Phase 1 - Emergency Exit Building Construction north side of Eglinton at Donlea Drive

The Eglinton Crosstown is a 19 kilometre light rail transit line that will run along Eglinton Avenue through the heart of Toronto, with an underground central section.  The line will connect Mount Dennis (at Black Creek Drive) in the west to Kennedy Road in the east, the new service will be up to 60% faster than bus service today.

Emergency exit buildings are used to evacuate passengers from tunnels in the event of an emergency at track level during operation. The image below indicates that the emergency exit building will be built close to Donlea Drive.

What work is starting?

What:  Emergency Exit Building No. 3 (EEB-3) headwall construction at Eglinton near Donlea Drive. This work includes relocating underground utilities beneath the Eglinton Avenue roadway and in the vicinity.

Why:  Headwalls are required to be in place prior to the arrival of tunnel boring machines at each of the stations and the emergency exit building locations.  Construction of the headwalls requires utilities to be moved safely out of the way before work begins.  As we approach the next phases of work for this area, further construction updates will be provided.

When:  Starting as early as April 28, crews will occupy the northern three lanes of Eglinton Ave for several months in the area west of Bessborough Drive/Donlea Drive to just east of Hanna Road, to construct headwalls for the Emergency Exit Building.  

Where:  Lane closures will be in place on Eglinton Ave East, west of Bessborough Drive near the area of Donlea Drive to just east of Hanna Road for several months to relocate utilities and to construct the headwalls. 

Specifically, construction will take place just east of Donlea Drive, in front of 662 and 664 Eglinton Avenue - the driveways to these addresses will be closed to traffic for the duration of construction.

Traffic Details

Traffic will be shifted to the south side of Eglinton and reduced to one lane in each direction near Donlea Drive from west of Bessborough Drive to just east of Hanna Road.  Lane closures will protect the general public and allow different construction crews to perform their work safely.

Other limited lane closures will follow to accommodate other activities required for the work.
Parking will be restricted along the north and south side of Eglinton in this construction zone.

Left turns from Bessborough Drive and Donlea Drive onto Eglinton will be prohibited.
Left turns from Eglinton onto Bessborough Drive and Donlea Drive will be prohibited.

Pedestrians:

To ensure safety of pedestrians in the vicinity of the construction zone, a temporary detour of pedestrian sidewalks on Eglinton Avenue East is required.  Pedestrians travelling on the north side of Eglinton will be diverted southward, around the EEB construction site, on a temporary sidewalk through double concrete barriers.  The cross-walk on Eglinton Avenue just east of Donlea Drive will remain open to pedestrians.

Following phase one construction, the sidewalk at 662 and 664 Eglinton will be reopened for phase two of construction.

Please take care when travelling near construction areas.

Transit Information

For the safety of transit riders, both eastbound and westbound TTC bus stops in the affected area will be relocated.  Watch for additional signs directing pedestrians.

Work Hours
  
The hours of work anticipated for these preliminary works are between 7 a.m. and 7  p.m.  Work is expected to take place Monday through Saturday.

Please Contact Us

If you would like more detail about this work or any other aspect of the Eglinton Crosstown project, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We thank you for your continued patience as we work to build rapid transit.