Remember when you had to detour over to Gladstone Avenue when traveling along Dufferin through Queen St? It was a century old traffic headache known as the Dufferin Jog. The city finally eliminated the jog back in 2010 when it revamped the railway overpass to allow traffic to pass underneath it, but now it's back -- at least temporarily.
When the bridge was improved six years ago, Metrolinx wanted to piggyback an expansion project onto the construction so that it would have an extra rail lane available for its projected service increase to the Barrie GO Lines that travel across the overpass.
This request was ultimately denied as then area councillor Adam Giambrone claimed that the area had already suffered for too long during the initial construction phase, which lasted five years. This was the equivalent of someone avoiding a visit to the dentist. Eventually you have to face the pain.
And so it is that the Dufferin Jog has returned as Metrolinx now works to add the fourth rail line that it put off in 2010. Dufferin is once again closed between Queen and Peel streets, necessitating an annoying detour that causes major traffic jams during rush hour.
The construction has also done a number on the arrival times of the Dufferin 29. Already a route with bunching problems, the congestion around Queen St. has made service even less predictable than normal. According to the TTC, it will divert its buses through the area until December 31st.
Metrolinx projects that the full closure of Dufferin St. might be lifted as early as the second week of October, but concedes that the overall project is going to take a full year, which means that you can expect delays through this area for a long time.
What do you think? Should all the work have been completed in one go? Add your thoughts in the comments.
by Derek Flack via blogTO
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