Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians in Toronto’s east end say constant changes to the ongoing Lake Shore Boulevard East construction project are putting some of them in danger.
“It’s confusing here,” said Hitesh, who works in an office located right at the intersection of Lake Shore and Carlaw Avenue.
“I’ve worked here for three years and construction at this intersection has been going on ever since,” he said. “It’s like it will never end.”
Changes made a few months back, have left him even more concerned. He and his colleagues, who cross Lake Shore daily for their coffee break, have been met with concrete barriers and pedestrian detour signs, which he calls very confusing.
“They’ve taken the sidewalk away from here so now you have to walk all around the back of buildings to cross the road, just to go and get a coffee and it takes us 20 minutes — what should take three seconds.”
Cyclists also sounding the alarm bells. Dedicated lanes on Lake Shore abruptly end at the intersection with Carlaw.
“I don’t know which way I have to go, because I don’t see any direction,” said Syed Tapan. “Many cyclists, who are confused, are going onto Lake Shore and someone is going to get hit.”
At issue are delays in the reopening of the Carlaw intersection, which has been under construction as part of the Lake Shore Boulevard East reconstruction project. A massive redo of the busy roadway by Waterfront Toronto as part of the Port Lands flood mitigation project. The old bike lanes at the intersection were removed as crews work to rebuild the roadway by installing a median and new dedicated bike lanes on both the north and south side of Lake Shore.
Target dates for the completion of work at the Carlaw intersection have continued to be pushed as work crews deal with what they call unexpected problems with underground aging infrastructure.
“I can understand delays but how they handled this is annoying,” said JoJo Allen, who walks the intersection daily for work. “The detour signs for cyclists and pedestrians here are confusing and people are unsure where or how to cross the Lake Shore safely.”
A Waterfront Toronto Spokesperson acknowledged the frustration and told Speakers Corner relief is coming soon.
“The Lake Shore Boulevard East (LSBE) project is one of the most complex infrastructure undertakings in Toronto’s downtown core due to its direct connection with several critical initiatives like the Port Lands Flood Protection and the Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation,” the spokesperson told CityNews. “Now in its final phase, the LSBE project saw traffic shifted to the north side ahead of schedule, enabling the start of median work – a major milestone on the path to completion.”
They went on to say dedicated bike lanes on the southside of Lake Shore should open by next month alleviating many concerns.
“In the meantime, we’re reviewing wayfinding and detour signs through this area to see if any improvements can be made to clarify for people walking and cycling what the best option is until new routes open up in September.”
According to Waterfront Toronto the Lake Shore project is slated to be complete by the end of this year.
“Residents and community members can expect several improvements to their experience before then. This includes the opening of the new westbound Lake Shore bridge in October 2025.”
While frustrated with the delays and what they call confusing changes to the intersection, cyclists and pedestrians we spoke have high hopes for the finished project.
“If you look at what they did on Commissioners and the opening of Biidaasige Park, it’s amazing, but getting there right now from here is a nightmare,” said cyclist Mark Kuhlmann. “It’s a big job, but get it done. I think if it’s going to look remotely like the plans online with the pictures and diagrams they have, this will be great but the issue is they’ve still got a lot to do.”
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