The right-wingers are out... MM for Council next week. As the work at King/Church is now expected to reopen in early August this all seems particularly unnecessary....
MM31.18 - Re-Opening King Street for Business: Keeping Toronto’s Downtown Core and Canada’s Financial District Moving - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday
Notice of Motion
Consideration Type: ACTIONWards: All
Attention
* Notice of this Motion has been given.
* This Motion is subject to referral to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee. A two thirds vote is required to waive referral.
Recommendations
Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday, recommends that:
1. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, to make any necessary changes to reopen the portion of King Street between Spadina Avenue and Church Street to vehicular traffic for the duration of the King Street East and Church Street intersection closure, where streetcars are not currently in service.
2. City Council request the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services to report back to City Council by April 2026 with a proposal for increased stakeholder engagement and exploration of alternative options to mitigate congestion impacts in advance of construction beginning on future major infrastructure projects, particularly in the downtown core.
Summary
On June 2nd, the King Street East and Church Street intersection was closed to all traffic in order to facilitate the replacement of a 142-year-old watermain and reconstruction of Toronto Transit Commission streetcar tracks. The intersection closed four weeks ahead of schedule and will remain closed through the summer until at least mid-August.
As a result, three streetcar lines – carrying up to 25 streetcars per hour – have been diverted onto Queen, Richmond, and Adelaide streets, which also serve as detour routes due to ongoing Ontario Line construction at Queen and Yonge. Meanwhile, King Street – designated as a Transit Priority Corridor since 2019 – will sit underutilized through the downtown core, as streetcars are diverted off the route.
While completing the watermain repair and Toronto Transit Commission work concurrently is a positive step toward better construction coordination, this closure occurs in the broader context of multiple concurrent downtown projects. The cumulative impact will increase congestion and delays for both transit riders and motorists.
Since the King and Church intersection closure began, the following two weeks demonstrated the overwhelming gridlock on the remaining east-west routes. In previous years, the gridlock caused by King Street closures for Toronto International Film Festival was headline-making. This time, the closure will be for months instead of days.
Canada’s financial district must remain accessible for businesses, residents, and visitors. The full closure of King and Church has already taken effect and is projected to last through the summer. Immediate action is required to mitigate ongoing congestion and minimize the economic and mobility impacts to Toronto’s downtown core.
This motion recommends that Transportation Services temporarily suspend the King Street Transit Priority Corridor on this central segment for the duration of the King and Church intersection closure, during which no streetcars will be operating.
Allowing vehicles to use King Street between Spadina Avenue and Church Street would immediately relieve pressure on adjacent east-west routes, and minimize citywide traffic congestion during this critical period of downtown infrastructure work.
Because the Congestion Czar has not yet been appointed, this motion asks the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services to report back on how to incorporate more advance planning before similar major infrastructure closures occur in the future.
