Toronto Mayor John Tory has announced the start of the city’s 2021 construction season with more than $1 billion in infrastructure work planned for roads, bridges, expressways, TTC tracks, sewers, and watermains.
“Municipal construction and the work we’re doing to improve our infrastructure will help fuel our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and keep the foundations of this city in a state of good repair, especially when the economy begins to open up,” said Tory. “As we continue the vaccine rollout in Toronto, the need to renew the City’s aging water and transportation infrastructure, which millions of residents rely on every year, is stronger than ever.”
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people and is the fourth largest city in North America.
Approximately $446 million will be spent on rehabilitating and improving transportation infrastructure including:
- $140 million on bridges, culverts and other transportation infrastructure in the municipal right-of-way;
- $64 million on sidewalks and cycling infrastructure, Vision Zero infrastructure and the Road Safety Plan;
- $88 million on expressways including the F.G. Gardiner Strategic Rehabilitation;
- $82 million on major roads; and
- $72 million local roads.
In addition, approximately $616 million will be invested in water infrastructure including:
- $240 million on watermains, transmission watermains and water services;
- $98 million on sewers and forcemains;
- $150 million on basement flooding protection; and
- $128 million on storm water management projects including the Don River and Central Waterfront.
Some of the major projects planned for this year include:
- King-Queen-Queensway-Roncesvalles intersection reconfiguration and infrastructure improvements;
- Queen Street West from Fennings Street to Bay Street, watermain and TTC track replacement in addition to streetscaping work;
- Broadview Avenue between Gerrard Street East and Danforth Avenue, watermain replacement;
- Lower Jarvis Street from Queens Quay East to The Esplanade, watermain and sewer replacement;
- Bathurst Street between Ranee Avenue and Lawrence Avenue West, watermain replacement and road resurfacing, in addition to geometric safety improvements on Bathurst Street at Brooke Avenue and Prince Charles Drive;
- Bloor Street West between Spadina Avenue and Avenue Road, watermain replacement;
- Twenty Ninth Street and Lake Shore Boulevard West from Twenty Fourth Street to west of Thirty Second Street, watermain replacement;
- Kingston Road from Deep Dane Drive to Centennial Road North, road and sidewalk reconstruction;
- Tapscott Road from Hydro right-of-way to McLevin Avenue, road resurfacing;
- Midland Road from Hydro right-of-way to Sheppard Avenue East, road resurfacing and watermain replacement;
- Wellington Street from Yonge Street to Church Street and Church Street between King Street East and Wellington Street; TTC track replacement, geometric safety improvements and streetscaping; and
- Weston Road from Lawrence Avenue West to Humberview Crescent, road resurfacing and construction in addition to streetscaping work.
Last year, the city delivered $1.080 billion in construction related to water and transportation infrastructure.
The health and safety of all workers involved in construction, both contracted and city staff, will be guided by the terms and conditions of their contracts, most importantly the Occupational Health and Safety Act and adhere to guidelines issued by public health authorities and the Ministry of Labour to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
“With fewer commuters travelling on our streets due to the pandemic, now is the perfect time for the City to accelerate needed road construction and repair,” said Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park), chair of the infrastructure and environment committee. “These infrastructure projects will help keep Toronto working and support our economic recovery.”
Mayor Tory also recently announced that the City of Toronto, in partnership with the Governments of Canada and Ontario, has helped bring a new vaccine manufacturing facility in North York. This new facility will strengthen Canada’s domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity and future pandemic preparedness efforts. After design, construction, testing and qualification of the new facility and its equipment, it is expected to be operational by 2026. Through the City’s Gold Star program, the municipal government will help the facility, owned by Sanofi Pasteur Canada, navigate and expedite the development review and approval process for this important new facility.
Information about the Toronto’s planned capital construction work is available here.
