Major Toronto intersection will be a total mess for 8 months

A major Toronto intersection is set to face sidewalk closures and lane restrictions for a staggering eight months, and locals near Yonge and Sheppard are already getting a taste of the mayhem before the long-term disruption takes effect.

A new condominium tower under construction at 4800 Yonge Street, at the southwest corner of Yonge and Sheppard, will soon require a long-term closure of adjacent sidewalks and one curb lane of traffic on Yonge Street lasting eight months in 2026.

The lengthy closure is required as part of a project to build a new pedestrian tunnel linking this corner to the Sheppard-Yonge TTC subway station.

However, the area is already witnessing a prelude to this inconvenience with a shorter-term closure as work begins on the new TTC connection.

In a recent newsletter, Ward 18 Willowdale Councillor Lily Cheng noted that the short-term closure "is slated to last one more month, at which point it will be re-opened."

"However, we will all be bracing ourselves for a closure of the sidewalk and one curb lane of Yonge alongside 4800 Yonge Street construction, which is planned to last for 8 months in 2026."

Cheng noted that, while the details of this work are still being ironed out, she expects to have more details on the project following a report that will be shared with City Council at the end of the year.

"At that point, we will have more concrete details around what the closure would look like and what mitigating strategies are feasible," said Cheng.

Cheng acknowledged to locals that "it is upsetting to have to deal with this type of closure, especially the 8-month closure ahead," but posited that "a growing city like ours necessitates some inconvenient construction times."

"However, knowing this doesn't make it any easier when we are stuck in a traffic jam," explained Cheng, adding that her office has asked staff to look at alternative options and increase sidewalk crossing times at Yonge and Poyntz to better move pedestrians around the closure.