What to know
- Multiple major festivals are closing streets across Toronto, including Ossfest and Chinatown Festival.
- Full Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway closures on Sunday for the Supertri triathlon.
- UP Express and GO Barrie Line will be completely shut down all weekend, with replacement bus service and delays.
- Expect heavy traffic, detours, and transit changes throughout the city and to Pearson Airport.
Whether you’re planning to travel within Toronto or catch a flight, these road disruptions and shutdowns could seriously complicate your weekend plans. Here’s what you need to know.
Toronto’s hosting several festivals this weekend, including Ossfest, Toronto Chinatown Festival, Supertri Toronto, and more.
To accommodate the events, the city is closing many major streets and full highway shutdowns for the triathlon. So, get ready for congestion, detours and rail service interruptions across the GTA.
Read More
Festival and local road closures
Ossington Avenue
For Ossfest, Ossington Avenue from Dundas West to Queen West will be shut down from 6 a.m. on Saturday until 4 a.m. on Sunday, July 26.
Queen Street East
The Beaches International Jazz Street Festival is having its streetfest come to an end on Saturday, but for its final day, Woodbine and Beaches Avenue will be closed from 6 p.m. until 11:59 p.m.
Spadina Avenue
Toronto Chinatown is arriving in Toronto, but that means the high-traffic area of Spadina, between Sullivan and St. Andrew, will be partially closed from midnight on Saturday until 11:59 p.m. the following day. However, the northbound lanes on Spadina and the eastbound and westbound lanes on Dundas will remain operational.
Eglinton Avenue West
The Dream Wheels on Eglinton Car Show is taking over the streets, closing traffic from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Transit disruptions
UP Express
If you’re planning to head to Pearson Airport, you might want to pack your bags extra early. The entire 23.3-kilometre route will be shut down the entire weekend due to planned construction.
However, replacement buses are in place, operating between Union Station Bus Terminal and Pearson Airport Terminal one on Saturday.
The following day, buses will run from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. After that time, it will be direct travel between Union and Pearson only.
Over 200 kilometres of GO and UP Express track will be out of commission this weekend, complicating travel plans for anyone commuting in or out of the city for major events.
GO Barrie Line
If you’re from Barrie, good luck… The entire line will be out of service this weekend due to planned construction, but GO buses will be replacing trains between Allandale Waterfront and Rutherford GO. It will also have direct service between Rutherford GO and the Highway 407 BUS Terminal, later connecting to downtown Toronto via the TTC’s Line one.
GO Kitchener Line
Expect partial closures at the Stratford or Kitchener GO stations, depending on the schedule, and at the Mount Pleasant GO station this weekend due to construction.
GO Lakeshore West Line
GO Lakeshore West Line users are luckier, only expecting slower service rather than closures. Trains will run at 30-minute intervals this weekend.
Major highway closures are coming up on Sunday
If these transit disruptions aren’t discouraging enough, major highway closures are also coming into effect for the SuperTri.
Gardiner Expressway
Eastbound lanes on the Gardiner Expressway will be closed from Humber River to the Don Valley Parkway from 2 a.m. to midnight to accommodate the triathlon.
Don Valley Parkway
The Don Valley Parkway’s northbound lanes will be closed from the Gardiner Expressway to Eglinton Avenue from 2 a.m. to midnight.
Lake Shore Boulevard West
The eastbound curb lane on Lake Shore Boulevard West from Ontario Drive to east of British Columbia Road from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the westbound curb lane from New Brunswick Way to British Columbia Road will be closed from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.
