Overnight lane closures on Gardiner begin Monday

The City of Toronto will be closing some lanes on the Gardiner tonight for maintenance work.

One westbound lane will be shut down this evening, as well as on November 14th, 27th, and 28th, from 11:00pm until 5:00am.

One Eastbound lane will be closed from 11:00pm until 5:00am on November 15th, 21st, 24th, and 30th.

In the past, the City has closed the Gardiner two weekends a year for routine maintenance. However, drivers have complained about how difficult this makes trips into the city, especially if there's a major event happening.

Mayor John Tory said that data shows the Gardiner is much less frequently traveled overnight than on weekends, so the city hopes this new approach will minimize disruptions.

Gardiner to close this weekend for Spring maintenance

The Gardiner Expressway is set to shut down this weekend for its annual Spring checkup.

The highway will be CLOSED in both directions from Carlaw to the 427 starting Friday, May 13th at 11:00pm. It is not expected to reopen until Monday at 5:00am, just in time for the morning commute.

With the Toronto FC in town and a potential Raptors game planned for this weekend, this will mean significant delays for those heading downtown.

Drivers can expect Lake Shore to fill up quickly. With other alternate routes slow at the best of times, transit will definitely be the better option.

Crews shut down the Gardiner twice annually to perform routine maintenance without having to worry about traffic safety. However, the city has faced criticism in the past for failing to coordinate highway closures with major events.

Gardiner and DVP to close Spring Maintenance

Spring is in the air, which means the Don Valley Parkway is set to close this weekend for its annual maintenance.

Starting Friday at 11pm, the highway will be shut down between the Gardiner and 401. It is scheduled to reopen on April 18th at 5am, just in time for the morning commute.

The closure gives the city a chance to fix potholes and clean out catch basins without having to work in close quarters with the city's notorious traffic.

Of course this will mean big headaches for drivers looking to head downtown. Though fortunately there are no major events happening that weekend.

If you need to to take the DVP, your best bets are Bayview and Don Mills, though expect those to be much heavier than normal

When the Gardiner will be closed this spring, and other delights

Spring is only a month away, and we here in Toronto are getting ready to transition into everyone's favourite season. Construction season.

The City of Toronto has published their list of when the Gardiner and DVP will be closed this spring, both for maintenance and some major events.

"Providing the dates for these expressway closures in advance will help people make their travel plans," said Councillor Jaye Robinson, chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.

Weekend Road closures are as follows:

 • The Don Valley Parkway from the Gardiner Expressway to Highway 401 will be closed for spring maintenance activities from Friday, April 15 at 11 p.m. to Monday, April 18 at 5 a.m. A rain date of April 29 to May 1 has been set, in which case the DVP will re-open early to improve traffic conditions during the Goodlife Marathon, scheduled for May 1.

• The Gardiner Expressway between Carlaw Avenue and Highway 427 will be closed from Friday, May 13 at 11 p.m. to Monday, May 16 at 5 a.m. for spring maintenance activities. (Rain date: May 20 to 23, opening for Victoria Day on May 23.)

• The Gardiner Expressway will be closed from Carlaw Avenue to the Humber Bridge and the Don Valley Parkway will be closed from Highway 401 to the Gardiner Expressway on Sunday, June 5 from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. to accommodate the Ride for Heart event that day.

• The eastbound lanes of the Gardiner Expressway from the Humber Bridge to Carlaw Avenue and the northbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway from the Gardiner Expressway to Eglinton Avenue, including all ramps, will be closed on Sunday, July 10 from 2 a.m. to noon during the Toronto Triathlon Festival

Don Valley Parkway to close this weekend for Fall maintenance

If you're heading downtown this weekend, you'll need to find an alternate route if you usually take the Don Valley Parkway.

Crews will be shutting down the DVP from the Gardiner up to the 401 starting at 8:00pm on Saturday, September 26th. It will reopen on Monday, September 28th at 5:00am, just in time for the morning rush.

While the closure is a pain for local drivers, it allows the city to catch up on badly needed repairs ahead of the winter. Crews will be out patching up pot holes, replacing lights, inspecting bridges, and cleaning out catch basins.

If you're looking for an alternate route, Bayview and Don Mills will likely be your best bets, but expect them to be a lot busier than usual.

Photo by Alaney2k via Wikipedia. Used under Creative Commons 2.0 license. 

Weekend Road Closures for June 20-21

Another busy weekend in Toronto with plenty of festivals going on. That means road closures. Here's all you need to know.

Taste of Little Italy 
College Street from Bathurst Street to Shaw Street will be closed in both directions from Friday, June 19 at 6:30 p.m. to Monday, June 22 at 2 a.m.

Church Street Summer Festival 
Church Street from Wood Street to Gloucester Street will be closed from Friday, June 19 at 6 p.m. to Monday, June 22 at 2 a.m. Wellesley Street will be open to traffic.

North by Northeast Music Festival 
Yonge Street from Dundas Street to Queen Street will be closed each night from 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 19, Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21.

Fairbank Village BIA Multicultural Celebration 
Eglinton Avenue from Dufferin Street to Ronald Avenue will be closed from Saturday, June 20 at 2 a.m. to Monday, June 22 at 5 a.m. A number of smaller streets in this area will also be partially closed to accommodate this event.

Port Union Village Waterfront Festival 
Port Union Road (south of Lawrence Avenue) will be closed in both directions from south of Shoalhaven Drive to Bridgend Street on Saturday, June 20 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bridgend Street will be closed in both directions from Port Union Road to the east part of Vessel Crescent.

Toronto Triathlon Festival 
• The eastbound lanes of the Gardiner Expressway from the Humber River to Carlaw Avenue will be closed on Sunday, June 21 from 2 a.m. to noon. All westbound lanes of the Gardiner Expressway will remain open.
• The northbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway from the Gardiner Expressway to Eglinton Avenue will be closed on Sunday, June 21 from 2 a.m. to noon. All southbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway will remain open.
• One eastbound lane of Lake Shore Boulevard from Windermere Avenue to Strachan Avenue/Remembrance Drive will be closed on Sunday, June 21 from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Journey to Conquer Cancer Run/Walk 5K 
A series of road closures will take place for this event on Sunday, June 21 from 8 a.m. to noon in the area bounded by McCaul Street to the west, Bloor Street to the north, Bay Street to the east and Gerrard Street to the south.

Muchmusic Video Awards 
There will be a series of road closures in the area bounded by Richmond Street in the south, Queen Street in the north, Simcoe Street in the east and Peter Street in the west from Sunday, June 21 at 4 p.m. to Monday, June 22 at 3 a.m.

Sound of Music Festival

Brant Street closed from Caroline to Lakeshore 

Saturday, June 20, 2015 - 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Sunday, June 21, 2015 - 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

John Street from Pine Street to Lakeshore Road

Saturday, June 20, 2015 - 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Highway 400 Bridge Demolition

The 400 will be closed in both directions between Hwy 88 and Hwy 89 from 11pm Saturday to 8am Sunday for bridge demolition. Use Hwy 27 as an alternate route. 

Dufferin named Toronto's worst road... again

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) has published their list of the worst roads in Ontario, and once again Dufferin was named the worst in the GTA and third worst province wide.

This is the third year in a row the street has earned the dubious distinction. Toronto drivers and cyclists are more than familiar with its patchwork of potholes and half-hearted repairs.

Bayview was ranked tenth in the province, the only other road in the GTA to appear on the list.

Taking the top two spots were Algonquin Boulevards East and West in Timmins. It holds onto its title as grand champion for several years running. Due to the regions harsh winters, Algonquin is more moonscape than road

The CAA publishes their list annually and allows the general public to vote on which roads they feel are in most need of repairs.

“It is clear from the responses across the province that better infrastructure is something that matters to motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and transit riders,” said CAA Government Relations Specialist Caroline Grech.

Ontario's Top 10 Worst Roads of 2015:
1. Algonquin Blvd W - Timmins
2. Algonquin Blvd E - Timmins
3. Dufferin Street - Toronto
4. Highway 144 - Sudbury
5. Carling Ave. - Ottawa
6. Radical Road - Port Dover
7. Burlington St. - Hamilton
8. Riverside Drive - Timmins
9. Dominion Road - Fort Erie
10.  Bayview Ave. - Toronto


Photo by ForestWander via Wikipedia, used under CC Attribution-Share Alike license

DVP, Gardiner shutting down for their annual Spring maintenance

It's that time of year again. Over the next two weekends, both the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway will be shutting down for their annual spring maintenance.

The DVP will be closed from the Gardiner right up to the 401 starting Friday, April 24th at 8pm, and will reopen on Sunday, April 26th at 6am.

The following weekend, the Gardiner will close from Carlaw to the 427 May 1st at 8pm to May 3rd at 6am.

The closures give the city the opportunity to fix damaged pavement, replace lights, inspect bridged, and clean out catch basis to ensure the highways operate smoothly for the rest of the season.

Of course it will mean big headaches for drivers, who will be left scrambling to find alternate routes.

If you're needing to take the DVP, your best bets are Bayview and Don Mills, though expect those to be much heavier than normal. Gardiner drivers can take Lake Shore Blvd.

Photo by Floydian via Wikipedia

Intersection of College and Spadina closed for construction

It's construction season once again in Toronto. That means major headaches for commuters as the city looks to shut down a major downtown intersection until the end of April.

College and Spadina will be closed from April 6th to the 27th while TTC crews replace streetcar tracks. Traffic will be diverted onto surrounding streets.

TTC routes will also be on detour during the work.

The 506/306 Streetcars will travel along Dundas via Ossington and Bay, while the 510 bus will loop around through St George, Harbord and Bathurst.

Sidewalks and access to local businesses will remain open during construction. Cyclists are being asked to dismount through the area, or to use alternate routes.