Toronto to keep priority routes clear ahead of major downtown road closure

The City of Toronto hopes to keep designated roads clear in an effort to reduce traffic congestion due to the construction of the Ontario Line.

As of May 1, no non-emergency utility work will take place on “Priority Travel Routes.” On-street parking will be restricted and CafeTO installations will be prohibited.

There is only one road designated as a Priority Travel Route so far: Dundas Street between Jarvis and Bathurst.

The restrictions will remain in place until the summer of 2024, officials say.

“More Priority Travel Routes will be identified as Ontario Line construction progresses,” officials said in a news release issued Thursday.

The route was designated in response to a major closure on a busy portion of Queen Street. Traffic between Bay and Yonge streets will be diverted for an estimated four-and-a-half years, provincial transit agency Metrolix has predicted.

This will impact all vehicular traffic, including public transportation.

“The TTC will continue to provide continuous east-west streetcar service on the 501 streetcar using an alternate route,” Metrolinx said.

“Streetcars will detour onto Dundas Street at McCaul Street in the west and Broadview Avenue in the east.”

The city is also looking at other ways to prepare for the construction of the Ontario Line, including modifying traffic signals to allow for flow of traffic, deploying pair police officers and traffic agents to direct vehicles, and work on a plan to “promote the safety of people travelling in the area.”

The traffic agents will be deployed at key intersections during morning and afternoon peak traffic periods.

The 15-stop Ontario Line is expected to be completed by 2031, and will run from Exhibition Place through the downtown core to the Ontario Science Centre.