Update — Thursday, January 6, 2022, 10:44 p.m.: Starting tonight, Thursday, January 6, construction between Fennings and Shaw Streets has ended and buses have resumed their regular route along Queen Street West. Buses continue to replace streetcars due to ongoing construction at the intersection of Queen Street West / King Street West / The Queensway / Roncesvalles Avenue.
Update — New Year’s Day, Saturday, January 1, 2022, 7:06 p.m.: Starting Sunday, January 2, the TTC is extending the long-term detour for streetcars along the 501 Queen route due to building construction on Charlotte Street. Cars continue to operate along King Streets East and West east of Parliament Street, but operate further westward to Bathurst Street.
Starting Monday, December 13, the City of Toronto is reopening
- the intersection of Queen Street West with Shaw Street,
as contractors complete phase 5A of a major project to upgrade infrastructure on Queen West between Fennings and Bay Streets.
Phase 7 (between Niagara and Shaw Streets) and phase 8 (between Shaw and Fennings) of the project, so the City continues to closes parts of Queen West between Niagara and Fennings.
^ Map of the work zones for phases 7 and 8. Image, City of Toronto
For these final phases of the project, contractors use smaller work zones, meaning the City is closing three shorter sections of Queen Street West and crews work in all three zones at the same time:
- between Niagara Street and Gore Vale Avenue (crews work westward);
- between Shaw Street and Strachan Avenue (crews work eastward); and
- between Shaw Street and Ossington Avenue / Lower Ossington Avenue (crews work westward).
Starting 5 a.m. Tuesday, December 14, the City also closes
- the intersection of Queen West with Ossington / Lower Ossington
to all traffic.
That day, the TTC revises its detour for buses along these routes:
^ Note that the map only shows the southbound detour for buses along route 63.
It also continues detouring buses along these routes during phases 7 and 8:
The City says it expects to continue working on the project until December 31. The TTC says that the detours continue as late as until January 2.
Earlier construction phases of the project:
- Phase 1 — between Bay and York Streets — started Monday, July 12;
- Phase 2 — between York and University Avenue — started Monday, August 9;
- Phase 2A — between west of University and Simcoe Street — started Monday, August 23;
- Phase 3 — between Simcoe and Duncan Streets — started Monday, September 27;
- Phase 4 — between Duncan and Spadina Avenue — started “the week of” Monday, October 11;
- Phase 5 — between Spadina and Bathurst — started Monday, November 1;
- Phase 5A — at the intersection with Shaw Street — started Monday, November 15; and
- Phase 6 — between Bathurst and Niagara Streets — started Thursday, November 18.
- Phase 7 — between Niagara and Shaw Streets — and phase 8 — between Shaw and Fennings Streets — started Wednesday, December 6.
During this part of the project, crews may work late evenings and overnight. They excavate during various times of the day, but break or mill concrete only from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. According to the TTC, “Concrete-breaking work is the most disruptive and will typically last the first 5 days of the… construction.”
Expect periods of 24-hour construction activity by TTC crews throughout the project, while they install the new rail. The TTC explains, “Around-the-clock work during rail installation is required to preserve the integrity and quality of new rail and concrete, and to support the progress of the daytime activity. Overnight rail work by TTC may consist of moving new rail into position, rail installation and rail welding / grinding.”
The City and the TTC are co-ordinating several construction projects to upgrade infrastructure, including:
- replacing the streetcar tracks between Fennings and Bay Streets;
- replacing the streetcar tracks at the intersection of Queen Street West with Shaw Street;
- replacing the water main and the City-owned portion of substandard water services between University Avenue and Bay Street; and
- improving the streetscape on Queen Street West between Spadina Avenue and McCaul Street, in partnership with the Queen Street West Business Improvement Area.
Since Monday, May 9, the TTC has detoured streetcars along this route to accommodate these and other projects on Queen Streets East and West:
- 501 Queen.
Buses have replaced the cars along the route at various sites west of Parliament Street since then.
Starting Thanksgiving, Monday, October 11, 2021, the TTC has operated buses, instead of streetcars, along the entire 301 Queen overnight route.
The TTC has been storing rail on Queen West near Trinity Bellwoods Park to supply phases 5 through 8 of the project since Monday, May 31.
The ongoing construction project at the intersection of Queen Street West / King Street West / The Queensway / Roncesvalles Avenue also continues to affect service along the routes.
63 Ossington
From 5 a.m. Tuesday, December 14 until 5 a.m. Sunday, January 2, southbound buses operate along their regular route to Ossington Avenue and Dundas Street West, then detour:
eastward along Dundas West;
southward along Bathurst Street; and then
westward along King Street West to Strachan Avenue,
resuming their regular route southward along Strachan.Southbound buses skip their regular stops
- on Ossington Avenue at Argyle Street and Queen Street West,
- on Queen Street West at Shaw Street and
- on Shaw Street across from Adelaide Street West.
Instead, southbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at temporary stops
- on Dundas Street West at Shaw Street, across from Grace Street and at Manning Avenue and Bathurst Street,
- on Bathurst Street at Carr Street and Queen and King Streets West and
- on King Street West at Tecumseth and Niagara Streets and Strachan Avenue.
Northbound buses operate along their regular route to King Street West and Shaw Street, then detour:
eastward along King West;
northward along Bathurst Street; and then
westward along Dundas Street West to Ossington Avenue,
resuming their regular route northward along Ossington.Northbound buses skip their regular stops
- on Shaw Street north of King Street West and at Adelaide and Queen Streets West,
- on Queen Street West at Ossington Avenue and
- on Ossington Avenue beyond Queen Street West and Argyle Avenue.
Instead, northbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at temporary stops
- on King Street West at Niagara and Tecumseth Streets,
- on Bathurst Street at Queen Street West and Carr Street and
- on Dundas Street West at Manning Avenue, Grace and Shaw Streets and Ossington Avenue.
363 Ossington overnight
From 5 a.m. Tuesday, December 14 until 5 a.m. Sunday, January 2, southbound buses operate along their regular route to Ossington Avenue and Dundas Street West, then detour:
eastward along Dundas West;
southward along Bathurst Street; and then
westward along King Street West to Strachan Avenue,
resuming their regular route southward along Strachan.Southbound buses skip their regular stops
- on Ossington Avenue at Argyle Street and Queen Street West,
- on Queen Street West at Shaw Street and
- on Shaw Street across from Adelaide Street West.
Instead, southbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at temporary stops
- on Dundas Street West at Shaw Street, across from Grace Street and at Manning Avenue and Bathurst Street,
- on Bathurst Street at Carr Street and Queen and King Streets West and
- on King Street West at Tecumseth and Niagara Streets and Strachan Avenue.
Northbound buses reverse the southbound detour routing.
Northbound buses skip their regular stops
- on Shaw Street north of King Street West and at Adelaide and Queen Streets West,
- on Queen Street West at Ossington Avenue and
- on Ossington Avenue beyond Queen Street West and Argyle Avenue.
Instead, northbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at temporary stops
- on King Street West at Niagara and Tecumseth Streets,
- on Bathurst Street at Queen Street West and Carr Street and
- on Dundas Street West at Manning Avenue, Grace and Shaw Streets and Ossington Avenue.
501H Queen / Humber shuttle bus
501L Queen / Long Branch shuttle bus
301 Queen overnight
From 5 a.m. Wednesday, December 1 until Sunday, January 2, 2022, eastbound buses operate along their usual route to Queen Street West and Dufferin Street, then proceed:
southward along Dufferin;
eastward along King Street West; and then
northward along Bathurst Street to Queen West,
resuming their regular route eastward along Queen.Eastbound buses skip their usual stops
- on Queen Street West at Sudbury and Abell Streets, Dovercourt Road, Lower Ossington Avenue, Shaw Street, Strachan Avenue and Niagara, Tecumseth and Bathurst Streets.
Instead, eastbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at temporary stops
- on Dufferin Street at Melbourne Avenue,
- on King Street West across from Joe Shuster Way and at Atlantic Avenue and Douro and Shaw Streets, Strachan Avenue and Niagara, Tecumseth and Bathurst Streets and
- on Bathurst Street at Queen Street West.
Westbound buses reverse the eastbound detour routing.
Westbound buses skip their regular stops
- on Queen Street West at Bathurst Street and Palmerston and Claremont Avenues, across from Strachan Avenue, at Shaw Street, Ossington Avenue, Dovercourt Road and Beaconsfield and Gladstone Avenues.
Instead, westbound buses drop off or pick up passengers at temporary stops
- on Bathurst Street at King Street West,
- on King Street West at Tecumseth and Niagara Streets, Strachan Avenue, Shaw and Sudbury Streets, across from Jefferson Avenue and at Joe Shuster Way and Dufferin Street and
- on Dufferin Street across from Melbourne Avenue.
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