From ongoing public transit developments to replacing centuries-old watermains, Toronto will be teeming with construction projects this year to no one's surprise.
The city is considered to be the busiest in North America when it comes to construction. Last year, Toronto had $1.14 billion of critical infrastructure work planned for roads, bridges, TTC tracks, sewers and watermains.
The city said staff bundled as many construction needs as possible into one project or local area to avoid unnecessary or multiple disruptions. Gridlock has worsened across the city primarily due to restrictions caused by construction, resulting in Toronto being ranked as one of the worst cities in the world for congestion. A study also revealed that Torontonians spend approximately 199 hours per year in traffic.
Even Tom Cruise noticed, asking, "What's up with the traffic in Toronto?"
"The city is committed to doing everything it can to address traffic congestion and help all road users get around the city safely by working to balance critical construction with the needs of people and businesses using Toronto's roads," a city spokesperson said in a statement to CP24.com.
"Staff will work to ensure plans to promote the safety of people travelling in the area; reduce noise and parking as much as possible; modify traffic signals to allow for the efficient flow of traffic; traffic agents to regulate and direct traffic; maintain access to properties; and identify key site access points and haul routes of construction."
Here's a look at some of the ongoing and upcoming public construction projects in the city this year:
ONTARIO LINE AND OTHER METROLINX PROJECTS
The nearly 16-kilometre subway line that will run from the Ontario Science Centre down to the city's downtown core and end at Exhibition Place is currently under construction. It will have 15 stations, including along Queen Street, and connections to 40 other transit lines.
In 2023, a busy stretch of Queen Street became off-limits to vehicles for the line's construction. Queen Street between Bay and Yonge streets, near the south end of the Toronto Eaton Centre, and between Yonge and Victoria streets, just west of St. Michael's Hospital, is expected to be closed for nearly five years.
In addition, James Street, which runs north-south between Old City Hall and the Eaton Centre, will also be closed between Queen and Albert streets. As a result, TTC streetcar and bus routes along Queen Street had to be modified to accommodate the closure.
To reduce traffic congestion, the city introduced "Priority Travel Routes" around Ontario Line construction zones. Last May, Dundas Street from Jarvis and Bathurst streets was the first to get the designation. That stretch of the road would only have emergency work and on-street parking restricted. CafeTO curb lane cafes will not be installed to keep the road as clear as possible until the summer of 2024.
The city said it will identify more Priority Travel Routes as construction progresses.
The traffic agents will be deployed at key intersections during morning and afternoon peak traffic periods.
Other notable ongoing and upcoming works connected to the line include the next phase of tree removals in the northern section of the Ontario Line, which was supposed to begin mid-December 2023 with a completion date of Mar. 31, 2024. Metrolinx said 960 trees will be removed from the Don Valley and West Don crossings during that time. That is in addition to the 2,787 trees already felled in 2023.
Starting on Jan. 8, pier construction will resume at the Dundas Street East bridge. Work will occur Monday to Friday between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. for about four months.
MORE: All the latest construction notices on the Ontario Line
In addition to the Ontario Line, work is underway for several other Metrolinx transit projects across the city, including the Scarborough Subway Extension, Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and Yonge North Subway Extension.
Meanwhile, Metrolinx has yet to confirm if the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, which has been in construction for over a decade, and the Finch West LRT will open for service this year. However, the TTC is planning for a possible opening of the two transit projects, which will be designated as Line 5 and Line 6, respectively, in September.
Construction for the new SmartTrack Stations, part of Metrolinx's GO Expansion program, is also anticipated to begin this year. The stations are St. Clair West GO, Bloor-Lansdowne GO, King-Liberty GO, East Harbour Transit Hub and Finch-Kennedy GO.
Metrolinx said it is working with communities and contractors to minimize disruptions wherever possible during construction.
"Noise levels are continuously monitored to keep them to a minimum, and we do our best to ensure noisy activities occur during daytime. Additionally, vehicle access routes are planned to minimize on-site movement to avoid travel on residential streets where possible," Metrolinx said in a statement.
KING STREET WEST CONSTRUCTION
Work to replace aging streetcar tracks and a 146-year-old watermain along King Street West from Dufferin and Shaw streets is set to begin in February and be completed by the year's end.
The project will be carried out in five phases, beginning with watermain replacement, which would restrict travel to one lane in each direction.
The second phase, anticipated to begin in mid-May, will see streetcar tracks between Dufferin Street and Fraser Avenue replaced. That portion of King Street West will be closed.
Crews will then replace tracks at the intersection of King and Dufferin streets in the next phase, which could begin by July. The intersection will be off-limits to vehicles during the work.
Tracks between Fraser and Atlantic avenues will then be replaced in the fourth phase starting in August, closing that section to traffic until at least September.
The tracks from Atlantic Avenue and Shaw Street will be replaced last; work is expected to start in September and be completed by November. That section of King Street will be fully closed.
The city said work during Phase 1 will occur between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday to Friday, while the subsequent phases will see crews work 24 hours, seven days a week.
As a result, there will be temporary changes to routing on 501/301 Queen, 504/304 King, 508 Lake Shore, 29/329/929 Dufferin and 63/363 Ossington.
ADELAIDE STREET STREETCAR TRACK INSTALLATION
Motorists will continue to see lane restrictions on Adelaide Street West between York and Victoria Streets until the spring as the city continues to work on installing streetcar tracks.
The city said lanes will fully reopen as crews complete sections of the track. It is part of a new streetcar detour route being built to keep the 501 Queen moving during the construction of the Ontario Line.
Streetcar tracks are also being installed along Richmond, York and Church Streets.
UNIVERSITY AVENUE UPGRADES
Work is expected to resume on University Avenue later this February for infrastructure upgrades. The southbound lanes of the road between College Street and Queen Street West will be reduced to one lane during construction, including changing a nearly 150-year-old watermain, adding new safety measures into existing cycling tracks, resurfacing the road and implementing green infrastructure.
The work is expected to be completed by summer 2024.
BLOOR STREET RECONSTRUCTION
Phase 5 of the project is expected to begin this spring, which will see reconstruction of roads and cycle tracks on Bloor Street West between Avenue Road and Spadina Avenue.
The city said separate week-long closures of each intersection along that stretch of Bloor Street to vehicles and cyclists with construction is expected to be completed later in the summer.
BROADVIEW AVENUE CONSTRUCTION
In 2023, the city and the TTC replaced aging streetcar tracks on Broadview Avenue from Danforth Avenue to Gerrard Street East. The second part of the construction – the rehabilitation of existing sewer infrastructure – is expected to be completed this year.
Work is already underway at select locations along Broadview Avenue and connecting side streets between Pretoria Avenue and Gerrard Street East, which is anticipated to last until Feb. 17. Residents could see localized road and sidewalk restrictions during the construction.
FAIRBANK SILVERTHORN STORM TRUNK SEWER SYSTEM
Construction of the new storm trunk sewer system in the Fairbank-Silverthorn area continues this year. It began in Oct. 2021 and is expected to be finished in the spring of 2025. There are two phases being carried out for the project, which entail tunnel construction and the installation of 17 kilometres of new storm sewers.
As a result, a portion of Fairbank Memorial Park and Bert Robinson Park will be closed to the public during that time. There are also road closures to accommodate the work.
- From July 2022 to March 2024: Harvie Avenue is closed from Kitchener Avenue to 50 metres south of Kitchener Avenue; traffic on Kitchener Avenue to the west of Harvie Avenue will be limited to one way westbound.
- From August 2022 to May 2024: Silverthorn Avenue south of Dunraven Drive will be fully closed to vehicle traffic.
GERRARD EAST COMPLETE STREET
The city is scheduled to upgrade Gerrard Street East between Sherbourne and Parliament streets this year as part of its complete streets program. There will be a reconstruction of the roadway pavement and sidewalks, replacement of the watermain, and the installation of a bi-directional cycle track.
HUNTINGWOOD DRIVE UPGRADES
Road repairs and upgrades are underway on Huntingwood Drive from Pharmacy Avenue to Kennedy Road. Work began last summer and is expected to be completed in the fall.
The project would see existing bicycle lanes improved with new concrete median islands and planters, where feasible.
PORT UNION ROAD IMPROVEMENTS
Road reconstruction on Port Union Road between Island Road and Lawrence Avenue East is expected to resume in the spring after a winter construction break.
The project began last July and is expected to be finished by December 2024. Port Union Road will be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction within the work zone.
Part of the work includes widening the road to create a new northbound vehicle lane, and installing raised cycle tracks and continuous sidewalks on both sides of the streets. New centre lanes will also be placed at select locations and curb extensions with raised pedestrian crossings.
ROAD SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS ON SCARBOROUGH GOLF CLUB ROAD
A stretch of Scarborough Golf Club Road is planned to be reconstructed this year, which would see new pedestrian crossings, new green infrastructure, accessible transit stops, cycle tracks and protected intersections.
There has yet to be a specific start date for the project, which will take place between Ellesmere Road and Kingston Road.
The city said the project area will be divided into three segments. The first one will be from Ellesmere Road to Lawrence Avenue East, where road reconstruction will take place using a complete street approach. The proposed changes include new pedestrian crossings, new green infrastructure, accessible transit stops, one-way cycle tracks on both sides, protected intersections and reducing the number of motor vehicle lanes.
The second and third segments – Lawrence Avenue East to Confederation Drive and Confederation Drive to Kingston Road – will use a “quick-build method,” the city said. It involves making road design changes through installation of new pavement markings and pre-fabricated materials.
THE QUEENSWAY COMPLETE STREET
The city will also reconstruct the road and replace the watermain on The Queensway between Mimico Creek and Burma Drive, near Humber River.
Proposed changes include sidewalk widening and new sidewalks between the Humber Bay Loop and the south side of the Humber Bridge, improvement of bus stops and waiting areas, new raised and protected bicycle lanes, signal timing adjustments, new centre median from Stephen Drive to Aldgate Avenue, and from Aldgate Avenue to Park Lawn Road, to reduce the likelihood of left-turn collisions and new landscaping and stormwater management features.
CHAMPAGNE-ALNESS ROAD SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT
Work to improve road safety on Champagne Drive and Alness Street between Chesswood Drive and Steeles Avenue West is anticipated to begin in the spring.
New and improved pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, cycle tracks, TTC bus stops, and vehicle travel lane widths for large vehicles will be implemented, the city said.
