Cherry St., Don River park closed until 2013: Waterfront Toronto

By Anthony Marcusa –

During the April meeting of the West Don Lands Committee (WDLC), members of Waterfront Toronto provided an updated timetable for several projects tied to the 2015 Pan Am games.

Cherry St. between Eastern Ave. and Lakeshore will be closed until Dec. 31, while Cherry from Eastern to Queen will remain closed well into spring 2013. However, construction of Old Eastern Ave. will be completed by the end of August.

Though lengthy, the work will be comprehensive: underground services and utilities and infrastructure are being built to support future developments for years to come.

And while TTC tracks will be put in, the line will not be operational until after the games. Waterfront Toronto director James Roche admitted that there is uncertainty as to how and when the TTC line will be funded, whether it will be federal, provincial, or municipal.

The Don River park will also be closed for an extended period of time. While the dry side of the park will be under construction this summer, work on the wet side will not commence until December.

“We will have half a park, and so we’ve decided (based on access issues) that we will not be opening until the late spring of 2013,” explained Roche. “The costs are too great to have half, so we will wait until it’s a whole park.”

“I think we are all disappointed that it is so long delayed: people have been counting on it,” Cynthia Wilkey, chair of the WDLC, responded. “However, it will allow for planting to grow, so there is that benefit,” she adding, predicting a lush and full park upon its grand opening.

The official naming—or perhaps renaming—of Underpass Park was also discussed. “There is a strong desire to call it [Underpass Park] because of its unique nature,” said Wilkey. And while the WDLC committee members agreed, the final decision may be out of their hands if a formal naming process is announced by the city.