Construction for part of the Ontario Line could force Metrolinx to close the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto as it pushes forward with work on a major overpass for the new subway line.
The new transit project will connect Don Mills and Eglinton to Ontario Place by passing across the DVP, through Toronto’s east end, and into the downtown.
The Ontario Line was first announced in 2019 as an alternative to the downtown relief line, with a current completion estimate in the early 2030s and an estimated cost of just over $27 billion.
Part of the construction work will include building a new overpass for Ontario Line trains to cross above the Don Valley Parkway.
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Asked Wednesday if doing that would mean closing the artery, Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay acknowledged it might.
“We’ll be working closely with them to co-ordinate those works,” he said at a groundbreaking event for the project.
“Potentially, is the answer to the question … we are building the Bloor Viaduct again, three times, for this project, but these are massive works. We will work with all partners to minimize disruption.”
Opposition critics said they were concerned Metrolinx could be leading any closure on the major Toronto route.
“That’s going to be a pretty serious thing here in Toronto; they’re going to have to think long and hard about how they do that,” Ontario Liberal MPP John Fraser said.
“Hopefully, that gets planned well. I’m not convinced the government is good at planning those things … we can’t afford for this city to freeze up.”
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the potential closure was a worry.
“If he’s talking about the Don Valley (Parkway), I think Ontarians and Torontonians, in particular, should be very deeply concerned about this,” she said. “Metrolinx has shown us again and again that they can’t get this right, they are not learning lessons of the past.”
Another failure for Mayor Ford.