Whether you like it or not, Halloween weekend is here, giving new meaning to the “Sunday Scaries.”
And this year, Halloweekend is shaping up in a pre-pandemic fashion, meaning no masks, packed event venues, and throngs of costumed Torontonians flocking to Church Street and forgetting their props on public transit.
As the festivities kick off this weekend, so will a number of road closures. This is in combination with several ongoing road closures expected to be in effect until mid-November, including multiple closures along College Street and reduced lanes on The Queensway, amongst more.
It’s also important to note that some of this weekend's road closures will spill into Monday. So any parents driving their kids to the “good neighbourhood” for trick-or-treating should… beware!
Weekend Road Closures
- Danforth Avenue, between Broadview Avenue and Donlands Avenue, will be closed to vehicular traffic from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 30 for the Oxi Day Parade.
- Church Street, between the north side of Carlton Street to the south side of Gloucester Street, will be closed to vehicular traffic from 6 p.m. on Monday, October 31 to 2 a.m. on Tuesday, November 1 for the Halloween on Church event.
- Traffic lanes, bike lanes, and sidewalks on Yonge Street from Lake Shore Boulevard to Front Street will be closed starting at 7 a.m. on Friday, October 28 until 11 p.m. on Sunday, October 30 to facilitate a partial demolition of the Metrolinx bridge over Yonge Street. Access to Yonge Street from the westbound Gardiner off-ramp will also be closed, and northbound and southbound vehicular traffic will be redirected at Lake Shore Boulevard and Front Street, respectively.
- Access to Lake Shore Boulevard East via northbound Parliament Street will be closed until 9 p.m. on Sunday, October 30 for gas main work. One westbound lane will be maintained across the intersection, and northbound and southbound traffic will be redirected at Lake Shore Boulevard East and Front Street East, respectively.
- The Esplanade, between Market Street and Church Street, will be closed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 30 for crane-related work.
- Yonge Street, between Maitland Street and Alexander Street, will be closed from 7 p.m. on Friday, October 28 to 5 a.m. on Monday, October 31 for crane-related work.
- Rees Street from Bremner Boulevard to Lake Shore Boulevard West is closed to vehicular traffic until 6 p.m. Friday, October 28 for scheduled work by Toronto Hydro.
Ongoing Road Closures
- Adelaide Street from west of Simcoe Street to Bay Street is reduced to one shared lane and the intersection of University Avenue and Adelaide Street is reduced to one lane in each direction for major construction. There will also be a partial intersection closure on Adelaide Street at Simcoe Street with no through traffic south of Adelaide until mid-November.
- Adelaide Street from Widmer Street to Simcoe Street will be reduced to one shared lane and there will be partial intersection closures at Widmer Street, John Street, and Duncan Street, beginning the week of October 31.
- College Street, between Borden Street and Spadina Avenue, is reduced to one eastbound lane, and College Street from St. George Street to University Avenue is reduced to one westbound lane until mid-November to accommodate TTC track replacement and other infrastructure upgrades.
- Southbound University Avenue at College Street will be reduced to one lane on Tuesday, November 1.
- The intersection of King Street West and Shaw Street is fully closed until mid-November for TTC track replacement.
- Traffic lanes on Queens Park, between Bloor Street West and Queen’s Park Crescent, are reduced to accommodate elevator installation work at Museum Station.
- The Queensway has a reduced number of lanes in both directions, between Parkside Drive and the King-Queen-Queensway-Roncesvalles (KQQR) intersection, for TTC track replacement and road reconstruction work. Eastbound left turns are not permitted from The Queensway to Glendale Avenue.
- Roncesvalles Avenue is closed from Queen Street West to Harvard Avenue for water main replacement, TTC track replacement, and road reconstruction.
- Wellington Street, from Church Street to Yonge Street, is reduced to one westbound lane for TTC track replacement and sidewalk improvements.
- Scott Street, north of Wellington Street, is closed to all vehicular traffic.
Metrolinx Closures and Service Disruptions
- Lakeshore West trains will run hourly between Union Station and West Harbour GO Station, and connection times between Lakeshore East and West trains will be longer. Niagara Falls trains and bus routes 12, 15, and 18 will operate on adjusted schedules.
- Trains will operate on adjusted schedules on the Lakeshore East line to accommodate work on the Lakeshore West line.
- There will be hourly GO Train service on the Barrie Line between Union and Aurora GO Stations, and no trains will run between Aurora GO and Allandale Waterfront GO. Buses will replace some of the cancelled train service. Up-to-date information can be accessed on the GO Transit website.
