It feels like Torontonians are spending more time than ever stuck in traffic and with a series of major construction projects planned for 2025, there may not be much relief on the horizon.
Judy Tse, who is the director of the City of Toronto’s recently formed Strategic Capital Coordination Office, told CP24.com, during a recent interview that “we’re at the height of construction in terms of the city.”
In 2024, Toronto’s Engineering & Construction Services Division completed more than 100 capital projects, spending more than $1 billion building and renewing essential infrastructure, according to the city. That work included roadways and water infrastructure.
“Looking ahead, 2025 will be another significant year of progress, with several major projects set to be completed,” the city said.
Flipping through her notes, Tse rattled off a shortlist of more than a dozen major road and infrastructure projects that will be keeping her busy in 2025 as well.
They include obvious ones, like the ongoing Gardiner Expressway work and major transit expansion projects like the Ontario Line and the Scarborough subway extension.
But there other projects which aren’t as well-known will nevertheless still have a major impact as well.
For example bridge reconstruction work is also planned around the Richmond Exit from the DVP; a complete street project for Gerrard Street East will see bike lanes installed, 100-year-old watermains replaced, greening and road repaving; Scarborough Golf Club Road will see road improvements and watermain replacement between Lawrence Avenue and Ellesmere Road; and the intersection of King Street East and Church Street will see watermain and track replacement work.
Painful, but necessary
It’s a staggering amount of work, which will also likely result in a slew of road closures, lane reductions and diversions for drivers and commuters, and it comes on top of construction on the Ontario Line subway that has already resulted in the long-term closure of a portion of Queen Street West.
The work might cause some pain for those getting around town, but it’s still much better than the alternative, Tse said.
“This work is very necessary in order to for us to ensure that we have the infrastructure in place to support our existing growth that’s being developed, as well as our state of good repair,” she said.
Many people might recall major flooding which shut down the intersection of University Avenue and King Street for nearly two weeks in 2023 after an aging watermain failed. Not only did that break flood the roadway, it opened up a void underneath the streetcar tracks which had to be filled in and repaired.
The unexpected episode snarled traffic and highlighted the perils of failing to keep up with major repair work in a large city.
One of the major goals of Tse’s office is to ensure that major roadwork is coordinated so that crews don’t have to tear up roads multiple times.
“We go through an exercise to take a look at what we can do to minimize impact,” she said.
That also means making sure that different projects are not being done close together at the same time so that alternate routes are available for those moving through the area.
Still, there’s no getting around the need to keep fixing the aging and ever-growing city.
“We want to make sure that there’s enough capacity in the system so that we can support growth, and we want to make sure that the infrastructure is not going to fail,” Tse said.
‘Huge infrastructure backlog’
It’s a problem the city has grappled with for years. Caught between chronic underfunding and a desire to provide more services, Toronto has wracked up a major infrastructure backlog.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow acknowledged as much at a recent news conference.
“The City of Toronto has a huge infrastructure backlog,” Chow said. “You can see it on our subway stations. You can see it with the track works, the signals, the roads. We need to keep everything in a state of good repair, that’s our top priority.”
Chow made the comments when asked why the city is shrinking the SmartTrack transit project from five stations to three (while asking the province to pay for the other two). She added that costs for the project had ballooned and that “it’s not my style to spend money we don’t have.”
A roof vs. kitchen problem
Professor Matti Siemiatycki, who serves as director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto, told CP24.com that part of the problem has been that there are not typically “ribbon cuttings” for repaired watermains.
Infrastructure projects which are critical for upkeep are sometimes put off as the city works on projects that are more tangible to residents.
“When you think of doing renovations in your home, most people think about the glamor spots, the spots that really get attention -- the kitchen, the bathrooms, new floors or whatever,” Siemiatycki said. “And sometimes it’s just the real nuts and bolts of making sure your heater and furnace and your water tank work.”
He said that if it seems like more work is being done now, it’s because the city is “sprinting to stand still” as it works to catch up on “decades” of underinvestment in some of its more overlooked infrastructure.
“We are at peak construction in Toronto. We were in the midst of a major expansion of our transit system in particular, and so people are experiencing that construction,” he said.
While some of that work is very good news for the city, Siemiatycki acknowledged it also means that residents are seeing construction “every time you turn a corner, whether you’re walking, biking, driving or on transit.”
Here are some of the major projects that you can expect to see around the city in 2025:
Continuing work on Gardiner Expressway Section 2 (Dufferin to Strachan)
24/7 work is expected to continue through the year to rehabilitate this crumbling stretch of the Gardiner. The work is expected to be complete in spring 2026.
Gerrard Street East Complete Street project (Sherbourne Street to Parliament Street)
Pedestrian safety improvements, road reconstruction, streetscape enhancements and watermain replacements are all part of a plan to give Gerrard a major facelift.
Scarborough Golf Club Road (Lawrence to Ellesmere)
An aging watermain will be replaced and there will be road safety improvements.
Rehabilitation of Eastern/Adelaide Bridges around Richmond Street
The city is continuing to rehabilitate four bridges in the area around the Richmond Street Exit from the DVP. Until Spring 2025, the area of Underpass Park between St. Lawrence Street and Lower River Street will be closed because of the work.
Bathurst Street/Lake Shore Boulevard West/Fleet Street intersection
A 105-year-old watermain will be replaced and streetcar tracks will be replaced at the intersection as well. Streetscape improvements will also be carried out on Fleet Street, including sidewalk widening and more public seating.
Harbord/Hoskins Street (Wellesley – Ossington)
Watermain replacement work will continue and major road resurfacing will be carried out.
Wellesley Street (Jarvis to Sherbourne)
Work will include watermain replacement, major road construction and safety improvements.
King Street W & Dufferin Street Intersection
The city started work in February to replace a 146-year-old watermain and that work was completed in September. Streetcar tracks at the busy intersection were supposed to be replaced at the same time. But due to supply chain shortages, the TTC said, the track work was deferred to 2025.
Oriole Parkway (Eglinton to Chaplin)
The city is planning to resurface Oriole Parkway from Chaplin Crescent to Eglinton Avenue West in 2025. The work will include safety improvements and the greening of the Oriole Parkway centre median.
Sheppard Avenue East (Victoria Park to Kennedy)
The city will be carrying out major road resurfacing, adding safety improvements, and replacing a watermain
Port Union Road (Lawrence to Hwy 401)
Initial work began on a major road project for the area back in 2023, with full road reconstruction starting in spring 2024.
The work includes ongoing road widening for a new northbound lane and centre-turn lanes, roadway resurfacing, pedestrian safety improvements, updated street lighting, hydro poles, and stormwater drainage and replacement of watermain and service connections to homes.
While a winter break is planned for the work, it is set to resume on Jan. 5, with the installation of catch basins, street-lighting poles and retaining walls.
The overall project is expected to be complete by late 2025.
Transit expansion projects in 2025:
The city says tunneling and station construction for the Ontario Line, Scarborough Subway Extension and the Yonge North Subway Extension are progressing steadily, with design reviews “ongoing.”
Residents can expect to see active construction at various sites in 2025, including at Exhibition Station and the East Harbour Transit Hub.
Ontario Line:
Construction is active along the south and north segments, including station excavations, bridge upgrades, and preparatory work for elevated guideways. Active construction will take place at at various sites in 2025, including for the following planned stations: King-Bathurst, Queen-Spadina, Moss Park, and Pape Station.
GO Expansion:
Active construction will take place at “various sites” in 2025, including at Davenport Diamond.
SmartTrack Stations:
Early works, including utility relocations, are continuing and construction on Bloor Lansdowne is expected to begin in 2025. Active construction will take place at various sites in 2025, including the East Harbour Transit Hub and St. Clair-Old Weston GO Station.
Scarborough busway
According to the TTC, “significant steps” have been taken to advance the busway project, which will see a dedicated busway built in the path of the decommissioned Scarborough RT.
“The final design for the busway has been completed, incorporating feedback from extensive community and stakeholder consultations,” the TTC said.
The TTC has also completed a key assessment for the Minustry of the Environment.
“The TTC remains on schedule to remove former Line 3 rail and wayside infrastructure from the corridor in early 2025, a critical step toward initiating conversion work,” the TTC said.
Based on the 60 per cent design stage, project construction is now estimated at $67.9 million.
Construction will begin in 2025 and is expected to take two years.