Toronto traffic: Road closures in effect this weekend

Vehicles makes there way into and out of downtown Toronto along the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto on Thursday, November 24, 2016. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Drivers in Toronto will want to plan their route ahead of time as the city has announced a number of road closures for this weekend and beyond.

Caribbean Carnival Grand Parade

The main event of the Caribbean Carnival, formerly known as Caribana, will take place this Saturday.

The Grand Parade starts Saturday and will see a number of road closures in and around the near the Canadian National Exhibition grounds.

Closures will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday and stay in place until Sunday at 6 a.m.

The closures include:

• Lake Shore Boulevard West between Bathurst Street and Colborne Lodge Drive
• Strachan Avenue between Fleet Street and Lake Shore Boulevard West
• Jameson Avenue between Springhurst Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard West
• Dunn Avenue between Springhurst Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard West
• Dufferin Street between Springhurst Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard West
• Gardiner Expressway westbound and eastbound exit #149 Dunn Avenue/Jameson Avenue

King Street West

The westbound lanes on King Street West are closed between Dufferin and Shaw streets and the eastbound lanes between Jefferson Avenue and Sudbury Street are closed for ongoing TTC track work.

Bloor Street West

Road closures are in effect on Bloor Street for emergency watermain work until Aug. 9.

Details of that closure include:

• Westbound vehicle lanes and the westbound cycle track will be closed between Huron Street and Bedford Road. Eastbound vehicle lanes and the eastbound cycle track will remain open.
• Northbound lanes on St. George Street will be closed between Sussex Avenue and St. George Station.

Rehabilitation of Eastern/Adelaide Bridges

Four of the city’s bridges, including the Eastern Avenue Bridge , Don Valley Parkway Off Ramp over Don River, Richmond Street East Bridge over King Street East, and Adelaide Street Bridge over King Street East are being rehabilitated.

The city said the work will be carried in multiple stages and vehicle lane restrictions will be in place until early 2027.

The closures are:

• One eastbound lane on Eastern Avenue will be closed between Sumach Street and Broadview Avenue starting August 6 to the end of August.
• One eastbound lane on Eastern Avenue and one eastbound lane on Adelaide Street will be closed between Sumach Street and Bayview Avenue from the end of August to December 2024.

Gardiner Expressway

Work continues on the Gardiner Expressway between Dufferin and Strachan which has seen traffic limited to two lanes in each direction since April.

The city provided an update on the construction Thursday and said that the demolition of the expressway’s girders had taken place and a deck finishing machine has been set up to use next week.

“Next week, deck concrete pours will take place, and the machine will smooth the surface, achieving the desired slope and finish,” the city said.

The project was initially slated to last until 2027. However, earlier this month the Ontario government said it had earmarked $73 million or the city to order to speed up rehabilitation work by one year.

An image released by the City of Toronto on Aug. 1, 2024 shows the construction progress on the Gardiner Expressway. (City of Toronto)