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Intersection of Bay Street and Harbour Street in downtown Toronto closed beginning Friday for road reconstruction

October 4, 2017

The City is making progress on the construction of the new off ramp from the Gardiner Expressway to Lower Simcoe Street. As part of the project, Harbour Street needs to be reconstructed and widened. To complete that work, beginning on Friday, October 6 at 9 p.m. and extending to Tuesday, October 10 at 5 a.m., the intersection of Bay Street and Harbour Street will be fully closed to traffic, pedestrians and cyclists.

To help commuters navigate the area, please be aware of the following:

• There will be no through traffic on Bay Street northbound and southbound between Harbour Street and Queens Quay Boulevard during the closure.

• Harbour Street will be closed from the east side of the intersection at York Street.

• Eastbound traffic will be diverted north and southbound at York Street, and then eastbound.

• The eastbound Rees Street on-ramp will be open at all times.

• Eastbound traffic to downtown is encouraged to take the Gardiner Expressway and enter downtown from Jarvis Street.

• Westbound lanes on Lake Shore Boulevard West will remain open.

• Weather/road conditions permitting, on Saturday, October 7 from 9 p.m. to midnight, one lane on Harbour Street will be temporarily open to allow vehicle traffic to access the Bay Street on-ramp to the eastbound Gardiner Expressway to help move the large volumes of vehicles expected after the Toronto Maple Leafs home opener. The City will issue a tweet from @TorontoComms between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to notify the public if the lane will be open or closed.

• The TTC 6 Bay buses will divert in both directions via Bay Street, Front Street, Yonge Street and Queens Quay.

• 320 Yonge buses will divert south on Yonge Street, east on Queens Quay, north on Freeland Street, east on Lake Shore Boulevard, south on Cooper Street, west on Queens Quay, north on Yonge Street.

Enhanced signage will inform drivers of the road closure and help manage traffic in the area.

Extended hours involving 24/7 operations will be used for this project throughout the weekend. The public is advised that this work will be brightly lit, loud and disruptive. The noise level is expected to be less disruptive than the ramp demolition work that was completed last spring.

During this closure, pedestrian and cyclist access to the area will be restricted. Pedestrians and cyclists are advised to use alternative routes such as Bremner Boulevard, Rees Street, York Street and Yonge Street. The Lake Shore Boulevard West multi-use trail remains closed from Rees Street to York Street and will remain closed for the duration of the project. Cyclists are advised to use the Martin Goodman Trail on Queens Quay West. 

The City's web-based map to help residents and visitors make their travel plans is available at http://www.toronto.ca/roadrestrictions. Information about the City's planned capital construction work is available at http://www.toronto.ca/inview.

This work is part of the City's comprehensive, co-ordinated strategy to rehabilitate and upgrade Toronto's roads, transit and underground infrastructure for current and future needs.

This news release is also available on the City's website: http://ow.ly/WXPV30fE3md.

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. In 2017, Toronto is honouring Canada's 150th birthday with "TO Canada with Love," a year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto.

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Media contact: Cheryl San Juan, Strategic Communications, 416-392-4391, 416-553-1076 (cell), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.