Queen Street stretch is officially closed for nearly 5 years. Here’s what you need to know

A section of Queen Street is closing for construction of the Ontario Line subway on Monday for nearly five years.

The major transit corridor will be closed between Bay and Victoria streets

Drivers will be diverted from Bay to Yonge streets, near the south-end of the Toronto Eaton Centre, and from Yonge to Victoria streets, just west of St. Michael’s Hospital.

Sidewalks will remain open for pedestrians on Queen Street, Metrolinx said.

The transit agency announced the major closure, expected to be four-and-a-half years, on April 11.

The City of Toronto’s director of traffic management Roger Browne joined NEWTALK1010 to discuss what is being done to keep the downtown core moving.

Here’s what you need to know.

STREETCAR ACCESS

The 501 Queen streetcar will detour onto Dundas Street at McCaul Street in the west and Broadview Avenue in the east.

“Certainly one of our biggest concerns is the Queen streetcar, in terms of the alternative route that's going to be taking up along Dundas temporarily,” Browne said.

“It's critical to make sure that transit gets through.”

A modified 501 route along Adelaide and Richmond streets is underway, but won’t be completed for another 10 months.

In the meantime, shuttle buses will run in the area until at least March of next year.

DRIVER ACCESS

The “frontline of defence” when it comes to regulating the flow of traffic is smart signals, artificial intelligence that times signals on parallel routes to help keep traffic moving around the closures, Browne said.

Construction, including utility work in the area, will be paused on parallel streets – specifically, on Dundas Street – in an effort to keep those parallel routes clear.

In addition, “boots on the ground” traffic agents will be deployed at critical intersections, Browne added.

The Ontario Line will run from Exhibition Place to the Ontario Science Centre. It is scheduled to be completed by 2031.