Starting today, streetcar track replacement and other infrastructure projects will shut down a busy intersection in the city’s east end until early November.
The intersection of Queen Street East, Eastern Avenue, and Kingston Road will be closed as the TTC completes state-of-good-repair construction to streetcar and other transportation infrastructure.
The following traffic restrictions and changes will be in effect:
- Queen Street East will be closed to through traffic between Coxwell Avenue and Woodbine Avenue. (There will be local access on Queen Street East from Coxwell Avenue to just west of Orchard Park Boulevard and from Lark Street to Woodbine Avenue.)
- Kingston Road will be closed at Woodbine Avenue to through traffic; local access will be available from Lark Street to Woodbine Avenue.
- Eastern Avenue will be closed at Coxwell Avenue to through traffic; local access will be available from Coxwell Avenue to Queen Street East.
Lane restrictions will also be in this area before and after the full intersection closure:
- From early-to-mid November, Queen Street East and Kingston Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction.
- From mid-November to the end of December, there will be additional overnight lane restrictions on Queen Street East and on Kingston Road as crews continue to install the new overhead streetcar infrastructure.
Selected TTC routes, including the 22 and 322 Coxwell and 143 Downtown/Beach Express bus routes and the 501/301 Queen, 502 Downtowner and 503 Kingston Rd streetcar routes, will be impacted by the closure.
The intersection of Queen Street East, Eastern Avenue, and Kingston Road will be closed due to streetcar infrastructure repairs. (Carol Charles/CTV News Toronto)
The city is also advising drivers to avoid taking Gerrard Street East or Coxwell Avenue as alternative routes due to bridge rehabilitation and pedestrian path resurfacing work between Fairford Avenue and Gerrard Street East and Hanson Street.
The work will mostly take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week to make sure the work can be completed as quickly as possible.
“The most disruptive construction activities, such as breaking concrete, will occur at various times throughout the day but should end by 11 p.m.,” the city said in a news release.
Residents in the area said that the road closures are making their commute difficult.
“It’s very hard for people to go around,” one driver said.
Anita Sarda lives near Queen Street and Northern Dancer Boulevard and says the laneway to reach the parking lot to her home is now blocked off.
“I have no idea what we are going to do. There are a lot of cars back there too,” she said.
“We knew there would be signs and construction, but there were no provisions for local traffic. Don’t even know what we are going to do about our garbage. No idea how that works, how to get in and out, and where to put our cars, because in this area, there is very little parking."
Businesses will be open in the area during the construction and there will be pedestrian access to businesses.
