Update — Sunday, July 10, 4:44 p.m.: The City is closing Kipling Avenue between Birmingham Street and Lake Shore Boulevard West to all traffic, Monday, July 11, so that crews can start early stages of phase 2. The TTC is detouring buses.
The City of Toronto and the TTC are starting a project to rebuild the streetcar infrastructure at two sites in south Etobicoke:
- in New Toronto at the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard West with Kipling Avenue / Colonel Smith Park Road; and
- in Mimico on Lake Shore West between Mimico Avenue and Louisa Street.
At the New Toronto site, crews will also upgrade the tracks in Kipling Loop.
At the end of the project, the City is resurfacing the roadway, repairing the sidewalks and upgrading the accessibility
- on Kipling Avenue north of Lake Shore Boulevard West.
Contractors work on this project in three phases:
- Phase 1, starting Monday, July 4: track renewal in Mimico (top replacement only);
- Phase 2, starting Monday, July 25: track renewal in New Toronto (full-depth replacement);
- Phase 3, “early August to early September”: road reconstruction in New Toronto (on Kipling Avenue, about 100 metres north of Kipling Loop).
Starting July 4, the City is closing
- Lake Shore Boulevard West, centre lanes / track area, between Mimico Avenue and Louisa Street.
Traffic can flow in both directions in the curb lanes through the work zone.
During phase 1, crews work from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. daily. The work zone for phase 1 also blocks part of the intersection of Lake Shore West with Mimico Avenue.
^ Map of phase 1 construction. Note that the City and TTC have started this phase of the project later than the map indicates. Image, City of Toronto
The TTC is detouring buses along this route, while the intersection is blocked:
- 76 Royal York South.
Since buses temporarily replace streetcars along the 301 Queen overnight and 501 Queen routes, the crews can work on the phase 1 of the project without affecting streetcar service. However, passengers aboard buses along these routes can expect delays:
- 301 Queen overnight; and
- 501 Queen / Long Branch shuttle buses.
Phase 1 track construction in Mimico and the resulting TTC service changes continue “until mid-July”, meaning as late as until July 23.
Since Monday, March 28, TTC crews have been getting ready for the project by welding and storing rail in the track area between Superior Avenue and Burlington Street. They’re welding standard lengths of rail into longer strings, which will allow them to install track more quickly. This, in turn, reduces the timeline that construction disrupts the local communities.
They’ll gradually deplete the pile of rails as they progress with the projects to install new track at each of the sites.
76 Royal York South
From Monday, July 4 until Saturday, July 23, southbound buses operate along their regular route to Lake Shore Boulevard West at Allen Avenue, then detour:
westward along Allen to just west of Lake Shore West,
ending their trips.Southbound buses skip their regular stop
- on Mimico Avenue beyond Lake Shore Boulevard West.
Northbound buses start their trips on Allen Avenue west of Lake Shore Boulevard West, then proceed:
westward along Allen; and then
northward along Queens Avenue to Mimico Avenue,
resuming their regular route westward along Mimico.Northbound buses skip their regular stop
- on Mimico Avenue beyond Lake Shore Boulevard West.