How Will Construction Affect Me?

Construction Notices

Work on the Port Lands Flood Protection and Lake Shore Boulevard East projects has impacts on Lake Shore Boulevard, Gardiner Expressway, Cherry and Commissioners Streets, cycling facilities on Lake Shore Boulevard East and the Lower Don Trail. Below are up-to-date details on closures and detours.

For recent or upcoming public meetings about construction, click here.

To read FAQs about the Lake Shore Boulevard East Project, click here. For an overview of the Port Lands Flood Protection project, click here.

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• Construction on Lake Shore Boulevard East
• Bike Detour for the Lower Don Trail and Multi-Use Trail on Lake Shore Boulevard
• Subscribe to Email Construction Notices
• Managing Construction Impacts

Last updated November 23, 2023

Excavation of the West Plug: 2023-2024

The crews are starting the last phase of the River Valley Excavation, near ‘the west plug’.  This work comes with a minor risk of an unplanned flood in the river valley. There is no risk to the public. But in the unlikely event of an unplanned flood on the construction site, you may hear the evacuation alarm if you are nearby.

The alarm is 3 short blasts of an airhorn. If you hear the airhorn blasts, remember that as a member of the public in the surrounding areas, you are safe.  You do not need to evacuate if you hear the alarm.

Why does this work need an evacuation alarm? 

We are excavating the soil next to the ‘west plug’. The ‘west plug’ is an underground structure just east of the new Cherry Street bridge. Once we excavate the soil next to it, it is the only structure separating the lake from the excavation area. It is designed to hold back the lake water from entering the river valley, much like a dam. In the unlikely scenario where the dam failed, the lake water would rush into the river valley. All areas surrounding the river valley are at a higher elevation than the lake and would not flood.

As a precaution, our plans include an emergency evacuation protocol. This protocol applies only to the area we are excavating: within the river valley. It does not apply to any area outside of the construction site.

Lane Restrictions and Changes to Cycling Detour Route on Villiers Street

To facilitate infrastructure work undertaken by Enbridge Gas, Villiers Street is reduced to one lane with alternating directions of traffic between Saulter Street and Munition Street. It will be closed to vehicular traffic between Munition Street and Saulter Street from 8p.m. to 6a.m. nightly, until December 22.

As part of these lane restrictions, the unidirectional westbound cycling lane on the north side of Villiers Street has been removed. The formerly eastbound cycle lane on the south side of Villiers Street has been converted into a bi-directional lane to maintain access for cyclists.

What to expect – Vehicle Traffic:

• Villiers Street will remain open between Cherry Street and Don Roadway, and access to businesses on Villiers Street will be maintained.
• The closure will be marked by traffic cones.
• To travel east from the Port Lands: take Cherry Street north to Lake Shore Boulevard East, turn right on to Lake Shore Boulevard East.
• To travel into the Port Lands from the east: Left turns are not permitted from westbound Lake Shore Boulevard on to Cherry Street southbound. Take Leslie Street south to Unwin Avenue, and go west on Unwin Avenue to Cherry Street. Alternatively, travel farther west than Cherry Street, and turn around to approach the Port Lands from eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard.

What to expect – Cyclists and Pedestrians:

• The sidewalk on the north side of Villiers Street between Cherry Street and Saulter Street will be closed. Signage will redirect pedestrians to the south side.
• The cycle track on the north side of Villiers Street between Cherry Street and Saulter Street will be closed.
• The south cycle track will be converted to a bi-directional cycle track, between Cherry Street and Saulter Street.

Construction on Lake Shore Boulevard East

Now that the Gardiner-Logan ramps are removed, the easternmost access point to and from the Gardiner Expressway is at Jarvis Street. The realigned Gardiner and new ramps east of Cherry Street are in design now as part of the City of Toronto’s plans to reconfigure the Gardiner Expressway. Construction on the new ramps is tentatively scheduled to start in 2026. The City of Toronto will share more information regarding ramp realignment and construction starting after the completion of this project as it becomes available.

You can find updates on the City’s Gardiner East project here.

Nightly Closures of the Don Valley Parkway Ramps at Lake Shore Boulevard East: Starting as soon as Monday, November 27 until mid December

To prepare for construction of the north half of the Lake Shore Bridge over the Don Roadway, the ramp to and from the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) to Lake Shore Boulevard East will be closed nightly for approximately two weeks. The nightly closures will start as soon as Monday, November 27. Nightly closures will begin at 10 p.m., and the ramps will reopen by 5 a.m.

What to expect:

• There will be no access to the DVP from Lake Shore Boulevard East
• The exit from the DVP to Lake Shore Boulevard East will be closed
• The closure will be marked by traffic cones

Lane diversions on Lake Shore Boulevard East between Cherry Street and Carlaw Avenue, February 28, 2022-December 2024

A video outlining the lane diversions can be found here.

See a static diagram of the lane diversions shown in the the video here.

For more details, see Construction Notice #30.

Full closure of Don Roadway south of Lake Shore Boulevard: Until 2024

To construct permanent flood protection along Don Roadway and rebuild the road, Don Roadway is closed south of Lake Shore Boulevard until 2024. Commissioners Street remains closed between Cherry Street and Don Roadway, until Summer 2023.

Recommended routes to and from the Port Lands and Don Valley Parkway are described in Construction Notice #26.

Lower Don Trail South of Corktown Common Closed

The Lower Don Trail is now closed between Corktown Common and Cherry Street. This closure is in addition to the temporary closure of the multi-use trail on Lake Shore Boulevard between Don Roadway and Logan Avenue and the permanent closure of the cycling/pedestrian bridge over the Don River.

A detour route is in place along Mill Street, Cherry Street, Villiers Street, Saulter Street, Commissioners Street and Carlaw Avenue. See map below.

Above: A map showing the cycling detour routes around the closure of the Lower Don Trail between Corktown Common and Cherry Street and the closure of the multi-use trail along Lake Shore Boulevard between Don Roadway and Logan Avenue. 

What to expect:

• The multi-use trails in this area will be closed until 2025
• The intersection of Cherry Street and Lake Shore Boulevard is being reworked to simplify movements east and west for cyclists. Until that work is complete, the crossing will continue to follow the existing configuration.

For specific directions on how to get around the closure of the trail south of Corktown Common, read Construction Notice #29.

For directions on how to get east or west across the Don River, read Construction Notice #28.

See all construction notices issued for this project here.

Minimizing Construction Impacts

Port Lands Flood Protection is a seven-year construction project – and one of the largest infrastructure projects in Toronto’s history.  

During the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Environmental Assessment, the project team identified potential impacts from this construction and developed a series of plans to manage these impacts. Following these Environmental Management Plans will allow us to minimize impacts to the environment during and after construction. These plans may be modified to reflect new information or challenges encountered on the construction site.  

To make the details of these plans easier to find and understand, we’ve summarized each plan. Those summaries are available here: 

Air Quality and Noise Monitoring Plan 

Groundwater Management Plan

Odour Management Plan

Soil Management Plan

Surface Water Management Plan

We recognize the challenges and inconveniences construction presents to local communities. While some construction projects cannot be changed or delayed, we minimize impacts as best we can.

Here are some of the ways we’re reducing construction impacts for the Lake Shore Boulevard East project:

• Coordinating with the City of Toronto and outside agencies such as Metrolinx and Toronto Hydro to identify their construction needs and avoid overlapping road closures
• Changes to lane configuration and traffic signal timing to keep traffic moving
• Reconstruction at certain intersections and ramps to the Gardiner Expressway to improve the flow of traffic during construction

Do you have a concern, complaint or question about construction? Click here to submit your inquiry to the project team.

Construction Schedule

Construction on the Port Lands Flood Protection project started in 2017 and will be done in 2024. See what’s coming up over the next few months. We’ll continue to adjust our construction sequencing and timing to account for factors like nearby construction and coordination with our partners. Find out more about what we’re building.

Construction on the Lake Shore Boulevard East project started August 31, 2021. Construction will be complete in 2024.

Construction Liaison Committee (CLC)

The Port Lands Flood Protection Construction Liaison Committee (CLC) is made up of local residents and businesses. Members meet regularly with the project team to discuss construction activities and updates. The committee is tasked with bringing forward questions, concerns and feedback from the communities they represent. They work closely with the project team and construction manager, EllisDon, to ensure surrounding communities are aware of upcoming construction and help the project team manage any potential construction impacts.

Interested in getting involved? Email us.