The City of Toronto is reminding commuters to stay away from Allen Road this weekend as it will be closed in both directions.

The full closure of Allen Road, between Sheppard Avenue and Eglinton Avenue, will begin at 11 p.m. on Friday and will last until 5 a.m. Monday.

A section of the Allen, from Lawrence Avenue to Eglinton Avenue, will close earlier on Friday night, taking effect at 9 p.m.

The road closures are in effect to accommodate the movement of Metrolinx’s tunnel-boring machines and spring maintenance.

An overnight viewing party has been planned to celebrate the emergence of the two giant machines, named Dennis and Lea. They have been underground for approximately two years, helping to complete the Eglinton-Crosstown project.

The party is expected to get underway at 1 a.m., when guests will gather at Vesta Diner, a 24-hour eatery located in the area of Bathurst and Dupont Streets.

The party will then move to the intersection of Eglinton Avenue and Allen Road where the machines will be hoisted from 30 metres below ground and placed on giant dollies to be slowly moved down the street, where they will be lowered again.

Metrolinx is expected to set up bleachers at 9 p.m. for the crowd of spectators.

"The interest from the local community, people who call themselves 'transit geeks' is extraordinary," Metrolinx spokesperson Jamie Robinson told CTV Toronto on Friday.

The Allen maintenance work will also include paving sections of the roadway, in-depth bridge inspection and overall road repairs including potholes, sign maintenance, streetlight inspection and cleaning of catch basins.

The City of Toronto advises motorists to use Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street as alternative routes during the closure.

Partial closure of Lake Shore Blvd. and Carlaw Avenue intersection

Due to urgent rail repairs, the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard and Carlaw Avenue will be partially closed from today – Friday, April 17 at 8 p.m. to Monday, April 20 at 5 a.m.

The westbound lane of Lake Shore Boulevard will be closed at Carlaw Avenue and motorists will be detoured north to Eastern Avenue or Queen Street East. Westbound traffic can access Lake Shore Boulevard west of Morse Street.

A minimum of one lane of eastbound traffic on Lake Shore Boulevard will be available to motorists at all times.

Southbound traffic on Carlaw Avenue will be diverted at Queen Street East. Northbound traffic on Carlaw Avenue will be permitted to turn right and travel eastbound on Lake Shore Boulevard.

Access to Commissioners Street will be temporarily available via Leslie Street.

Yonge Street closure on Sunday

The Toronto Yonge Street 10K Run is also taking place this weekend, with several road closures planned Sunday.

As a result of the annual event, the following roads will be closed between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

  • Yonge Street, from Broadway Avenue to King Street
  • Richmond Street West, from Yonge Street to Peter Street
  • Peter Street/Blue Jays Way, from Richmond Street West to Front Street West
  • Front Street West, from Blue Jays Way to Bathurst Street
  • Bathurst Street, from King Street West to Lake Shore Boulevard
  • Fort York Boulevard, from Bathurst Street to Lakeshore Boulevard
  • Fleet Street, from Strachan Avenue to Fort York Boulevard

TTC service will also be disrupted due to the event. The Yonge Street 97-320 buses will be diverted using streets to the east and west.

Adding to the traffic trouble, next weekend the Don Valley Parkway will be fully closed for spring maintenance from April 24 to 26. The following weekend, May 1 to 3, the Gardiner Expressway will be closed for maintenance.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Zuraidah Alman