toronto construction

Major downtown street in Toronto a mess as year-long construction begins

Construction season is upon us, Toronto. And now you can add another  major downtown street to your list of streets to avoid. 

Roadwork on Richmond Street begins this week, and the road is already lined with orange pylons. 

Two car lanes and a bike lane are being combined in order to replace a 143-year-old water main.

“It’s going to be a bit of a traffic headache for people — I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Brad Ross, the City of Toronto’s chief communications officer, told Global News

“This is aging infrastructure and this is what the city needs to do. It needs to maintain, repair, replace its infrastructure.”

The project is part of the Council-approved 2019 Capital Works Program to renew the city's aging infrastructure, improve water distribution and reduce the risk of water main breaks, according to the City of Toronto.

Some are worried about the impact the construction will have on their commute. 

The city is also replacing the water main and the city-owned portion of substandard water services on Bloor Street West between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue, as well as rehabilitating four major bridges on the Don Valley Parkway, resulting in lane closures, ramp closures, and lots of traffic. 

 The westbound Gardiner Expressway ramp to Yonge, Bay and York streets is also closed for repairs until mid-September.

The construction on Richmond is set to end in the summer of 2020 but until then get ready for traffic, traffic and more traffic.

Lead photo by

Mira Miller


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