City Council considers long-term Yonge Street closure for Steeles Station construction and extending road-closure authority through 2030

transit

City Council considers long-term Yonge Street closure for Steeles Station construction and extending road-closure authority through 2030

Metrolinx is building the Steeles Station for the Yonge North Subway Extension, which will require closing and realigning Yonge Street between Steeles Avenue and Madawaska Avenue for two years during main excavation work. City Council is being asked to approve the full street closure, designate a temporary diversion road as a public highway, amend traffic and pedestrian by-laws, and extend the General Manager of Transportation Services' delegated authority to approve similar closures through December 31, 2030, without further reports to Council.

not yet heardToronto City Council · Wed, Jul 29You can weigh inDecided elsewhere

Also in this item

• Yonge Street, a major north-south arterial serving thousands of commuters, is proposed to be fully closed for approximately two years during the main construction phase (2027-2029 based on typical subway construction timelines). The diversion road west of the current alignment is a temporary public highway, not a permanent routing.

• The General Manager of Transportation Services would gain delegated authority through December 31, 2030, to approve similar long-term road closures and traffic modifications without subsequent Council reports. This extends authority beyond the Steeles Station project and could affect other major construction projects city-wide through the end of the decade.

The journey

Tue, Jul 7 · North York Community Council · amended

Wed, Jul 29 · Toronto City Council · not yet heard

Time to act

You can weigh in

Residents and businesses affected by the Yonge Street closure between Steeles and Madawaska can contact their ward councillor before the vote or depute at City Council if the item remains open for public comment. Ward 1 (Willowdale) and Ward 2 (Don Valley West) councillors are most directly affected.

Why is this story here?

Big deal at city hallA two-year full closure of a major arterial roadway in the existing right-of-way is a hard-to-reverse commitment affecting traffic flow and access across a large area of North York. The delegated authority extension to 2030 allows the General Manager to implement similar closures city-wide without Council approval, which is a departure from current control over major road changes. This meets the 'hard to reverse OR wide reach' test for substantial stakes.Felt nowThe full closure of Yonge Street between Steeles and Madawaska directly affects residents, commuters, cyclists, and pedestrians in a major corridor during construction. The diversion onto a temporary road west of the existing alignment changes daily routes and access. However, the closure is scheduled for future years (not in effect today), so present-week salience is limited to those planning or aware of the future impact. Direct effect on the recognizable group using this corridor, but deferred.

Stories are ordered by how much weight a decision carries and how directly it reaches daily life. They rise as a decision date approaches and fall as they age.

Official title: Metrolinx Yonge North Subway Extension - Long-Term Temporary Road Closures, Time Extension of the Temporary Delegation of Authority · meeting video