Progress Along Eglinton Avenue

Construction on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT seems to have no end in sight with Metrolinx and the Ontario government not offering any clear timelines on when the new transit line would open. However, most of the road work appears to be completed with the exception of between Avenue Road and Holly Street. Before heading to Canadian Blood Services to donate blood yesterday – it happens to be National Blood Donor Week – I decided to check out the progress between Cedarvale (at Allen Expressway) and Eglinton (at Yonge Street) stations.

Aside from a few pylons and the presence of a traffic enforcement officer, work on Eglinton Avenue at Cedarvale station – where motorists can get on or off the Allen Expressway – appears be largely done. Raised cycle tracks appear to be in place between Park Hill and Flanders Roads, while access to the Allen Expressway northbound has been reconfigured to allow two turning lanes in both directions.

The station structures also appear to be in place. I could see some bicycle racks in place at the main Cedarvale station building.

Earlier this week, the President at my workplace – Lance – informed me about a problem with the traffic signal placement for westbound traffic seeking to turn right onto the Allen Expressway. The two right turn signals were placed on each side of the bicycle signals even though the raised cycle track is placed next to the curb. Given the way the lights were placed, I was informed a cyclist was almost hit there.

Makes me wonder if a metal arm should have been installed on the right side of the pole to move the bicycle signals there? Would be great to get some insight from traffic planners on what is the most intuitive way to show bicycle signals.

As I progressed east on Eglinton, the raised cycle tracks were installed next to Forest Hill (at Bathurst Street) and Chaplin stations for slightly more than one block at each station. Bathurst and Eglinton has a housing development under construction which we can expect to see a lot more of over the next few years.

The station entrances tend to follow a consistent design throughout using glass boxes and orange touches. However, much of the road surfacing between stations has been rough and could use some repaving.

While the raised cycle tracks appear largely in place on the north side from Avenue Road to Duplex Avenue, the ones on the south side go only as far west as Eastbourne Avenue. Here is a shot taken at Eglinton and Oriole Parkway showing the raised cycle track on the north side and construction on the south.

Even where the cycle tracks are present, the final paving has not been done yet in some parts such as at this bus platform west of Colin Avenue.

While extra care is needed around the work zones, the natural traffic calming it causes helps make things a bit safer for those biking.

Yonge and Eglinton is still one lane per direction with temporary decking. The bulk of remaining construction is at this interchange station.

After documenting the progress, it was time to take the subway to Bloor-Yonge for the blood appointment.

If you are able to, please consider donating blood on a regular basis. This act of civic duty helps save lives, the nurses there have always been very professional, and getting refreshments at the end is always a nice touch. 😊 I encourage you to book your appointment at www.blood.ca or (888) 236 6283.

There is another update regarding eglintonTOday. Instead of in June, the final report will go to the Infrastructure & Environment Committee in Fall 2023 with the recommended design while construction has been deferred to 2024 to align with the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. While reviewing the public consultation report, I noticed support has been mixed with the sections from Oakwood Avenue to Bathurst Street and from Bathurst Street to Mount Pleasant Road seeing slightly more respondents being unsupportive of the changes than those who supported them.