Adelaide Street — TTC Track Work: Major Construction Updates, Intersection Closures

April 2024: Construction Update

Starting the week of April 8, the two remaining sections of streetcar track installation will resume on Adelaide Street. The first section will be between Yonge Street and Victoria Street. The second section will be between Sheppard Street and Bay Street. The contractor will excavate the road, pour a new concrete foundation and install the streetcar tracks. Adelaide Street will be reduced to one eastbound vehicle lane during this work.

Work on the streetcar track installation is expected to be completed by April 19.

Learn more here.

Adelaide Street Construction Summary & Update

In September 2022, the City of Toronto and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) started work on a series of infrastructure upgrades on Adelaide Street. The work involves:

Replacement of the 100+ year old watermain and City-owned portion of substandard water services from York Street to Victoria Street.
Reinstatement of eastbound streetcar track system on Adelaide Street from Charlotte Street to York Street.
Relocation of the cycle track from the south to the north side of the street from Bathurst Street to Parliament Street. Learn more about the benefits of relocating the cycles track on Adelaide Street.
Installation of new bike signals.
Modification of traffic signal timing.
Pedestrian safety improvements at various locations from Bathurst Street to Parliament Street.

This project now includes the installation of new streetcar tracks and underground utility relocations on Adelaide Street, between York Street and Victoria Street. In March 2023, Toronto City Council authorized Engineering and Construction Services to undertake this additional work.

Streetcar track work on Adelaide Street, west of York Street is necessary to allow for TTC route diversions in the downtown core. During the construction of the Ontario Line, the eastbound 501 Queen streetcar will be diverted to Adelaide Street between York Street and Church Street.

Key updates since previous meeting:

Work resumed January 8, 2024.
The hydro vault at Adelaide & Victoria and utility work between Sheppard & Bay will require about three more weeks of work.
- Track work will require four days afterwards when temperatures are above -5°C and there is no snow. Fencing will be retained until tracks are complete.
- All track work and underground utility work is planned to be complete by early March.
- City noted that parking/loading permits on Bay St will not be issued for February 2nd–4th as space is needed to accommodate NHL All-Stars.
- Trenching from York to Sheppard will complete within the next three weeks. First Canadian Place noted that this work impedes their garage access.
- Bike lane will be installed on the north side in late spring after all other work.

Project Contacts:

Senior Public Consultation Coordinator, City of Toronto – Steven Ziegler steven.ziegler@toronto.ca

Senior Project Manager, Transit Infrastructure Projects, City of Toronto – Terry Francoeur terry.francoeur@toronto.ca

Senior Engineer, City of Toronto – Easwaran Vallipuram easwaran.vallipuram@toronto.ca

Link to full details: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/public-consultations/infrastructure-projects/adelaide-street-construction/

Adelaide Street West & Bay Street Intersection Closure

The City of Toronto is accelerating some work to install streetcar tracks on Adelaide Street, which will require a full intersection closure of Adelaide Street West and Bay Street. The intersection of Adelaide Street West and Bay Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from 7:00 AM on December 11 until 7:00 AM on December 16.

During the full road closure:

No through traffic will be allowed at the intersection of Adelaide Street West and Bay Street
Two-way local traffic loops will be set up
Cyclists will have to dismount through the intersection

See the Construction Impact Notice for full details and a map of the closure.

Adelaide Street West Construction Meeting Notes – December 5, 2023

Please find attached today’s meeting minutes and the City’s presentation. The project website is also available at: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/public-consultations/infrastructure-projects/adelaide-street-construction/

Some important dates & times from today’s meeting:

York St will reopen to northbound traffic on Dec 7 at 7:00am.
- Adelaide St from University to York & Sheppard to Bay will revert to one-way eastbound.
Adelaide St will reopen to eastbound traffic from York on Dec 11 at 7:00am.
The Bay–Adelaide intersection will close on Dec 11 at 7:00am.
- Adelaide St will convert to two-way traffic from York to Bay and Bay to Yonge.
The Bay–Adelaide intersection will open on Dec 16 at 7:00am.
- City work on Adelaide around York St will be complete.

Postponement of Bay–Adelaide Intersection Closure

We have received notice from the City that the Bay–Adelaide intersection closure will be postponed by one week to December 11–15 due to delays in opening the York–Adelaide intersection. The plan is otherwise unchanged. This will not change any other planned closures.

The City has provided a map of the closure and the full traffic management plan for that week (Dec 11–15). They apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as they work to ensure the safety and efficiency of our roadways.

Adelaide Street Construction Meeting Notes – October 10, 2023

The York–Adelaide intersection will now be closed from October 16 to December 15. This replaces the previously-scheduled full intersection closures. The traffic management plan otherwise remains the same.
The Yonge–Adelaide intersection will be fully complete and opened by the end of this week. In the meantime, access to affected properties will be by the two-way stubs of Adelaide/Yonge St.
Track installation begins this week. No driveway closures are expected.
Construction Update

Adelaide Street Construction – Update

A majority of the cycle track relocation has been completed, and utility relocation work is nearing completion. The City of Toronto is accelerating some work to install streetcar tracks on Adelaide Street, which will require a full intersection closure of Adelaide and Yonge Streets followed by a full intersection closure of Adelaide and York Streets.

Adelaide Street West and Yonge Street Intersection Closure

A full intersection closure is scheduled for October 10 – October 13

During the full intersection closure:

No through traffic will be allowed at the intersection of Adelaide Street and Yonge Street
Two-way local traffic loops will be set up
Cyclists will have to dismount through the intersection

Adelaide Street West and York Street Intersection Closures

A partial closure of the intersection of York Street and Adelaide Street is required to work on multiple underground utility vaults. This will be followed by full closure of the intersection for TTC track replacement.

A partial road closure is scheduled for October 2 – October 15

During the partial road closure:

Traffic on Adelaide Street will be reduced to one lane
No northbound traffic through the intersection
Left turns from Adelaide Street to York Street will be allowed
Two-way local traffic loop will be set up
Cyclists will be required to share the travel lane with motorists

A full intersection closure is scheduled for October 16 – December 15

During the full intersection closure:

No through traffic will be allowed at the intersection of Adelaide Street and York Street
Two-way local traffic loops will be set up
Cyclists will have to dismount through the intersection

Please see Construction Update #3 for full details.

Phases of Work

Cycle Track Relocation
- Bathurst Street to York Street: Completed
- Victoria Street to Parliament Street: Completed
- York Street to Victoria Street: Spring 2024
Utility Relocation
- York Street to Victoria Street: June to Fall 2023
Streetcar Track Reinstatement
- West of York Street to Charlotte Street: Completed
- York Street to Victoria Street: October 2023 to Spring 2024

TTC Service Impacts

Both the 97 Yonge and 320 Yonge Night buses will be diverting around the Yonge Street road closure. Buses will travel west on Richmond Street and east on King Street West.
Starting May 1, 2023, 501 Queen streetcars will divert both ways between McCaul Street and Broadview Avenue. Ontario Line construction will require Queen Street, between Bay Street and Victoria Street, to be closed.
Visit ttc.ca for further updates on service

Contact: a delaideconstruction@toronto.ca | 416-392-2896 | toronto.ca/AdelaideConstruction

News Release – Updated Intersection Closures on Adelaide Street for Streetcar Track Installation

The City of Toronto is accelerating some work to install streetcar tracks on Adelaide Street, which will require a full intersection closure of Adelaide and Yonge Streets followed by a full intersection closure of Adelaide and York Streets.

Adelaide Street West and Yonge Street intersection closure beginning 6:00 AM, Tuesday, October 10 until 11:00 PM, Friday, October 13, the intersection of Adelaide Street West and Yonge Street will be fully closed to motorists and cyclists to allow construction crews to accelerate track installation.

This four-day full closure will allow the TTC streetcar track installation on Adelaide Street West between Yonge and Victoria Streets to be completed by the end of December instead of carrying over additional work, such as paving, into Spring 2024. Once the full closure is completed on October 13, the intersection will re-open and Adelaide Street will remain reduced to one shared travel lane. It is anticipated that this acceleration of work will allow additional travel lanes on Adelaide Street in this stretch to re-open by mid-November, which otherwise would have remained closed until Spring 2024.

Adelaide Street West and York Street intersection closure beginning Monday, October 16 until mid-December, the intersection of Adelaide and York Streets will be fully closed to traffic so that crews can safely install TTC tracks in the intersection.

This intersection was to be fully closed for six weeks starting Wednesday, November 1, however the closure date has been advanced to provide crews with more space in the work zone to help manage complexities related to relocating underground utilities. Once the full closure is completed, the intersection will re-open and Adelaide Street West will remain reduced to one shared lane.

During both full intersection closures, the streets around the intersection will be open to local traffic only. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times throughout construction. The City will deploy Traffic Agents and Paid Duty Officers to help manage traffic in the area. Signage will be placed in advance to advise people driving and cycling of traffic changes during the intersection closures.

The City anticipates that construction to install TTC tracks between York and Victoria Streets will be completed by Spring 2024. Lanes will re-open on Adelaide Street, between York and Victoria Streets as crews complete sections of track.

Local businesses in the area will remain open as usual and pedestrian access to businesses around the work zone will be maintained.

With so much construction taking place in the downtown core, drivers are advised to plan their travel in advance, expect delays, consider taking public transit, cycling or walking and obey signage around work zones for the safety of the work crews.

More information about this project, including work zone maps, is available on the City’s website: www.toronto.ca/AdelaideConstruction.

Adelaide Street – TTC Track Work: Major Construction Update, York-Adelaide Intersection Closures

The City of Toronto is advancing to the next phase of streetcar track installation on Adelaide Street between York and Victoria Streets, which will require traffic restrictions at the Adelaide and York Streets intersection to complete the work safely.

Beginning Monday, October 2 until the end of the month, crews will begin to install tracks and perform work on multiple underground utility vaults on the south side of the intersection. During construction, motorists and cyclists can expect the following impacts:

York Street, from King Street West to Adelaide Street West, will be open to local traffic only
No northbound traffic will be permitted on York Street, from King Street West to Adelaide Street West
Northbound travel from Adelaide Street West onto York Street will remain open
One shared eastbound lane for people cycling and driving will remain open on Adelaide Street West, from York Street to Victoria Street

Beginning Wednesday, November 1 until mid-December, the intersection of Adelaide and York Streets will be fully closed to traffic so that crews can safely install TTC tracks in the intersection. During the closure, the streets around the intersection will be open to local traffic only. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times throughout construction.

The City anticipates the TTC track installation between York and Victoria Streets will be completed by Spring 2024. Lanes will re-open on Adelaide Street within this stretch, as crews complete sections of track.

The track installation is an extension of the major construction project on Adelaide Street, from Bathurst Street to Parliament Street, which began last year to upgrade critical water, road and cycling infrastructure. This work will also help reinstate streetcar tracks to provide the TTC with operational flexibility and improved service for streetcar customers. The project, in coordination with the TTC and Metrolinx, bundled several construction needs on Adelaide Street into one project, to complete the work as quickly as possible and minimize prolonged disruption.

Crews have completed the following upgrades on Adelaide Street West:

Replaced a watermain that is more than 115 years old and the City-owned portion of substandard water services from York to Victoria Streets
Renewed the roadway on Adelaide Street, from Spadina Avenue to York Street
Reinstated streetcar tracks on Adelaide Street, from Charlotte to York Streets
Upgraded pedestrian infrastructure at various locations along Adelaide Street, from Spadina Avenue to York Street, to improve safety
Relocated the cycle track on Adelaide Street, from Bathurst Street to Parliament Street, to the north side of the street to improve safety and installed new bike signals

The new cycle track is open on Adelaide Street between Bathurst and York Streets and between Victoria and Parliament Streets. The cycle track is closed between York and Victoria Streets while TTC track installation is underway. Temporary pavement markings have been added on King Street West from Simcoe Street to George Street to alert people sharing the road, as more people cycling may choose to use King Street West as an alternative route while construction on Adelaide Street continues.

Local businesses in this area will remain open as usual and pedestrian access to businesses around the work zone will be maintained.

More information about this project, including work zone maps, is available on the City’s website: www.toronto.ca/AdelaideConstruction.

Should you have any questions or concerns about the Adelaide St or York–Adelaide intersection project, please contact Steven Ziegler from the City of Toronto at steven.ziegler@toronto.ca, visit the project website, or see the attached City presentation.

For questions regarding the York St project, contact Metrolinx at ontarioline@metrolinx.com or (416) 202-5100 or visit the community website.

For information on the streetcar diversion, visit https://www.ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/Updates/Ontario-Line

TTC Track Removal

Starting the week of June 12 the TTC track removals will begin. The removals will start at the York Street and Adelaide Street Intersection and will progress east. For the track removals, we will have a crew breaking the concrete and cutting the rails. Another crew will be behind them removing the material and the area will be packed and filled with granular material. The concrete breaking will be the most disruptive and noisiest part of the work. We have reminded our contractor to be mindful of noise and dust around sensitive uses like streetside patios and the St Regis hotel. During the TTC track removals, one lane of eastbound traffic will be maintained on Adelaide Street. Driveways along the south side of Adelaide Street will see temporary restrictions while the rail is being removed. Once the area has been packed down, vehicles will be able to travel across, so driveway access will be maintained.

Bell Utility Work

In addition to the TTC Track removals, Bell utility work at the intersection of Adelaide Street and York Street will begin the week of June 12. During the utility work, one lane of eastbound traffic will be maintained on Adelaide Street. York Street will be reduced to one northbound lane. Large vehicle turning radiuses will still be maintained, so delivery trucks and emergency services will still be able to turn from York Street onto Adelaide Street. This work will not impact any of the operations of any of the buildings near the intersection.

For more information, visit the project website at http://toronto.ca/AdelaideConstruction

Contact: Steven Ziegler at the City of Toronto at 416-392-2896 or steven.ziegler@toronto.ca.