Parkdale celebrates widening of Dufferin Street bridge
Parkdale residents are celebrating the end of detours at Dufferin Street and the completion of a pedestrian bridge over the train tracks at Queen Street West.
It's all part of the work to accommodate an additional track to increase GO Train service between Toronto and Barrie, Ont., but it's also part of a bigger plan to help pedestrians and cyclists connect to different parts of Parkdale.
The city has yet to confirm when people will be able to start using the area on top of the Dufferin Street overpass, which has been widened, but once it's open, tea bar owner Tariq Al Barwani hopes it attracts Torontonians from all over.
"That's what I foresee aiding this community, helping Parkdale be more of a destination," Al Barwani, owner of Plentea, said.
West Toronto Railpath to be extended
The province joined forces with the city in 2013 to build the overall project, which includes extending the West Toronto Railpath multi-use trail. Once completed, the trail will connect cyclists and pedestrians from Dupont Street to just east of Dufferin Street.
Until the construction of the West Toronto Railpath, train tracks divided neighbourhoods, cutting off access to services and businesses just blocks away.
"For me as a business owner, it`s good to have Plentea be exposed to people who live further north, further down Dupont, further downtown," Al Barwani said.
'It's a strange intersection here'
Parkdale's Business Improvement Association says the neighbourhood has a huge community of cyclists who will benefit from the trail.
"We were hoping this would allow other people to be connected to our community and they would have the opportunity, especially cyclists, to come off the bridge and walk into Parkdale and experience a neighbourhood they would probably just drive through," Anna Bartula said.
Cyclists are looking forward to having the option of a trail at the busy intersection of Queen Street and Dufferin Street.
"It's a strange intersection here," Dave Hunt said. "You're sort of blocked in the shade, it can be hard to see."
Bartula said she's also looking forward to the corner's new look.
"It also beautifies our community. There's wonderful landscaping and lighting here."
Eventually, cyclists will be able to go all the way to Liberty Village. The city is holding a drop in to show designs for the last leg of the multi-use trail on Thursday evening.
