Infrastructure repairs on King Street West in Toronto’s Liberty Village can make navigating the often dust-riddled streets a headache to some, but an end may be in sight to the noisy construction.
Endless mazes of neon-orange pylons and signage meet the buzzing trills of drilling equipment and moving construction vehicles while walking between Dufferin and Shaw streets.
Work on the one-kilometre stretch of road has been underway since spring, with an aim to renew the aging 504 King streetcar tracks as well as replace the 146-year-old watermain that runs along the route.
The trackwork was expected to begin in February, with a goal of being completed by December. However, due to a delay in obtaining specialized materials, the end date was moved to 2025.
But now, the city says it has scrapped that timeline, and anticipates the work to be finished in November instead, one-month ahead of the original end date.
City residents and people who work in Liberty Village have expressed their frustration, some describing the construction scene as a “total mess.”
Sakti, a mother who lives in the area, says navigating the often-closed walkways have been “terrible,” especially as she walks with her baby in a stroller.
“At one point they had one side of the walkway open… I think this week, it’s gotten worse. They closed off both the walkways,” she explained to Now Toronto on Friday.
Sakti says there are no signs when pedestrian routes are closed, often forcing those walking to dangerously step into the road, and the lack of city planning and communication with residents is beginning to upset others in the neighbourhood.
“You don’t see any signs that says ‘walkway closed’ or anything,” she said. “I think our whole neighbourhood has been really mad about it, because there’s no planning.”
Other residents are worried about the safety issues when it comes to the closed walkways.
Julie, who recently began working in the area, says she’s “confused” while trying to steer the abundant deep holes in the ground. While standing in the middle of the street, she told Now Toronto she doesn’t feel safe.
“It’s annoying, and it’s making it more complicated for pedestrians,” she said.
Another city resident, Joe Mottola, says it’s his first time in Liberty Village since construction began and that he was surprised at the sight.
“We weren’t expecting this. We literally didn’t know how to cross the street. We got to an intersection and we’re like, do we go here? Do we go there? It’s insane,” he said.
Joe says the problem isn’t necessarily the signage, but the timing of it all. Due to the chaos of construction paired with cyclists and cars, he suggested having the city send police officers to help direct traffic during busier times.
The city says that it works to ensure pedestrian safety during all construction projects, and also told Now Toronto that it sends inspectors to conduct daily inspections.
“For the King Street Construction project, the City inspector conducts daily inspections to ensure that all signage is in place,” the city said in an email on Friday. “The City’s site inspectors have confirmed that the signage in place for this project is per the approved Traffic Management Plan submitted to the City.”
As of Friday, the city also said sidewalk restoration work is complete on the south side of King Street and no obstructions are in place for the full stretch of sidewalk.
