Work to replace a 142-year-old watermain is expected to keep a downtown intersection closed for at least the next three months.
Starting Sunday, the intersection of King Street East and Church Street will be restricted to one lane in each direction at various points throughout the next 112 days as crews begin the work to replace the aging watermain.
From May to July, the City says it will attempt to maintain at least one travel lane in each direction before a full closure of the intersection from July to August, which will also involve the removal of streetcar tracks.
“Excavation and heavy breaking will occur at various times throughout the day …mainly between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Concrete breaking work is the most disruptive and will typically last the first 1-2 days for each phase of construction,” the City said in a release. “Around-the-clock work during rail installation by TTC is required to preserve the integrity and quality of new rail and concrete.”
The TTC says that due to the work, there will be changes to the 503/303 Kingston Rd, 504/304 King and 508 Lake Shore streetcars.
From May to June, there will be no streetcar service on King Street between River Street and Spadina Avenue with replacement buses operating between Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street East to Bathurst Street as well as in the Distillery District.
The 503/303 Kingston Road, 504/304 King and 508 Lake Shore will all divert along Queen Street, via Church Street, Richmond Street (westbound), Adelaide Street (eastbound) and York Street, before returning to King Street via Spadina Avenue. The 503 Kingston Road will also be extended and operate between Dufferin Gate and Bingham Loop.
From July to August, the 504C and 504D/304D King replacement bus will continue operating along King Street, but divert around the affected intersection via Jarvis Street, Front Street (eastbound), Wellington Street (westbound) and Yonge Street.
The City says it hopes to complete the watermain and track replacement project by the end of August.
