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Road closures and events will make getting around Toronto total chaos this weekend

Becky Robertson
Becky Robertson
|
Sep 22 2023, 2:51 pm
Road closures and events will make getting around Toronto total chaos this weekend
Fareen Karim

As we kick off a stunning, action-packed weekend in Toronto — the first one of autumn, no less — residents should keep in mind that trying to navigate around the city in the coming days is going to be absolutely brutal, thanks in large part to road closures caused by Nuit Blanche and a bevy of other large-scale events.

Regardless of your plans, if you’re heading out in the downtown core, give yourself some extra time to navigate all of the congestion, traffic delays and diversions on deck, and keep potential alternative routes in mind.

Road closures for major events

Nuit Blanche, the enormous all-night art exhibition that takes over the entire city from dusk until dawn once a year, is happening this Saturday, with more than one million people expected to turn out for the occasion.

Starting early on September 23, some key roads will be blocked off for various activations, with closures lasting until around noon on September 24:

  • Bay Street between Dundas Street W and Front Street
  • Queen Street W between York and Bay Streets
  • Armoury Street between Centre Avenue and Chestnut Street
  • Hagerman Street from Elizabeth Street to Bay Street
  • The corner of Yonge and Temperance Streets
  • Elizabeth Street from Foster Place to Hagerman Street
  • Select lanes on Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive

Expect swarms of pedestrians flooding the streets, gridlocked traffic, TTC diversions and very limited parking.

Also on Saturday is the RBC Race for the Kids in support of Youth Mental Health at Sunnybrook, which will also necessitate a few full and partial road closures from around 5:30 until 11:30 am on the 23rd.

Starting and ending at Mel Lastman Square, the run will go down Beecroft Road to North York Boulevard, east on North York to Yonge Street, down Yonge Street to Sheppard Avenue W, and then back up Yonge Street to Turnberry Court. Police are advising drivers to expect delays in the area.

Finally, the Just for Laughs Street Festival will see the closure of Front Street E between Yonge and Church streets, as well as Scott Street from Scott Lane to the Esplanade, from 6 am on Thursday, September 21 to 6 am on Monday, September 25. A portion of Wellington Street will be converted to accommodate two-way traffic to help ease headaches.

TTC service disruptions

The TTC’s 19 Bay, 72B Pape, 121 Esplanade–River, 202 Cherry and 501 Queen routes will be diverting during Nuit Blanche festivities, while subway service on Lines 1 and 2 will be extended all night, with trains every 15 minutes between 1:30 am and 8 am on Sunday, September 24.

Diversions due to other events this weekend will affect the 121 Esplanade, 36 Finch Avenue W, 42 Cummer, 53/953 Steeles Avenue E, 60/960 Steeles Avenue W, 97 Yonge, 125 Drewry, and 320 Yonge Night Bus routes.

The 93 Parkview Hills, 36 Finch West/336 Finch West Night Bus, and 165 Weston Road N are also diverting for Finch West LRT construction and Toronto Water work. And Ontario Line construction on the De Grassi Street Bridge will mean that 72A Pape, 501 Queen and 503 Kingston Road buses will be skipping a handful of stops.

Ongoing roadwork and construction

Infrastructure projects continue to restrict or block a number of roadways around the city, which will also slow things down:

  • The Dufferin Street Bridge is fully blocked off for emergency repairs
  • Queen Street W between Bay and Victoria Streets is closed while the new Ontario Line subway stop is built
  • Broadview Avenue between Gerrard Street E and Danforth Avenue is limited to one northbound lane with no southbound traffic due to TTC track replacement
  • The Broadview Avenue and Danforth Avenue intersection is reduced to one lane of eastbound traffic only, also for TTC track replacement
  • Multiple lanes of the Don Valley Parkway in both directions around Don Mills are being occupied for bridge rehabilitation, as are the Don Mills on- and off-ramps
  • One westbound lane of Lake Shore Boulevard W between Bay and York streets is occupied for concrete chipping
  • One westbound lane of Lake Shore Boulevard W between Rees and Spadina is blocked for shaft and tunnel work
  • Two westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard E. between Cherry and Carlaw are occupied for work on the Don River Bridge
  • Continued roadwork on Highway 401 means multiple lane closures in and around the city

You can check the list of hundreds of road closures and traffic hazards on the City of Toronto website, and stay up to date on TTC service issues and changes via the TTC Service Alerts X account.

Additionally, highway closures and other incidents that may also impact your plans can be found via Ontario 511.

Becky RobertsonBecky Robertson
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