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.

#TrafficAlertTO Tmr construction begins on Richmond St W at Spadina Ave working west to Bathurst St to replace a 143 yr old watermain & make other improvements. Richmond will be reduced to 1 shared traffic lane. More https://t.co/iiFCFZA3BG pic.twitter.com/11A6r2vXLV

— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) July 21, 2019

“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. 

@TTChelps because of the construction on Richmond are there going to be diversions for the express buses? The current construction on Adelaide and Richmond make it more time effective to take the Queen streetcar rather than the 145.

— REEK's mom (@REEKsMom) July 22, 2019

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.

So ironic, @JohnTory campaign promise was: “Get Toronto Moving”. Never seen Toronto this congested before. Traffic, slowdowns, repairs, road closures seem to be exponentially getting worst every year!

— Vic Turbendian (@Vic_Turbendian) July 20, 2019

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