Traffic restrictions coming at intersection of Adelaide and York Streets – here’s why

TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2023 – The City of Toronto says it is advancing to the next phase of streetcar track installation on Adelaide Street between York and Victoria Streets, which will require traffic restrictions at the Adelaide and York Streets intersection to complete the work safely.

Beginning Monday, October 2 until the end of the month, crews will begin to install tracks and perform work on multiple underground utility vaults on the south side of the intersection. During construction, motorists and cyclists can expect the following impacts:

• York Street, from King Street West to Adelaide Street West, will be open to local traffic only
• No northbound traffic will be permitted on York Street, from King Street West to Adelaide Street West
• Northbound travel from Adelaide Street West onto York Street will remain open
• One shared eastbound lane for people cycling and driving will remain open on Adelaide Street West, from York Street to Victoria Street

Intersection fully closed to non-local traffic in November

Beginning Wednesday, November 1 until mid-December, the intersection of Adelaide and York Streets will be fully closed to traffic so that crews can safely install TTC tracks in the intersection. During the closure, the streets around the intersection will be open to local traffic only. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times throughout construction.

The City anticipates the TTC track installation between York and Victoria Streets will be completed by spring 2024. Lanes will re-open on Adelaide Street within this stretch, as crews complete sections of track.

The track installation is an extension of the major construction project on Adelaide Street, from Bathurst Street to Parliament Street, which began last year to upgrade critical water, road and cycling infrastructure. This work will also help reinstate streetcar tracks to provide the TTC with operational flexibility and improved service for streetcar customers. The project, in coordination with the TTC and Metrolinx, bundled several construction needs on Adelaide Street into one project, to complete the work as quickly as possible and minimize prolonged disruption.

Crews have completed the following upgrades on Adelaide Street West:

• Replaced a watermain that is more than 115 years old and the City-owned portion of substandard water services from York to Victoria Streets
• Renewed the roadway on Adelaide Street, from Spadina Avenue to York Street
• Reinstated streetcar tracks on Adelaide Street, from Charlotte to York Streets
• Upgraded pedestrian infrastructure at various locations along Adelaide Street, from Spadina Avenue to York Street, to improve safety
• Relocated the cycle track on Adelaide Street, from Bathurst Street to Parliament Street, to the north side of the street to improve safety and installed new bike signals

The new cycle track is open on Adelaide Street between Bathurst and York Streets and between Victoria and Parliament Streets. The cycle track is closed between York and Victoria Streets while TTC track installation is underway. Temporary pavement markings have been added on King Street West from Simcoe Street to George Street to alert people sharing the road, as more people cycling may choose to use King Street West as an alternative route while construction on Adelaide Street continues.

Local businesses in this area will remain open as usual and pedestrian access to businesses around the work zone will be maintained.

With so much construction taking place in the downtown core, drivers are advised to plan their travel in advance, expect delays, consider taking public transit, cycling or walking and obey signage around work zones for the safety of the work crews.

More information about this project, including work zone maps, is available on the City’s website.

SOURCE City of Toronto

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