fee.
