Site of demolished Toronto mall about to be a hive of subway construction

A key transit hub for Toronto's upcoming Ontario Line is about to take shape on the former site of the Riverdale Shopping Centre, marking the next major step in the city's rapidly expanding transit network. 

Starting as early as July 4, 2025, crews will begin piling for the support of excavation at the Gerrard Portal, located at the northeast corner of Gerrard Street East and Carlaw Avenue. This work is expected to continue for about one year and marks a critical milestone in preparing the site for tunnelling activity. 

The former Riverdale Shopping Centre, which was once home to a No Frills grocery store, Dollarama, a gas station, and other local businesses, was closed in 2024 to make way for the Ontario Line. 

Early 2025 views of demolition at the site of the former mall.

Metrolinx previously announced last year that demolition would begin at the plaza as early as January 2025 to provide space for the future Gerrard Tunnel Portal. So far, the transit agency has removed vegetation and trees from the site and surrounding areas, and most structural demolitions of the former shopping centre have taken place. 

The Gerrard Portal will be where Ontario Line trains transition from above-ground tracks to underground tunnels. The portal will also connect to the future Gerrard Station, with piling work for that component expected to begin later this year, closer to the Gerrard and Carlaw intersection. 

A similar portal is taking shape near Exhibition Place at the east end of the Ontario Line's downtown tunnelled section.

The upcoming phase will involve major preparatory work, including relocating underground utilities such as hydro, sewer, and telecom lines, as well as preparing a launch shaft that will house two tunnel boring machines. 

Early 2025 views of demolition at the site of the former mall.

The machines will dig two tunnels north along Pape Avenue toward the Minton Place Portal near the Don Valley.

Work is set to occur weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Local residents can expect noise, dust, and vibration as heavy equipment and trucks operate on site. However, no road, lane, or sidewalk closures are expected during this stage. 

Trucks will access the site via the former shopping plaza driveway on Carlaw Avenue, and TTC bus and streetcar services will not be affected. 

Early 2025 views of demolition at the site of the former mall.

The forthcoming Ontario Line is a 15.6-kilometre subway line that will span from Exhibition Place in the west to the former Science Centre site at Don Mills and Eglinton in the east. With 15 stops and over 40 transit connections, the line promises to dramatically reduce travel times, taking less than 30 minutes from end to end, and is expected to remove 28,000 cars from Toronto roads each day.

Once the Ontario Line is complete by 2031, the former mall site will be redeveloped into a transit-oriented community.