Mayor Tory announces the start of Toronto's busiest construction season ever

Get ready, Toronto. With the warmer weather comes the city’s annual construction season, and this time, it’s busier than ever before.

According to the City of Toronto, this year’s $1 billion construction season will cover work planned for roads, bridges, expressways, sewers, and water mains.

This is the largest investment into a City of Toronto construction season yet.

Mayor Tory was joined by Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 6 York Centre), Chair of the Infrastructure & Environment Committee to announce the kick-off of the 2019 construction season on Monday morning.

“Toronto’s infrastructure is used every day by millions of residents, businesses and visitors,” said Tory. “These large investments made by the city guarantee that we keep adapting to the growth Toronto is experiencing and we keep improving our transportation and water infrastructure.”

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So what is being done this year?

Approximately $590 million will be spent on rehabilitating and improving transportation infrastructure including:
• $100 million on major roads;
• $70 million local roads;
• $200 million on expressways including the F.G. Gardiner Strategic Rehabilitation;
• $60 million on sidewalks and cycling infrastructure;
• $45 million on Vision Zero infrastructure and the Road Safety Plan; and
• $115 million on bridges, culverts and other transportation infrastructure in the municipal right-of-way.

As well, approximately $480 million will be invested in water infrastructure including:
• $200 million on water mains and water services;
• $75 million on sewers;
• $75 million on basement flooding protection; and
• $130 million on stormwater management projects including the Don River and Central Waterfront.

Some of the major projects planned for this year include:
• Kipling Avenue, Bloor Street West and Dundas Street West, Six Points Interchange Reconfiguration;
• Four bridges over the Don Valley Parkway, rehabilitation of Don Mills Road, Spanbridge Road, Wynford Drive and Lawrence Avenue bridges;
• Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation from Jarvis Street to Cherry Street, first phase;
• Bloor Street West from Bathurst Street to Spadina Avenue, water main replacement, streetscaping, bike lane construction and road resurfacing;
• Richmond Street from York Street to Bathurst Street, water main replacement;
• Jarvis Street from Dundas Street to Queen Street, road resurfacing (resuming from 2018);
• Don and Central Waterfront, first phase, Coxwell Bypass Tunnel boring;
• Queen Street East and Eastern Avenue, TTC track replacement;
• Birchmount Road from Eglinton Avenue East to Lawrence Avenue East, road resurfacing;
• Midland Avenue from Danforth Avenue to Lawrence Avenue East, road reconstruction;
• Old Weston Road from St. Clair Avenue West to Rowntree Avenue, road resurfacing;
• Royal York from Dixon Road to Summitcrest Drive, road resurfacing;
• York Mills Road from Leslie Street to Don Mills Road, road resurfacing;
• Willowdale Avenue from Empress Avenue to Finch Avenue, road resurfacing and bike lane installation; and
• Bayview Avenue over the west Don River, bridge repairs.

Mayor John Tory kicks off Toronto’s billion-dollar construction season. Details in #CityofTO news release: https://t.co/i1XYLaLzW6 pic.twitter.com/eksLSSjx8k

— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) May 13, 2019

In total, the city says there will be construction taking place across the city on more than 600 roads.

To help accelerate projects and to minimize traffic congestion during the construction season, the City will extend work hours for key projects, bundle projects and implement signal-timing changes on parallel routes and enhanced signage at work locations, according to a release. Of all the construction, 63 projects will operate on extended, overnight or 24/7 work hours.

The public is being advised to plan their travel in advance, consider alternate routes, obey signage around work zones, and be patient while travelling in and around work zones throughout the city.