TORONTO – Basketball fans will find it a little bit harder to get down to the Air Canada Centre this weekend with major highway and subway closures as the Toronto Raptors begin their NBA playoff series against the Indiana Pacers this weekend.
The Don Valley Parkway will be closed in both directions between Highway 401/404 and the Gardiner Expressway beginning on Friday at 11 p.m. for annual spring maintenance and reopen on Monday at 5 a.m.
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Motorists can use Don Mills Road, Bayview Avenue, Victoria Park Avenue and Kingston Road as alternative routes.
The city says it will implement timing changes to traffic signals to enhance the flow of traffic and reduce congestion.
“It’s critical that we get out there and do our regular maintenance on an annual basis and this is a very important piece of making our infrastructure is kept up to speed and properly maintained,” said Public Works Chair Jaye Robinson.
A portion of the subway system will also be closed from St. George and Lawrence West stations due to signal and track work on Line 1.
The Toronto Transit Commission says shuttle buses will be used to move riders along the route.
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Robinson admits the lack of coordination on the closures is something to be improved upon.
“They are two different entities. TTC is a separate body to the transportation division but you’re absolutely right. We have to do better and that sort of thing is unacceptable,” she explained.
“The mayor is now heading up a committee that deals specifically with coordination. They have been meeting since the beginning of this term. We have a meeting on Tuesday morning and we’ll be addressing this.”
For drivers though, you can expect another major closure next month as well.
The Gardiner Expressway will be closed on the weekend of May 13 to 16 for similar maintenance work.
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