Yesterday, my partner and I explored the Lower Don Trail and it is now (almost) passable. We started at Pottery Road and the first section - going towards the Sculpture Garden is unchanged. I had hopes it might be repaved or bumpy sections repaired but no sign of that happening - at least not yet and the path is still slipping into the Don when you are on the larger hill.
The sculptures are still there and someone has been mowing the grass See:
https://www.blogto.com/arts/2017/09/duane-linklater-concrete-sculptures-toronto/
At Chester Springs Marsh the new lookout is there, looking somewhat lonely as it has been 'out of bounds' since it was built.. Details
https://www.toronto.ca/home/311-tor...ce-information/article/?kb=kA06g000001Un1sCAC
When you reach the bridge across the Don
work starts, and we encountered the first barrier that we saw. It had no (remaining?) signage and was at the west/south side of the bridge; the fence had been propped open - presumably by some of the (10 or 15) people we saw going north - so we went on.
The original plan was, I think, to replace this bridge with one that does not require a 90 degree turn but I really saw no sign of a new bridge or supports for it so fear this idea may have been cut. That said, there are two new pillars on west side of the Don close to the bridge they COULD be for the proposed bridge or they could be supports for the new slope that is, apparently, to be built between the Trail and the bridge that joins the two parts of Riverdale Park.
Between Riverdale Park and the Queen Street Bridge the old trail surface has been almost totally removed and covered in metal plates so that the guys can work and they clearly have been working on a new and wider trail - some sections look almost ready to pave, others need more compaction and gravel.
Despite the announcement on the Project website stating that
- June to July 2025: Steel ramp and stair components fabrication complete and delivery to site
- June 2025 to September 2025: Installing stair and ramp components on site, and landscaping for stormwater management
We saw no sign of any steel components, though several new concrete pads were there to receive them, when they arrive.
From the Queen/King Bridge the trail has (mostly) been repaved with huge concrete and steel barriers
As the City have an active project working on the DVP exit and Eastern Avenue bridges above the trail , I would not try to go here on a working day but it was Sunday and there were no workers and was no problem cutting round the side of the fence to proceed to the area at the Bala Underpass where the work on the Ontario Line is blocking the path going further south to the Lake Shore trail. One can, as we did, go through the Bala Underpass below the rail track here and into Corktown Common.
Though the section from the King/Queen Bridge to Bala MIGHT open in September (as advertised) , this will clearly depend on progress on the bridge work above it - I suspect it will not open for a while longer. The sections north of the King/Queen Bridge could open by the end of the year but only if they get the steel they need and actually put some workers on site. Though the closure of the southern section of this great trail would clearly have been an opportunity to do some 'regular maintenance' and repaving of the sections going further north towards Pottery Road, the City appears not to be doing any which is what one has come to expect from PFR. I bet that in a year or so that section will require a lengthy closure too!
This project has certainly taken far too long and seems to have gone through Project Mangers at a good rate, The latest one on the project website (
https://www.toronto.ca/city-governm...ents-expansion-redevelopment/lower-don-trail/ ) is new to me and is :
Rafie Mehraban, Senior Project Manager,
Telephone: 416-394-8442,
Email: Rafie.Mehraban@toronto.ca
