Some residents are annoyed with loud construction noise on King and Dufferin streets, but the city says the worst part will soon be over.
Last weekend, a large construction site took over the busy intersection, as the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) work on renewing aging streetcar tracks, replacing sidewalks and installing tactile plates in the region.
Until mid-November, when the work is set to be completed, the intersection will be fully closed to vehicles, as the city advises that sidewalk closures may also be necessary.
Several streetcar and bus routes in the region are also being disrupted, with the 504 and 508 streetcars and 29 and 929 buses diverting to other streets, while a 503 replacement bus is operating between King St. W. and Joe Shuster Way.
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The work is currently being carried 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with excavation and heavy breaking procedures happening at various times in the day, as the city hopes extended hours will help complete the project faster.
However, with crews working around the clock to complete the project, the loud construction noise in the area also seems to be annoying some local residents.
One resident who appears to live right at the intersection, says the loud noise has been affecting her sleep.
“I’m clearly not getting any sleep tonight,” she said.
The video has since gone viral, with thousands of views and hundreds of comments from other Torontonians sharing their takes on the construction.
“I’m so F-ing done with waking up at 6 a.m. from the trucks then drilling at 7 or 8 a.m., ugh,” one resident commented.
“That’s why I would NEVER live downtown,” another person said.
“Construction should be only done during the noon hours…People need sleep,” a different person added.
Meanwhile, some other residents are agreeing that the noisy nights might be necessary to make sure the construction is finished in a timely manner.
“[The] fact is, it’s Toronto. If you want it done, they have to do long hours and the bulk of their work gets done when they can get supplies in. It’s not forever,” one person said.
“It’ll get done quicker. Put on some headphones,” another person added.
“People complain it takes three years to do work that would take a month if they could work 24/7,” a different person wrote.
Despite complaints, the city tells Now Toronto that the work is essential to grant future safe and reliable transit services in the area, and thanks the public for their patience.
A city spokesperson says noisy construction tasks are currently being carried out between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., with overnight hours reserved for low-noise work. In addition, the city predicts that noisy concrete breaking tasks will soon come to an end.
“This is the noisiest and most impactful part of the project, and the City anticipates it to be complete by the end of the week,” a spokesperson said in an email to Now Toronto on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the TTC is apologizing to local residents and businesses for any noise and disruption, but is also highlighting the importance of the work.
“We understand the concerns about noise and disruption. We apologize for residents’ and business’s patience for the temporary inconvenience. We are working to complete this project as quickly [and as] safely [as] possible,” a TTC spokesperson told Now Toronto.
Residents can also find more information about the construction here.
