One of Toronto’s busiest intersections is slowly returning to normalcy following over a decade of construction.
The Yonge and Eglinton area of Toronto has been in a state of perpetual chaos since 2011 due to the building of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
The line was supposed to open in 2020 but its completion has been repeatedly delayed due to legal, construction and COVID-19 complications. There is still no official date set for its opening.
The development of the new train line created a long-standing and convoluted network of diversions for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists.
However, in late December of 2023, Yonge and Eglinton’s now infamously inconvenient intersection reopened with lessened restrictions on surrounding streets and pedestrian crossings, signalling that the project is in its final stretch.
The soon-to-be-open line will run 19 kilometres east to west, with more than 10 kilometres underground and 25 stations and stops along Eglinton Avenue. It will also link to 54 bus routes as well as three TTC subway stations and GO lines.
Delays and complications at the Yonge and Eglinton intersection were caused by a unique set of challenges, including building a station underneath the existing subway and then restoring street-level facilities, such as water mains, road and sidewalk paving, and bike lanes.
According to Metrolinx, the Ontario transit agency overseeing the project, significant progress has been made and construction will soon come to an end.
Some minor restrictions to vehicles and pedestrians will remain in place until the finishing touches are made, but the intersection is starting to resemble its pre-construction state and will reportedly return to normal in the early months of this year.
News of the project’s imminent completion sparked reaction across social media.
“The intersection is open to cross four ways for the first time in a decade, which is nice,” one Reddit user said.
“It’s been so refreshing crossing that intersection all 4 ways! We know it’s still a long way until Line 5 is open but this helps smooth the experience for us in the neighborhood. Now open up the path to Pizzaiolo so I can get a slice quicker,” another person commented.
However, others expressed their skepticism over construction coming to a close.
“I give it a month before they have to re-dig something,” another redditor said.
Councillor Josh Matlow, who represents Ward 12, part of the area affected by the construction, shared his thoughts on the 13-year project on X.
“Since 2011, Gangnam style came & went, Britain left the EU, Donald Trump was president, Notre Dame burned down…and was rebuilt, social justice movements changed the world and a global pandemic occurred. Today, Yonge & Eglinton is finally just about open again,” he wrote on Dec 26.
Despite there being light at the end of the tunnel, road closures and diversion across Toronto are aplenty.
Metrolinx broke ground on the Ontario Line in 2021, but major construction began in 2023 and is scheduled to continue until 2031.
The Ontario Line will run from Exhibition Place, through the downtown core, to the Ontario Science Centre.
The line will bring 15 new stations and will reportedly reduce cross city travel from 70 minutes to 30, with connections to more than 40 other travel options along the way, including the TTC’s Line 1 and Line 2, three GO Transit rail lines, and the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
