Busy portion of Queen Street to close for several years

TORONTO, April 13, 2023 – Today, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park) announced steps the City of Toronto is to keep Toronto moving during critical transit construction with the needs of people and businesses who use Toronto’s roads. The City is launching Priority Travel Routes around Ontario Line construction zones and one of the first areas to be affected is the high traffic zone of Queen Street from Bay to Victoria which will be closed to all but pedestrians starting May 1 for an estimated four and a half years.

While Queen Street will be closed to all vehicles, it will be open for pedestrians. Safe, effective detours and wayfinding will ensure that people living in, working in or visiting the area will still be able to access all their favourite shops, restaurants and cafés during the closure,” says Metrolinx in their press release.

Additionally, although the permanent 501 streetcar detour will come later, the TTC will still provide continuous east-west streetcar service as of May 1. During construction of the new detour tracks, existing streetcars will detour onto Dundas Street at McCaul Street in the west and Broadview Avenue in the east.the permanent streetcar detour tracks will run along Adelaide and Richmond streets, connecting via York Street and Church Street.

Metrolinx says the permanent streetcar detour tracks will run along Adelaide and Richmond streets, connecting via York Street and Church Street.

To prepare for Metrolinx’s construction of an Ontario Line connection to the TTC’s Queen Station beginning this spring, the City is working closely with Metrolinx, contractors and the TTC to ensure that traffic congestion and construction impacts are reduced as much as possible by holistically reviewing capital construction plans, upcoming road restrictions and accessibility around all construction zones downtown.

Starting May 1, 2023, all vehicle traffic will be diverted off Queen Street from Bay Street to Yonge Street and from Yonge Street to Victoria Street for an estimated four and a half years – an important step forward in construction of Ontario Line’s future Queen Station.

“The City of Toronto, the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada are working together to build a multi-billion dollar transit expansion across Toronto. This construction is so important for the future of our city along with the other major infrastructure work underway,” said Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park). “We know we have a lot of construction ahead of us and we recognize the vital need for transit expansion while balancing the needs of the public and businesses to travel in and through the downtown core. The City is taking proactive steps to reduce the impact of all construction by mitigating traffic congestion as much as possible. Priority Travel Routes are just one of the ways we’re working to keep Toronto moving and I will be encouraging City staff to keep implementing common sense measures to help people during this unprecedented construction,” said Toronto’s Deputy Mayor.

The City will be launching more Priority Travel Routes around Ontario Line construction zones that will be kept clear of as many road restrictions as possible – including non-emergency utility work – to ensure that there are alternative and parallel routes for people to get around.

The City recognizes the vital need for the unprecedented transit expansion underway alongside the need to keep people – pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers – moving within Toronto. Once completed, the Ontario Line will make travel within Toronto faster and easier by providing a 15-station subway line running from Exhibition Place, through downtown, to the Ontario Science Centre. The new subway line will also offer significant crowding relief within Toronto’s existing transit network.

Busy portion of Queen Street to close for five years

Starting Monday, May 1 Ontario Line construction will fully close Queen Street from Victoria Street to Yonge Street and from Yonge Street to Bay Street. The closure of this stretch of Queen Street that is expected to last until summer 2024, will only have emergency work; on-street parking will be restricted and CaféTO Curb Lane cafes will not be installed to keep the roadway as clear of restrictions as possible.

“Closing this section of street to vehicle traffic will expedite construction for the project by roughly one year compared to an approach with multiple partial closures,” reads a press release from Metrolinx.

More Priority Travel Routes will be identified as Ontario Line construction progresses. To keep traffic moving along these routes, some existing permits and bylaws may be cancelled or amended. Where necessary, these may include not installing CaféTO curb lane cafés, changes to on-street parking and deferring requested road closures for events.

Other ways the City is preparing for Ontario Line construction include actively assessing all construction permit applications and related Traffic Management Plans to minimize the overall disruption caused by construction. Staff will work to ensure plans promote the safety of people travelling in the area; reduce noise and parking impacts as much as possible; modify traffic signals to allow for the efficient flow of traffic; deploy paid duty Police officers and Traffic Agents to regulate and direct traffic; maintain access to properties; and identify key site access points and haul routes for construction vehicles.

City of Toronto Traffic Agents will be deployed to key intersections during the morning and afternoon peak traffic periods to actively manage the movement of all road users, reduce delays and improve safety. Traffic Agents will be placed where they are needed most based on evolving traffic demands. More about the Traffic Agents Program is available on the City’s Traffic Agents webpage.

Construction Hubs continue to play an important role in logistical planning of the right-of-way. The Hubs review Construction Management Plans, connect travellers with real-time information, collaborate with enforcement officers and communicate impacts and changes to businesses and communities in the neighbourhood. More about Construction Hubs is available on the City’s Construction Hub webpage.

All these traffic management strategies are supported by the City’s MoveTO Congestion Management Action Plan, which is managing congestion and building a more resilient, modern and safe transportation system. The full interim MoveTO report.

For more details about the Metrolinx traffic and transit diversions please visit the Metrolinx site here.

Other articles from totimes.ca – otttimes.ca – mtltimes.ca