toronto traffic

It's going to be an absolute mess trying to get around Toronto this weekend

Being one of the last weekends of summer in Toronto (with some nice weather in the cards, to boot), the coming days are certain to be extremely busy around the city.

A slew of events are set to take place and inevitably bring some congestion, like the CNETamil Fest, Fan Expo, the Philippines Independence Day Celebration and Parade, and the Trinbago Toronto Festival, as well as performances by Theo VonSteve EarleZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynard, and others.

Anyone out and about should expect traffic and delays, and give themselves ample time to get to where they're going, especially if travelling near key venues like the Rogers Centre (where the Toronto Blue Jays have a game every day of this weekend), Yonge-Dundas Square, Massey Hall, Budweiser Stage and Exhibition Place.

There are also multiple new and ongoing road closures to keep in mind:

  • Markham Road between McNicoll and Passmore Avenues will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday, August 25 until 5 a.m. Monday, August 28 for Tamil Fest
  • The Dufferin Street Bridge is fully blocked off for emergency repairs
  • Queen Street West between Bay and Victoria Streets will remain shut down for the next few years for the construction of a new subway stop on the Ontario Line
  • Broadview Ave. between Gerrard St. E. and Danforth Ave. is limited to one northbound lane only with no southbound traffic due to TTC track replacement
  • The Broadview Ave. and Danforth Ave. intersection is reduced to one lane of eastbound traffic only, also for TTC track replacement
  • One lane and shoulders in both directions on the Don Valley Parkway from Don Mills Road to Bayview Ave. are closed for a geotechnical investigation 
  • The eastbound curb lane of Lake Shore Blvd. E. from near Cherry St. to west of the Don Roadway is blocked for emergency bent repairs
  • Two westbound lanes 0f Lake Shore Blvd. E. from Cherry St. to Carlaw Ave. are shuttered for the construction of the Don River Bridge 
  • Continued roadwork on Highway 401 means multiple lane closures in and around the city

For transitgoers, part of the Line 2 Bloor-Danforth subway won't open until noon on Sunday, August 27 thanks to necessary beam replacement work on the Prince Edward Viaduct. Bay and Sherbourne stations will be completely closed that morning, and shuttle buses will run between St. George and Broadview.

Pedestrians and cyclists should also know that multiple projects that crews are trying to wrap up before Toronto's busiest construction season ends will mean scattered hazards for them, as well.

A comprehensive list of hundreds of road restrictions and hazards are listed on the city's website, while transit interruptions are tweeted from the TTC Service Alerts account. Any highway incidents and closures that may impact your plans can be found via Ontario 511.

Lead photo by

Jeremy Gilbert


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