Traffic returned to one of Toronto’s most hectic intersections Monday, two weeks after being shut down for streetcar track repairs.
The Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue intersection reopened to cars and pedestrians Monday morning following a major overhaul by the TTC.
Vehicle traffic was limited to one lane in each direction along Queen and Spadina Streets at the time of the reopening.
Streetcars along Queen West area also able to cross through the area again, while the Spadina line itself remains closed as infrastructure along the route continues to be improved.
The city shut the intersection July 9, while TTC crews worked to replace streetcar tracks, switches and overhead wires.
TTC CEO Andy Byford told CTV Toronto at the time that while the repairs may be a nuisance, they are necessary.
“We’ve got to keep the track in good condition,” Byford said. “It gets a bit of a bashing with all the streetcars going over and the impact of the weather, so periodically we have to renew the track beds. Keep it reliable and keep it safe.”
The track work is part of a major reconstruction project along the Spadina streetcar line ahead of the arrival of 204 new low-floor streetcars. The new streetcars are heavier than the current ones and will be rolled out in 2014.
The Spadina right-of-way line was closed on June 18 as the city and TTC upgrade shelters and passenger platforms and modernize the overhead power system.
Streetcars are not currently running along Spadina and have been replaced by buses, which were also running along side streets during the construction.
