Ontario Line construction forces temporary closure of Toronto archery range

A free archery range in Toronto will be forced to temporarily shut down this summer to make way for critical work on the forthcoming Ontario Line.

According to a Metrolinx construction notice, crews will begin construction on a set of access roads in Toronto's E.T. Seton Park to help support work on three new piers for a future Ontario Line elevated guideway as early as June 29.

As part of the work, the transit agency will be building the new Ontario Line Flemingdon Park Station and elevated guideway at Don Mills Road and Gateway Boulevard. The elevated guideway, which will stretch across three kilometres, will carry the line's trains above street traffic and connect three stations, namely Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park, and Don Valley stations.

Over the next few weeks, crews will be constructing three temporary access roads that will connect the elevated guideway pier construction zones to Gateway Boulevard, which will allow vehicles and equipment to safely reach these work areas.

To make way for construction, the E.T. Seton Park Archery Range will also be closed for approximately four weeks, as early as June 29 to July 24, so that "crews can safely reconfigure and shift the archery targets to the east in a northern orientation, away from the guideway construction zone," according to Metrolinx.

Workers will also be installing signage to help the range's users understand the new shooting lane layout, and extended temporary construction hoarding along the sidewalk at Gateway Boulevard to protect against any stray arrows.

Once target reconfiguration is completed, the archery range will reopen. The area will also be reinstated once the three access roads for the elevated guideway are built.

Construction on the access road is expected to be completed by this December, and the three access roads from Gateway Boulevard are set to remain in place and continue to be used until the elevated guideway is completed in late 2029.

Over the next few weeks, workers will begin excavating and removing soil, and installing short-term traffic and pedestrian interruptions to keep trucks and equipment moving to and from the laydown and staging areas.

Ontario Line's future Flemingdon Park Station, which will be located on the west side of Don Mills just north of Gateway Boulevard, is estimated to see 2,800 customers during its busiest travel hour in 2041. By this year, nearly 10,000 residents are also expected to live within walking distance to the station.