Transit Toronto

Read the daily “on schedule” posts to find news and other information that affects your daily commute. You’ll learn about public meetings, special events and construction projects that affect transit services today.

Several transit-related sites are open to the public Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26 during Doors Open Toronto, the one weekend, once a year, when 150 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and social significance open their doors to the public for a city-wide celebration.

The City of Toronto program allows visitors free access to look inside properties that are usually not open to the public.

The TTC is participating in the event at just one sites — Lower Bay Station — but other venues that have played significant roles in Toronto’s public transit and transportation history are also opening their doors.

Ontario Ministry of Transportation contractors continue to work on the project to upgrade Highway 427.

Overnight from 10 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, May 21 until 6 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, May 22, they’ll be closing the off-ramp for southbound traffic heading toward Burnhamthorpe Road.

MiWay is detouring buses operating along the 11 Westwood route, while the ramp is closed.

Metrolinx and York Region contractors continue the project to build a rapidway — bus-only lanes in the centre of the roadway — along Davis Drive in Newmarket.

Two more phases of the project start this week.

First, as crews continue to work on storm drains west of 200 Davis Drive near Parkside Drive, they can temporarily reopen the plaza entrance from Davis Drive entrance at the Longford Drive traffic lights starting today, Tuesday, May 21. This continues until June 3.

As the crews proceed to work around the area of the property, they may temporarily switch the access point to 200 Davis Drive plaza back to the temporary entrance off Parkside Drive. Signs will be in place to direct traffic and pedestrians

Crews are installing new infrastructure, utilities and preparing the foundation that will extend along the new portion of Parkside Drive to prepare for upcoming work to align Parkside Drive — on the south side of Davis — with Longford Drive — on the north side. The permanent access to 200 Davis Drive will be from Parkside Drive, once the road is re-aligned later this year.

Second, starting today, Tuesday, May 21, for about four weeks, and from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day, crews will temporarily closing two lanes of traffic on both the north and south sides of Davis Drive as they deliver and install hydro poles at:

• Main Street and Davis Drive; and
• between Prospect Street and Huron Heights Drive.

Crews will first work on the south side of Davis, moving east from Prospect Street to Roxborough Road. Then, they’ll crews work their way back west on the north side of Davis from Huron Heights Drive to Prospect Street.

If the work affects bus stops or sidewalks, directional signs will guide pedestrians to the nearest available bus stop or sidewalk.

GO Transit passengers riding express buses operating along the 65 Newmarket / Toronto route and York Region Transit passengers riding local buses operating along the 44 Woodspring - Bristol, 50 Queensway, 54 Bayview, 55 / 55B Davis Drive, 58 Mount Albert, 223 Newmarket GO shuttle and 520 / 521 Newmarket community routes should expect detours or delays.

Metrolinx and York Region contractors continue to prepare for building a rapidway — bus-only lanes in the centre of the roadway — along Highway 7 West from west of Jane Street to east of Keele Street.

This week, from Tuesday, May 21 until Friday, May 24 and from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. each day, crews start removing trees between Jane and Keele Streets. They’re removing the trees so they can shortly start relocating utilities, widening the roadway and building retaining walls.

They have to remove about 62 trees of varying health and sizes. Metrolinx says its workers will “make a special effort” to protect 248 reamining trees. It says that once it’s finished the rapidway project, the landscaping will include more than 550 new trees.

During this phase of the work, they’re removing ash, Austrian pine, black locust, buckthorn, Colorado blue spruce, honey locust, ivory silk lilac, Manitoba maple, Norway maple, paper birch, pear and spruce. After construction, Metrolinx intends to install “attractive, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and extensive landscaping with many types of trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses and perennial flowers”.

Crews will remove trees in sections and chip the wood off-site. They’ll clean up all areas before moving on to the next location.

If necessary, they may temporarily block east- and westbound curb lanes from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Traffic control staff and “paid-duty” York Regional Police officers will be on site to direct motor vehicles and pedestrians.

Wherever possible, sidewalks will remain open. If the work blocks a sidewalk, directional signs will guide pedestrians to the nearest available sidewalk.

Passengers riding York Region Transit buses operating along the 77 Highway 7 / Centre route should expect delays.

GO Transit is setting up a special “PRESTO Patio” inside Danforth GO Station, Wednesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 23, from 5:30 until 9:30 a.m. and from 2:45 until 6:45 p.m. At the PRESTO Patio, you can learn more about using the PRESTO fare card and ask staff questions about the card.

The Metrolinx projects to improve the Georgetown South rail corridor and to build the Union - Pearson Express line recently started working on the bridge over Ray Avenue in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood.

During this phase of the project, Metrolinx contractors are widening the bridge to handle more rail traffic. During construction, they’ll maintain pedestrian access at all times.

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21, the TTC is detouring buses operating along the 71B](#t71b) Runnymede route to accommodate the work.

The City of Burlington is closing

• Lakeshore Road between Guelph Line and Martha Street

starting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21to accommodate a Region of Halton contractors who are working on a project to replace the watermains.

The City of Burlington will follow the watermain work with a project to resurface the roadway and to install a multi-use pathway beside Lakeshore Road between Guelph Line and Torrance Street.

Burlington Transit is detouring buses operating along the 3 Guelph route, to accommodate the work. It’s also setting up a temporary dial-a-ride service to replace regular transit service along Guelph Line and Lakeshore Road, while the street is closed.

Construction and detours continue until November.

The Toronto Transit Commission meets this Friday, May 24 at 1 p.m. in Committee Room 2, Second Floor, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West.

In March, the City of Toronto and the TTC consulted with residents of the area near the future Leslie Barns maintenance and storage facility for the new streetcars. During that meeting, staff revealed plans for building the structure, the tracks connecting it to Queen Street East and a schedule for construction along Leslie Street.

Since then, staff have also consulted with business owners along Leslie Street and Queen Street East to allow them to comment on the plans.

They’re following up on what they learned the public during that earlier meeting and the later meetings with merchants, by hosting a second public information meeting this Tuesday, May 21. During this event, they’ll discuss how they have revised their plans for building the facility and the tracks and how they’re planning to manage traffic while Leslie Street is closed for construction.

They’ve posted a consultation report here (.pdf). During the Tuesday meeting, staff will explain how they’ve updated the original construction plans and provide more information so that they can finalize a plan the best serves local residents, businesses, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. The plan includes strategies to keep transit passengers moving, provide access for cyclists and pedestrians to the Martin Goodman Trail, prevent traffic from moving onto residential streets and keep traffic flowing on major roads.

The City and TTC start major construction Leslie later this month. They’ll be upgrading the streetscape, lighting, sidewalks, sewers, watermains and other utilities. The project includes hundreds of native trees and public art.

The meeting takes place:

Tuesday, May 21
From 6:30 until 9 p.m.
Morse Street Junior Public School
Gymnasiaum
180 Carlaw Avenue
south of Queen Street East

Open house: from 6:30 until 7 p.m.
Presentation and discussion: from 7 until 9 p.m.

During the 2013 Western GTA Summit leading municipal politicians and civic leaders discuss the dominant issues facing the more than 1.6 million people living in the Western Greater Toronto Area. The central questions that guide the event are: Are we facing economic gridlock? What can we do to change the way we live, thrive and prosper in the 21st century?

Each of the member municipalities that are participating in the summit share similar challenges around growth, congestion and unemployment. More importantly, each municipality has residents that want a say in the important issues facing their communities and the larger region. To satisfy this desire, the Western GTA Summit will convene the political, business and community leaders of the area and charge them with finding common ground to discuss solutions to these pressing concerns.

The Mississauga Summit is built on three pillars: Live, Move and Thrive. The 2013 Western GTA Summit will address the central question by building on each of these pillars.

Move: How can we address the issues of congestion, and build transit and transportation systems that move our residents quickly, affordably and seamlessly across the GTA? What will our integrated transit, road and air transportation networks look like, and more importantly, how will we pay for them?

Live: Do we need to change the way in which we live and design our communities? What should our future neighbourhood and city growth look like? Do we require changes in zoning, density and urban design, and what about the call for an end to sprawl?

Thrive: Poverty rates remain a serious concern in the GTA, but how we will we fight it? How will we tackle homelessness, precarious employment and the increasing use of food banks? What innovations and employment opportunities will we create for youth, seniors, new immigrants and the working poor to ensure everyone has a chance to thrive?

The keynote speakers will frame the question and provide context to the three themes of live, move and thrive; the panel discussions, including one featuring four mayors, will develop the big question further in a regional context; and the roundtable discussions will enable citizens to discuss the important points that the speakers raised during their keynote speeches.

The Western GTA Summit is free but you must register to attend. To register or find out more information, please visit www.westerngtasummit.ca

The event takes place:

Tuesday, May 21
from 1 until 9 p.m.
Mississauga Convention Centre
75 Derry Road West
Mississauga