City planning 'priority routes' in attempt to ease years of delays caused by Ontario Line construction

The City of Toronto knows that years of upcoming construction for the downtown Ontario Line will be disruptive, but Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie says officials are implementing priority travel routes and a transit signal pilot project in an effort to help ease congestion. 

Metrolinx announced Tuesday that starting on May 1, Queen Street will be closed to all vehicle traffic from Bay Street to Victoria Street for the next four-and-a-half years to accommodate construction of the Ontario Line's future Queen Station — one of 15 new stations on the line that will stretch from Exhibition Place to the Ontario Science Centre.

TTC service will be re-routed around the closed roadway, which will remain open to pedestrians.  

"This multi-billion-dollar subway line will take time to build and create disruption," McKelvie said at a news conference Thursday morning. "We need to be honest with people about that. There is no transit gain without some transit construction pain." 

On Thursday, McKelvie shared a number of measures the city says it will be implementing to help ease delays commuters might face into 2027.

Priority travel routes

One such measure is priority travel routes.

"These are stretches of roads that will be kept clear of as many restrictions as possible. So people will be able to get around construction zones as quickly as possible," she said. 

The first priority route will be on Dundas Street, from Jarvis Street to Bathurst Street. McKelvie said these routes will be a "no fly zone" for road or utility construction and other lane closures. The only construction permitted would be emergency work. 

On-street parking will be restricted along the route and CaféTO curb lanes won't be installed. 

More priority travel routes will be identified as the Ontario Line moves forward, McKelvie said.

An advanced transit signal priority pilot is also coming soon, she said. This project is supposed to improve transit times by detecting buses running behind schedule and then extending green lights to speed things up. 

"This program will be critical during construction and [for] minimizing delays for transit riders," she said.

The city will also be installing more smart traffic signals this year, McKelvie said. The city has installed 59 since 2020 and aims to add 30 more in 2023.

Some of the new traffic signals will be on Lakeshore Boulevard in response to the construction. The smart signals automatically adjust signal timing based on real-time traffic demand, responding to varying volumes and patterns of traffic. 

TTC re-routing

Traffic agents will also be deployed during morning and afternoon rush hours to help manage the movement of vehicles.

"If you're going to be traveling downtown, I encourage you to plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time," McKelvie said. "If you can, please consider alternate options to driving."

A permanent streetcar detour for the TTC's 501 Queen car is expected to be completed by 2024, according to a Metrolinx news release. It will run parallel to Queen on Adelaide and Richmond Streets. 

While that construction is underway, the existing streetcars will detour onto Dundas Street at McCaul Street in the west and Broadview Avenue in the east, according to Metrolinx. 

There will also be additional bus service running westbound on Richmond Street and eastbound on King Street.