Residents in Toronto's Yonge and Bloor area are fed up with overnight construction noise that has kept locals awake for over one year, though the misery they are currently enduring will benefit TTC riders in a very big way.

Area residents have been speaking out about overnight construction since work on the TTC's $1.5 billion Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvements Project commenced in April 2023, complaining that crews are operating heavy machinery into the early morning hours and disrupting their sleep.

The project in question — which will expand capacity and relieve congestion at the critically overcrowded Bloor-Yonge subway station — is (like all government builds) exempt from City of Toronto noise by-laws.

While this project will benefit the whole city, it has been putting strain on local residents for months.

Anyone else hear this massive construction smashing noise near yonge and bloor?
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A resident of Hayden Street reached out to blogTO, saying that crews are active until 4 a.m. most nights, claiming that the site is "EXTREMELY loud," and even suggests that the work may be unsafe due to a lack of visible ground personnel.

"A bunch of us have been calling and emailing 311 incessantly with no success," explains the resident. "An investigation is apparently open, but no progress is being made, and we're growing more and more frustrated every day."

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Locals may want to invest in some noise-cancelling headphones, as the ongoing demolitions and utility relocations ongoing since early 2023 are only a prelude to the major construction activity due to begin in 2025.

Long-awaited $1.5 billion expansion of overcrowded TTC station takes step forward https://t.co/oQaIcAlDq9

— blogTO (@blogTO) March 5, 2024

The Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvements Project will expand the existing northbound and southbound platforms of the station's Line 1 level, while adding a new second platform on the Line 2 level below. This new Line 2 platform will add capacity for eastbound passengers, while the existing centre platform will be reconfigured to improve westbound capacity.

Other changes include a new barrier-free entrance, an added exit to Bloor Street; new escalators, elevators and stairs; infrastructure such as an electrical substation and ventilation; and other utility upgrades.

One of the most anticipated parts of the project is the planned addition of platform barrier doors, a late change to the plan following several on-track incidents in recent years.