Toronto Lower Don Lands Redevelopment | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

Traffic Update

Lake Shore Boulevard East Closed between Don Roadway and Parliament Street, weekend of July 8-9*
Starting Saturday, July 8, at 3:00 a.m., until 4:00 a.m. on Monday, July 10, Lake Shore Boulevard East will be closed between Don Roadway and Parliament Street. This closure is necessary to facilitate installation of girders for the new Lake Shore Bridge over the Don River.
*Dates are subject to change
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What to expect:
  • A detour route will be in place along Parliament Street, Eastern Avenue, and Carlaw Avenue.
  • Lake Shore Boulevard westbound will be reduced to a single lane approaching Don Roadway and the ramp to the Don Valley Parkway (DVP). Access to the DVP will be maintained.
  • All traffic on Lake Shore Boulevard westbound past Booth Avenue will be routed onto the Don Valley Parkway northbound.
  • Southbound traffic coming off the Don Valley Parkway will only be able to go eastbound on Lake Shore Boulevard.
  • Lake Shore Boulevard will be limited to local traffic only between Parliament Street and Cherry Street, providing access to the Port Lands via Cherry Street south of Lake Shore Boulevard.
The Bigger Picture
Rebuilding the Lake Shore Bridge is part of both the Port Lands Flood Protection Project and the Gardiner East Project. Lengthening the bridge is a critical element of our design for flood protection. Widening the bridge is necessary to accommodate the expected increase in traffic resulting from the removal of the overhead Gardiner ramps. The wider bridge will also make space for new cycling and pedestrian paths and more landscaping, including a linear park.
Other Traffic Impacts
Enbridge is relocating a gas main along Lake Shore Boulevard. This work involves lane closures on Lake Shore Boulevard and restrictions to access to the Don Valley Parkway.
  • June 19-21: Lake Shore Boulevard restricted to one lane at Don Roadway
  • June 22: Lake Shore Boulevard restricted to one lane at Don Roadway, no access from Don Valley Parkway southbound to Lake Shore Boulevard Eastbound
  • June 23-25: Lake Shore Boulevard restricted to one lane at Don Roadway, no access to northbound Don Valley Parkway
  • June 26-29: Southbound Don Valley Parkway reduced to a single lane, Lake Shore Blvd restricted to one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes from 5:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and one westbound lane and two eastbound lanes, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
For more information, contact: Nora.Alganabi-Sobon@enbridge.com or Lesley.Hunter@enbridge.com
FAQ: When are you going to flood the new river?
The new river will be flooded very slowly and in stages, starting early next year. Watch this video for how:
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Construction Update

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Above: Installing the sidewalk along the new alignment of Cherry Street. This section of Cherry Street is scheduled to open in the fall.
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Above: Paving on Commissioners Street. The rebuilt section of Commissioners Street, between Saulter Street and Cherry Street, is scheduled to reopen in the fall.
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Above: The new piers for the Lake Shore Bridge are now complete.
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Above: These large white blocks are geofoam in future River Park North. This lightweight material is placed in the ground above infrastructure like pipes to avoid putting too much weight on them. Then the geofoam is covered with soil.
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Above: The tree trunks covered in orange tarp have been installed as habitat for chimney swifts in the Don Greenway. The tarp is there because we aren’t quite ready for them to move in yet.
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Above: This wetland was planted last year and is growing well in its second year!
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Looking for more frequent construction updates? Follow Rocky @TheRockRipper on twitter or Instagram!
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Questions?​

To learn more about this project, please visit the Port Lands Flood Protection project website.

To send us questions or concerns about construction, use this online inquiry form.

You can also email us at plfp@ellisdon.com.
 
Love that video on the river flooding. I _was_ expecting a massive rush of water - an event to watch for! - but what they say makes sense!
 
Yeah based on the video, it sounds like it will start early next year? They are going to slowly pump water across over weeks (3?) before they remove the plug.
 
Is there a timeline for the flooding? Do they have a set date or we gonna have watch and wait?
It will take 3 weeks or more to totally flood it. They will slowly pump water in until it fills and then remove the barriers/plugs.
 
Personally I'm more in favour of the option 1, with the higher density focused along the Keating Channel.

I have to ask, given the crisis of housing availability, the anticipated strong transit access and proximity to downtown, and the ample greenspace amenities, could we not look at all three? Por que nos los tres?
 
Also, to add regarding the question of making Centre St car-free. The staffer refers to creating a woonerf. This kind of triggers me as I feel like North Americans do not understand what a woonerf is. A woonerf is a very small scale (eg low-rise) neighbourhood access street, without through traffic, that is highly traffic calmed where the roadway is shared with pedestrians and cyclists. What they are probably thinking of is a pedestrian mall or fietsstraat, the latter of which is a cycling street where cars are allowed but are traffic calmed (usually with textured paving surface, etc.). Through traffic is discouraged but it is more applicable to higher density contexts. It is laughable how Toronto describes 10m wide ROWs paved with bricks as woonerfs.
 
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