spadina subway extension

5 Toronto mega projects set for completion in 2017

There might not be the added incentive of a major event like the Pan Am Games to drive Toronto megaprojects to completion in 2017, but the city and surrounding area are still set to witness the opening of a number of high profile projects that will reshape the urban landscape.

Here are five to look forward to.

Spadina Subway Extension

This is the big one. After nearly a decade of construction and numerous delays, the extension of Line 1 to Vaughan is expected to open by the end of 2017. No one will appreciate this news more than members of the York University community.

407 East Extention to 418

The eastern extension of the 407 all the way to the 35/115 won't be completed until 2020, but the project is slated to reach a major milestone in 2017 as the toll highway opens to the 418 (East Durham Link). That should help commuters and cottage-goers who want to avoid the mess that is the 401 from Ajax to Oshawa.

Copeland Transformer Station

Wow, this one has taken a long time. Toronto Hydro's massive new transformer near the Rogers Centre was originally expected to open in 2014, but the final stages of construction will only wrap in 2017 as the surface level construction site finally gives way to a public plaza. The transformer, which will soon be up and running, fuels much of downtown Toronto's power needs.

The Bentway

Still more commonly known as the Under the Gardiner project, the Bentway has an aggressive completion schedule that aims to see the first section complete by July 1. This will only offer a glimpse of the entire project (which is expected to open in 2018), but will ensure that the space under the downtown expressway will be usable as fast as possible.

One Bloor East

The average condo wouldn't make a list like this, but One Bloor East is an exception based on a few factors, not the least of which is its height at 76 storeys (just shy of Aura for the tallest residential tower in the city). Also signficant is the huge amount of retail space the development will deliver to the hub intersection of Yonge and Bloor as well as the entrance/exit to the subway station.

Correction notice: An earlier version of this post indicated that the Copeland Transformer Station was already electrified when, in fact, that won't happen until 2017.

Lead photo by

dtstuff9


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