Key Toronto intersection is finally reopening after days-long emergency closure

In what could be considered a holiday miracle, an emergency infrastructure project in Toronto has actually wrapped up earlier than anticipated, with a central downtown intersection now almost fully reopened after being shuttered to the public early Tuesday.

The TTC had to dispatch crews to the corner of King and Spadina mid-rush hour that morning after a GFL Environmental truck driver managed to drive through overhead wiring with the vehicle’s arms holding a dumpster high in the air.

The intricate web of live wires that powers multiple streetcar lines along the main streets was torn to the ground, leading to a full closure from Front to Adelaide along Spadina Avenue, and from Charlotte to Brant on King Street.

At first there was no ETA for completion of the critical fixes to the network, though police told blogTO Tuesday afternoon that it would likely take “an extended period of time.”

The TTC said by that evening that it would likely take until the end of the week to repair — but, it looks like the work is now done, and streetcars are already running through the intersection again as of around 9 a.m. Friday, per bystander reports.

Busy Toronto intersection shut down indefinitely after dump truck catastrophehttps://t.co/23loLDOFFr

— blogTO (@blogTO) December 17, 2024

An update from the commission at 9:21 a.m. states that workers have indeed finished up, with the 504 King and 508 Lake Shore transit lines now back on their regular routes.

“After working day and night for the past three days, TTC crews have completed extensive repairs at the intersection of King St. and Spadina Ave., which means it can reopen for streetcar service,” TTC CEO Greg Percy said in sharing the news.

He also thanked commuters for their patience, as well as all those involved in the restorations, which were complicated to perform.

Good news on King/Spadina!#TTC crews have completed repairs at King and Spadina, and 504 King and 508 Lake Shore (as scheduled) streetcar service has resumed regular routing. We’re advised the intersection remains closed to motor vehicles until the City de-ices the roadway.…

— TTC Media Relations 📰🚌🚋🚈 (@TTCNewsroom) December 20, 2024

As he explained, “this complex intersection has multiple intertwining cables and connectors supported by multiple poles. All of this infrastructure had first to be inspected to determine the extent of the damage. Once the inspection was complete, crews had to re-string the cables and restore power.”

Although regular streetcar service of the aforementioned lines has resumed, the area will remain blocked to vehicles and 510 Spadina buses for de-icing of the roadway.