King-Church intersection closed to all traffic until mid-August, city says
Closure happening a month earlier than originally planned, city says
The intersection of King Street E. and Church Street will be closed to all traffic starting Monday until mid-August, the City of Toronto said.
The closure is part of a joint project by the city and the TTC to replace aging streetcar tracks. City crews will also replace 142-year-old watermains in the area, according to the city's website.
Construction at the intersection began in May, but this full closure is happening around a month earlier than originally planned due to "unexpected underground utility conflicts" on the south side of King Street, the city said.
The city's project schedule has now been changed so that crews will complete watermain work and replace streetcar tracks at the same time.
While no reopening date has been announced, the city said it expects to reopen the intersection by mid-August. TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said he's hopeful construction will be done by Labour Day.
"We don't commit to times because you never know what you're going to find once you start digging under these roads, but certainly that's our hope at this point," he said.
Temporary sidewalk closures may be required, the city said. Pedestrian detours and signage will be in place.
Access to businesses and properties will be maintained throughout the construction, the city said.
Starting Monday, the 504C and 504D/304D King replacement buses will divert around the intersection, the TTC said in a news release Friday. Green said the 504 buses may see delays between five to 10 minutes.
Buses will divert via Jarvis Street, Front Street eastbound, Wellington Street westbound and Yonge Street, the transit agency said.
Existing diversions for the 503/303 Kingston Road and the 504/304 King streetcars will continue. The 504 King streetcar will divert both ways via Shaw Street, and the 503 Kingston Road streetcar will continue to divert via Spadina Avenue and Queen Street W., running west on King Street to Dufferin Loop, the TTC said.
A full list of diversions around the intersection is available on the TTC's website.
The construction "is an inconvenience," Green acknowledged.
"We absolutely recognize that, but it's essential work that has to be done to make sure we've got long-term reliable service," he said.
Construction could hurt patio season, bar manager says
Alexandra Scott, general manager of Score on King, a sports bar in the area, said she's concerned about the impact of loud construction during peak season for the business.
"It's too bad that they couldn't have done it in March or April. I know the weather is not exactly on their side either, but this is sort of destroying our patio season right now," she said.
The city said construction will happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
"Excavation activities and heavy breaking will be carried out at various times throughout the day," the city said.
Concrete breaking work, which the city said is the most disruptive, will happen between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., and will typically last the first three to four days for each phase of construction.
Scott said she understands the construction is necessary, but said she is worried that less streetcar and pedestrian traffic in the area will hurt her business.
"We're not getting that normal activity we normally do," she said.
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With files from Lane Harrison and Martin Trainor