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Toronto flooding is turning rush hour commutes into total havoc

Becky Robertson
Becky Robertson
|
Jul 16 2024, 10:03 pm
Toronto flooding is turning rush hour commutes into total havoc
@jameserwilk/X

Getting around the Toronto area during the evening rush hour is far worse than ever on Tuesday after downpours resulted in heavy flooding and huge power outages across swaths of Southern Ontario.

Things started to really get out of hand around noon when roads were inundated with multiple feet of stormwater as rain continued to pelt down. Major streets in the downtown core, such as Lake Shore Boulevard and King Street West, rapidly became flooded and untraversable, while the Don Valley Parkway was fully shut down in both directions.

Shocking footage all over socials shows motorists trying to navigate the city while almost fully submerged in water in many areas, with many vehicles stalled and abandoned.

And though the rain let up a few hours ago, road closures and transit disruptions — due to both the flooding and consequent power outages — are very much still in effect.

The city’s main entrance and exit point, the DVP, remains shuttered both north and southbound around the Bayview/Bloor exit, while segments of other local highways are likewise closed down: Highway 410 southbound around Highway 401 and the Highway 401 onramp at Mavis Road in particular.

Parts of major roads like Lake Shore (between Strachan and New Brunswick Way), Convair Drive, Bayview Ave. and others are still blocked with water. In some cases, closures are expected to last an entire 24 hours.

As drivers struggle, commuters are also out of luck, as hubs like Union Station and multiple TTC stops have been drowned out.

Union has been underwater and operating without power as of early this afternoon, while TTC subway trains are skipping multiple stations, some of which have their entrances barred to the public as well.

Multiple streetcar and bus routes are detouring — the 505 Dundas, 504 King, 130 Middlefield and 28 Bayview among them at the time of publication — while there have been power failures on both lines.

As of 4:30 pm ET, service had mostly resumed on Line 1, where service between St. George and King had been halted for power outages for around two hours and trains were skipping St. Patrick and Lawrence due to flooding. On Line 2, meanwhile, there is still no service between Islington and Jane stations.

Elevators are also out of commission at multiple stops, and Union is still being skipped as it currently looks more like a pond than a transit station.

Go Transit is listing more than 99 service updates, including the fact that Lakeshore West trains are not stopping at Exhibition or Long Branch stations and are also operating on an amended schedule.

“Due to the weather, delays, modifications and cancellations may be possible to train service on your corridor,” the agency wrote regarding numerous lines this afternoon, along with adjusted departure and arrival times, including a number of cancellations.

Those hoping to take an Uber or Lyft to get to where they need to go are being met with surge pricing and a shortage of available drivers, which is extending to food delivery services as well, with some restaurants simply unavailable.

Many are citing $100+ trips for very short distances through the app.

Clearly, EnviroCan’s severe weather alert that predicted up to 40 mm of precipitation an hour and 125 mm in total did not disappoint today — though many are disappointed with the city’s infrastructure and its inability to handle the deluge.

Becky RobertsonBecky Robertson
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