Major intersection closure will divert 3 downtown streetcar routes all summer
CBC
Toronto's construction season is officially here, and with it comes new headaches for transit users on some of the city's busiest streetcar routes.
On Sunday, a major rehabilitation project will get underway at the intersection of King Street E. and Church Street. The city will be tearing up the road and sidewalks to replace aging watermains, and the TTC will use that opportunity to do upgrades to streetcar tracks and other critical infrastructure.
The work is expected to last until early September. That means diversions for three streetcar routes: 504/304 King, 503/303 Kingston Road and 508 Lake Shore. Collectively, more than 100,000 people ride these routes daily.
"We absolutely understand that there is going to be inconvenience and that is frustrating, we get that," TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said Tuesday.
The transit agency estimates the closure of the intersection will add roughly five minutes to the average trip on those streetcar routes for riders heading into and out of the downtown core, though that figure could fluctuate depending on the time of day.
"As I say, it's that short-term pain for the longer-term gain that gives stability to both city infrastructure and TTC infrastructure," Green told CBC Radio's Metro Morning.
Streetcars on the three impacted routes will be diverting in both directions on Queen, Richmond and Adelaide streets via York and Church streets. The diversions are in place between Spadina Avenue in the west and Broadview Avenue in the east.
For the first six weeks or so of the project, the intersection of King and Church will remain open to vehicle traffic, so replacement buses will run along King from both the Distillery District and Broadview Station, all the way west to the Dufferin Gate Loop.
If this is all a bit confusing, you can learn more from the TTC about the project timeline and diversions here and here.
Green said the city will provide traffic wardens during the initial phases of the project to help avoid streetcar "bunching" (that's when a whole load of streetcars start stacking up at a particular stop) and keep traffic flowing as best as possible.
"This will particularly be an issue during the afternoon and morning rush hours when we have more vehicles on the road," he said.
"If things just aren't working, we will go in and we will readjust. We have the ability to be a bit flexible and we will keep an eye on things at the beginning."
Asked why the TTC doesn't spread out its infrastructure upgrades over a longer period of time to limit the duration of any single closure or diversion, Green said it's become clear that finishing the complex work in one go is preferable for everyone.
"It's inefficient. It infuriates people," he said of multiple closures. "So we're doing to do it all at one time. But it does mean that we have a significant disruption, but it's a shorter period of time that we're doing it."
A woman whose five-year-old daughter was taken by her father from Newfoundland to his home country of Egypt says she now has legal custody of her child — but finding her has been difficult.
Almost a month after a major winter storm hit Timmins, Ont., school buses are almost operating again at a normal schedule, but some people have been frustrated with how long the clean up is taking.
Senior members of the Nova Scotia Health leadership team have delivered a blunt warning to MLAs about the rate of spending, saying a new approach is needed for infrastructure projects.
The summer crowds may still be months away, but Justin Beattie is already busy cutting, stitching and tooling hides into durable, hand-crafted leather goods.
First-time mom Celia Johnston was looking forward to going back to work after taking full advantage of her maternity and parental leave.
As Winnipeg is blanketed under snow and an orange-level extreme cold warning, several outreach organizations say people experiencing homelessness are in a "life and death situation" while some shelters are operating over capacity.
Unions representing Saskatchewan health-care workers say their members are worried about violence and weapons in hospitals — and while metal detectors are a start, other measures are needed to address the issue.
It was standing room only at the Innisfail Legion Hall last week when farmers in central Alberta called for the federal government to halt its plans to change the animal traceability system.
Customers of a Lower Mainland foreign currency exchange have filed lawsuits and complaints claiming they are owed tens of thousands of dollars by the business that specializes in transfers between Canada and Iran.
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath has put forward a 2026 budget that includes a 4.25 per cent residential tax increase – about $228 for the average home assessed at $387,100.
Joseph Jacildo helped assemble vehicles inside a Brampton, Ont., plant for 28 years.
Ontario’s workplace safety board is defending an advertising campaign that critics say is designed to improve its reputation, with some saying the funds should be spent helping injured workers.
The University of Guelph says it’s investigating after a recent pub night saw students using racist, antisemitic, anti-Black and homophobic language as well as “the appearance of hate symbols.”