An increasingly chaotic gridlock situation on Spadina Avenue is somehow about to get even worse.

The major artery is already a rage-inducing crawl thanks to maintenance work along the Spadina streetcar corridor, congesting the thoroughfare with replacement buses that inch along in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Making matters far worse, the City is about to embark on a full week-long closure of a key intersection at Spadina Avenue and Bloor Street West.

The intersection will be fully closed to vehicle and transit traffic from the morning of July 15 to the morning of July 22 as part of the City’s Bloor Street West Reconstruction project.

As if the Spadina bus does not have enough problems, the city will completely close the intersection at Bloor for a week starting July 15. From https://t.co/arlqur6JYL The TTC has yet to post info on what effect this will have on transit service. pic.twitter.com/n8Jbxj7mwC

— Steve Munro (@SwanBoatSteve) July 12, 2024

Pedestrian access will still be maintained during the closure, as well as access to businesses at the intersection, while a bike detour will be in place.

Despite the provisions for businesses, cyclists, and pedestrians, the timing of the closure couldn’t possibly be worse — coming at a point when the stretch of Spadina south of this intersection is already hopelessly clogged with gridlock.

The TTC's Spadina streetcar replacement is already a disaster for commuters https://t.co/KRrczccmCX

— blogTO (@blogTO) June 25, 2024

The closure marks the start of the fifth phase in the Bloor Street West Reconstruction project, which will involve another full-week closure at the nearby intersection of St George Street and Bloor Street West starting later this month.

Meanwhile, there could be some relief in sight for commuters relying on the gridlocked 510 Spadina route. The City will vote on a plan to add priority bus lanes to Spadina in an effort to improve slow travel times along the artery.