From 11 p.m. Friday, August 6 until 5 a.m. Monday, August 9 the City of Toronto is closing

• the Don Valley Parkway between Highway 401 and the Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway

to conduct its annual maintenance. To make sure that workers completing the various maintenance tasks are safe, the City shuts down the entire roadway in both directions.

According to a City news release, a full closure of the DVP for one weekend each year is an important and safe way that City road crews, engineers and other stakeholders, such as Toronto Hydro, can make improvements and keep the expressway in the best state of good repair. The release continues, “City staff estimate that it would take approximately 30 to 40 separate daily lane closures to complete the same amount of highly co-ordinated work that will be performed in just 54 hours over a single weekend.”

The City says that, to support travel and manage congestion during the weekend, it has detailed traffic plans. Staff will actively monitor nearby routes and re-time nearly 300 traffic signals around the closure, the Rogers Centre, BMO Field and the ActiveTO vehicle closure on Lake Shore Boulevard East between Leslie Street and Woodbine Avenue.

Closing the Parkway affects bus service along these GO Transit bus routes:

• 61 Richmond Hill / Toronto (Friday evening only);
• 65 East Gwillimbury / Newmarket / Toronto;
• 68 Barrie / Toronto;
• 71 Stouffville / Toronto; and
• 90 Lakeshore East.

Expect detours and major delays in service. GO advises passengers that buses may operate as long as 20 minutes behind schedule. GO is also replacing trains with buses along the Barrie line this weekend.

(GO has not confirmed how, even whether, it’s detouring its buses during this closure. On previous occasions that the City has closed the Parkway, buses have started and ended their trips in York Mills or Finch GO bus terminals, allowing passengers to transfer to the TTC’s Line 1 Yonge - University subway to travel to and from downtown Toronto. Regardless, GO Transit control will advise drivers how to detour the buses, depending on traffic conditions, and GO will update passengers appropriately.)