Major Toronto intersection will be a mess of traffic and construction for weeks

A large stretch of a busy Toronto street will be a mess of construction for weeks as part of a broader utility relocation project that is expected to last until fall 2025.

Don Mills Road between Wynford Drive and St. Dennis Drive, including the intersection of Eglinton Avenue East, will be torn up for utility work starting on Tuesday, and traffic could get messy in the area due to construction impacts planned to continue through March.

Work is being carried out to set the stage for the forthcoming Ontario Line subway, which is now in its early stages of construction, involving the relocation of underground utilities that will free up work areas for the major infrastructure project to follow.

Metrolinx posted a notice informing the public that "temporary traffic changes" can be expected for the first several weeks of the utility relocation work, from the end of January until March. 

During this phase of work, crews will clear existing road medians and relocate stormwater pipes along Don Mills, which the transit agency warns "will result in temporary lane closures, pedestrian detours and bus stop relocations."

To minimize disruption, Metrolinx says that signage will be installed to "assist motorists, pedestrians and transit riders to navigate safely through the work zones."

Trees that interfere with utility relocation will be chopped down, though plans are to complete the majority of this work ahead of the late March to late August bird nesting period. However, some tree removals may extend into this window.

Metrolinx

Even once this phase of construction wraps up, locals can expect work to continue into the fall. 

Road widening will accommodate a large pier that will be built into the centre median along Don Mills. This pier will support the elevated guideway that Ontario Line trains will travel along to and from the line's northeastern terminal station at Don Mills and Eglinton.

Noise is expected during this lengthy construction period, and locals are advised that work will be carried out from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. with some overnight and weekend work to reduce impacts to traffic.

While locals will have to endure this and the subsequent construction of the elevated guideway and station for years to come, it should all pay off by 2031, when the Ontario Line is set to enter service.

The 15-stop, 15.6-kilometre subway line will connect locals with Exhibition Place via downtown, linking the area to more than 40 connections to other transit options. 

Once the project is complete, area residents will be able to hop on a train at Don Mills and Eglinton and make it to Exhibition Place within just 30 minutes.

The project will also ease congestion in this area and other key intersections near stations along the route, with an expected 28,000 fewer car trips per day expected once the line opens.