University Avenue & Queen’s Park Upgrades

January 2026

Watermain replacement, road resurfacing and bikeway construction on University Avenue from College Street to 120 metres north of Queen Street West is expected to begin in early August 2026 and end in Spring 2027.

Please see the Construction Notice for more details.

September 2025

Beginning in September 2025, the City will replace the watermain and the City-owned portion of substandard water services on Queens Park Crescent East from College Street to Queen’s Park. As part of roadway restoration, permanent concrete curbs will be added between the existing cycle track and motor vehicle lanes for enhanced separation. To prevent buses from having to enter the cycling area, the existing cycle track will be raised to sidewalk level at transit stops, with a platform built for pedestrians to cross the cycling facility and board or disembark from the bus.

During construction, the northbound cycle track on Queens Park Crescent East will be closed and the roadway reduced to a single travel lane. Road users should expect delays and increased traffic on nearby streets. When driving, please be mindful of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and people cycling. Motorists are reminded to share the lane with people cycling, who have the right to utilize the full lane when riding with mixed traffic. When passing a cyclist, the Highway Traffic Act requires motorists maintain a minimum distance of one metre between their vehicle and the cyclist.

Cyclists are encouraged to use the alternate northbound cycling routes via St. George Street or Bay Street.

Please see the Construction Notice for more details.

Watermain replacement and road resurfacing/restoration was completed for the west side of University Avenue in 2024. Upgrades included:

• Replacement of the quick-build cycle track with a continuous concrete barrier from College Street to Dundas Street West;
• Minor adjustments to the quick-build cycle track from Dundas Street West to 120 metres north of Queen Street West;
• Addition of integrated bike/bus platforms, raised platforms for accessible WheelTrans loading in front of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and accessible loading zones with breaks in the cycle track barrier and dropped curbs to facilitate passenger pick-up and drop-off;
• Curb radii reductions, protected intersection elements, and pedestrian accessibility features where feasible, to improve safety for pedestrians and people cycling;
• Addition of green infrastructure and plantings from College Street to Dundas Street West within the cycle track barrier; and
• Upgrades to existing pavement markings.

Upgrades on the east side of University Avenue include:

• Replacement of the existing quick-build cycle track with a continuous concrete barrier from College Street to Dundas Street West;
• Minor adjustments to the existing quick-build cycle track from Dundas Street West to Armoury Street;
• Construction of integrated bike/bus platforms from College Street to Dundas Street West;
• Addition of a raised platform for accessible WheelTrans loading in front of Toronto General Hospital;
• Curb radii reductions and curb extensions throughout the project area, where feasible, to tighten up the intersection corners and slow down turning motorists and to improve pedestrian and cycling crossing safety;
• Installation of other pedestrian accessibility features, such as AODA-compliant curb ramps and tactile warning strips; and
• Upgrades to existing pavement markings.

As part of the ActiveTO temporary cycling network, cycle tracks were installed on University Avenue/Queens Park between Avenue Road and Adelaide Street in 2020 to provide multi-modal capacity along the Line 1 subway and as a connection for essential workers at the four hospitals that face the street. This corridor also connects well used east/west cycling corridors including Harbord Street, College Street, Richmond Street, and Adelaide Street. This route was identified as a priority Major City-Wide Cycling Corridor in Toronto’s Cycling Network Plan.

Between Avenue Road and College Street, both curb lanes (northbound and southbound) were converted to protected cycle tracks.

Between College Street and Adelaide Street, parking protected cycle tracks were installed. Parking was maintained and converted to 24/7 access (parking was banned during peak hours previously) due to the demand for hospital pick-up and drop-off.

Raised platforms were added for accessible bus and hospital loading and green markings were added at hospital driveways to alert all users of the conflict area.

After they were made permanent by City Council in December 2021, the University Avenue/Queens Park Crescent cycle tracks pavement markings were refreshed to bring them up to standards with added safety features, such as decorative curb extensions at key locations along the route, which reduce crossing distances, improve sight lines and reduce turning vehicle speeds.

The cycle tracks were further extended south to King Street West in 2022 and 100 metres south of Wellington Street West in 2024.

In 2024, cycle tracks were installed on Avenue Road between Bloor Street and Davenport Road to create a continuous 3.4 km bikeway corridor along Avenue Road/Queens Park Crescent/University Avenue.