Dufferin St. Bridge closed 18 months for construction

WATCH: The Dufferin Street Bridge will be closed for almost 18 months. Marianne Dimain reports. 

TORONTO- The Dufferin Street Bridge will be closed to motorists for about 18 months for major repairs beginning Wednesday, as the city prepares a stopgap alternative for a structure supposed to last another few years before a permanent replacement’s built.

“While the existing structure has been found to be unsafe for vehicular traffic, it is safe for pedestrians and cyclists, who will continue to have access to the bridge until further notice,” wrote the City of Toronto in a public notice.

The existing bridge will be demolished and replaced with a temporary bridge for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. The city doesn’t yet know when the new bridge will be finished.

Construction on a new permanent bridge will begin in 2016. The new bridge was originally designed to accommodate an electrified train underneath and light rail transit above, with pedestrians crossing between the two.

Local councillor Gord Perks, said he hoped the bridge would last until 2016.

“Now we found out that we can’t wait until that permanent bridge is ready this is what we have to do to keep Torontonians safe,” he said in an interview.

During a press conference last week, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said the work on the bridge is necessary because the structure’s unsafe.

“This past Friday I was made aware of structural concerns on the Dufferin Street bridge,” said Mayor Rob Ford. “I just toured it, it is, as you see, in terrible shape – it’s not safe.”

The bridge, which leads from the southern foot of Dufferin onto Lakeshore Boulevard, carries 18,000 cars a day. The city expects traffic backups in the area as a result of the construction and will introduce a “traffic plan” to try and ease congestion, Perks said.

The bridge also serves as a main artery for floats and pedestrians in several events including the Labour Day Parade and the Indy Toronto race.

But Perks says most events will remain unimpeded by the construction.

City Staff have already started coordinating with event organizers and with the exception of the floats for the Labour Day parade, Perks said, the construction shouldn’t interfere with the events.