Construction has begun on a new bike lane along Danforth Avenue.
City spokesperson Brad Ross confirms to CP24 that crews began installing the dedicated lane this morning.
Once complete, it will run from Dawes Road to Broadview Avenue, at which point it will connect with the existing bike lane along Bloor Street.
It is part of a major expansion of the city’s bike lane network that the city accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of that initiative the city is installing 25 kilometres of additional dedicated cycle lanes this summer, including one along University Avenue that was put in last month.
Staff say that they are using mostly “temporary materials” in order to install the lanes rapidly with “minimal change to the street design,” though in the case of Danforth Avenue a more substantial overhaul is being undertaken with the city spending an additional $1.5 million on public realm improvements.
At this point, it remains unclear when the project will be completed.
“Destination Danforth is a pilot program that will help create more room for physical distancing, support local businesses and expanded patios, and deliver safe bikeways along Danforth Ave,” Ross told CP24 on Wednesday morning. “It’s a complete streets approach to one of Toronto’s vibrant main streets.”
The city is spending about $3 million on the new bike lanes with most of them expected to be installed by the end of this summer.
