City of Toronto set to begin sidewalk, security upgrades outside Union Station

Years after declaring a formal end to major restoration and expansion work, City of Toronto officials say construction on the final notable project begins on Tuesday at the pedestrian space in front of Union Station.

In a brief message posted on the City of Toronto’s Facebook and X accounts Monday afternoon, officials said the Front Street West sidewalk outside Union Station “will undergo some construction in order to improve pedestrian safety.”

As part of the work, officials said the taxi stand outside Union Station located east of York Street will be temporarily moved closer to Bay Street but vehicular traffic lanes will be maintained.

They added the work is expected to be completed in spring 2025.

Officials didn’t release additional information on the project and the exact nature of the changes, but earlier in the month a City of Toronto bid award panel signed off on a $2.4-million contract for “anti-terror concrete blocks” and sidewalk waterproofing at the transportation hub.

There have been multiple delays on the security barrier project in front of Union Station.

In June 2022, CityNews was told by City of Toronto officials the barrier project was being delayed until 2023 due to increased costs and a need for significant and careful waterproofing.

Graham Leah, the City of Toronto’s director of property management services, told CityNews in November 2023 that COVID-19 affected the project. He said heritage and accessibility considerations, an assessment of various underground utilities and TTC subway infrastructure impacts forced a rethink too.

“The final design contemplates a mix of custom-design, cement barriers as well as steel bollards, which suit the purpose of what the security needs are there,” Leah said at the time.

“The rest of it is really just working to figure out how to do the implementation of things (and) making sure that it fits with the characteristic of Union Station. It’s a very dynamic place for a quarter of a million people to come through on a daily basis.”

It’s not clear if steel bollards will still be part of the final solution. CityNews asked municipal officials for a design rendering and more details Monday afternoon, but a representative overseeing the project wasn’t immediately available.

After the Yonge Street van attack in 2018, municipal crews moved quickly to boost security around Union Station. That safety push saw dozens of concrete barriers installed on Front Street West in a bid to add protection to Canada’s busiest rail hub.

However, as the years passed many of the concrete barriers appeared to degrade. When CityNews visited in 2023, some barriers were stuffed with trash while others had graffiti and hand-written directions to the bike share station.