Metrolinx will be temporarily removing parts of a historic wrought-iron fence surrounding the grounds of Osgoode Hall along with the South African War Memorial on University Avenue in preparation for the upcoming construction of the 15.6-kilometre-long Ontario Line.
In a Dec. 12 post on X, Metrolinx, a Crown agency, said that specialized heritage protection teams will be taking down about 75 metres of the fence to allow for the construction of the new Ontario Line connection at the TTC’s Osgoode station. The fencing will be “safely stored off-site,” it said, until Ontario Line construction in that area is done.
The South African War Memorial, that is currently located on a median on University Avenue, will also be removed due to the construction of the Ontario Line. Much like with the Osgood Hall fence, heritage preservation teams will be carefully disassembling the monument in multiple pieces and storing it at a warehouse during construction, Metrolinx said.
The agency said that both the fencing and the memorial would be restored and re-instated once construction is finished.
A number of streetscape elements like benches, flagpoles, planters and trash cans, as well as nine trees, will also be removed as part of the preparation work, which could last roughly three months. This work is expected to take place during the daytime hours.
Temporary fencing will be installed around the work zone. This work is expected to take up to two days to complete and will be done overnight between the hours of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Further, a new northbound lane will be built on University Avenue in the area currently occupied by the eastern portion of the median. This work, which will also be done overnight, will require underground infrastructure works, excavation, backfilling, paving, and line painting to extend the existing road onto the median, Metrolinx said in a construction notice. Drivers should expect some lane closures while this is being done.
��Metrolinx is preparing for major Ontario Line construction to start at Queen Street West and University Avenue in early 2024, and that includes protecting key parts of Toronto’s history. (1/6) pic.twitter.com/9dXwlt50cv
— Ontario Line (@OntarioLine) December 11, 2023
In a statement provided to CP24.com on Tuesday, Metrolinx said that the Ontario Line connection at Osgoode Station will provide a “critical link to Line 1 and accommodate approximately 12,000 customers during the busiest hour, many of whom will also be making connections to the popular Queen Street streetcar.”
The province’s transportation agency also reiterated its commitment to preserving Toronto’s history “while delivering long-overdue transit for the future.”
“To prepare for construction, we have enlisted heritage preservation specialists to relocate the South African War Memorial and sections of the heritage fence at Osgoode, which will be taken to a storage facility for conservation and safekeeping,” Metrolinx said in a written statement.
“The memorial will be reinstated to its current location once construction is complete.”
Station construction is expected to begin early next year.
