TORONTO- The Dufferin Street bridge will be closed to traffic for approximately 18 months beginning Wednesday, June 12.
“This past Friday I was made aware of structural concerns on the Dufferin Street bridge,” said Mayor Rob Ford in a press conference. “I just toured it (and) it is, as you see, in terrible shape- it’s not safe.”
Ford said the bridge carries 18-thousand cars a day, but the impact on the general public will be minimal during the repairs.
“Days like today remind us all that we need to maintain investment in our cities aging infrastructure,” he said.
Pedestrians and cyclists will still have access, but staff say they are still searching for ways to accommodate some of the special event traffic that uses this bridge. Among these are the Labour Day parade and Indy Toronto race.
During the questioning period, Ford was asked about the idea for a Woodbine casino being turned down.
“I thought for sure we were going to get a casino up at Woodbine,” he said. “It was a close vote as you saw but when you refuse 10,000 good paying jobs and millions of dollars in potential revenue I just don’t understand what the councillors are thinking. Our loss, it looks like, is Vaughn’s gain.
He also touched on a reported threat against him. He said that a threat has come in but police are investigating and he cannot comment.
Ford made multiple public appearances today, an irregularity as of late. This prompted questions regarding if this is a prelude to campaigning.
“I work hard every day. If you want to perceive that as a campaign… if this was full campaign I’d be at 15 or 20 of them,” he said. “Four or five, we’re just starting up the motors here.”
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