Constructing Queens Quay

Quick Facts

Length of construction:

1.7 kilometres

Location:

Yo Yo Ma Lane to Bay St. plus southside enhancements from Bay St. to Jarvis St.

Hydro work:

There were 47 new or rebuilt chambers and 32 concrete-encased ducts

TTC work:

Track removals, slight realignment and reconstruction of tracks including half grand union and turning loop at Lower Spadina Ave.

Storm and sanitary:

New storm and sanitary infrastructure and watermain between HTO East and Bay St.

Trees:

Approximately 240 trees were planted.

Granite:

Approximately 2.5 million Canadian granite pavers were installed by hand.

Queens Quay has been rebuilt and revitalized both above and below ground.

Construction of Queens Quay - Toronto's waterfront boulevard - was completed and the street officially opened on June 19, 2015. After three years of construction, the transformation of Queens Quay completely rebuilt and revitalized Queens Quay both above and below ground.

The revitalization of Queens Quay was about much more than rebuilding the roadway. Waterfront Toronto led a coordinated construction effort that integrated improvements to the public realm with much needed infrastructure and utility upgrades. The goal was to avoid the need for construction in the near future by making these upgrades at the same time.

There were many changes in how the street (Bay St. to Yo Yo Ma Lane) operated during construction.

One way traffic on either the north or south side of the roadway – alternating between where crews were working.
TTC was rerouted when the streetcar was out of service.
Temporary gangplanks for foot traffic while zones in front of stores were being rebuilt -- access to all storefronts was maintained.
Fences around construction areas were in place to maintain pedestrian and vehicular safety.
Construction noise as permitted by City bylaws.

Eastern Construction was the Construction Manager and was responsible for overseeing the project on behalf of Waterfront Toronto.

What We Built

The new Queens Quay had six major components. See how they come together to make a beautiful waterfront street.

diagram showing cross section of the various components of building the new Queens Quay West

Construction Liaison Committee

The Queens Quay Construction Liaison Committee provided a forum for residents, businesses and neighbourhood groups to discuss construction related issues. The committee met on a monthly basis during construction.

Queens Quay CLC material - including the Committee membership, Terms of Reference, Minutes and Presentations can be found in our document library.

Open for Business

Queens Quay was open for business during construction. All area businesses, waterfront festivals and events continued and Queens Quay remained open to transit, car and pedestrian traffic. Access was maintained to all businesses at all times. Visit the Waterfront BIA's website.

Construction Notice

Throughout the construction of Queens Quay we issued a detailed construction notice every week and special notices when required. An archive of notices can be found in our document library.

Queens Quay looking west

Watch the revitalization of the central waterfront in this time lapse video as Queens Quay transformed into one of the world’s most beautiful waterfront boulevards. This view was taken from the rooftop of Admiralty Point Condominiums at 251 Queens Quay West and is facing west looking at the Rees WaveDeck and HtO Park.

Queens Quay looking east

View construction time lapse footage of Queens Quay – Toronto’s main waterfront street - as it was revitalized into a showpiece for the city and a world-class waterfront destination. This view was taken from the rooftop of the Radisson Hotel Admiral Toronto-Harbourfront and is looking east with the Simcoe WaveDeck and Harbourfront Centre in the foreground.

Video: Welcome to your new Queens Quay
During construction, we created this video to help everyone visualize what’s in store, and to show you what the completed street would look like.

Video: Understanding your new Queens Quay

We've built a completely new street, designed to let you walk, ride or drive safely along the waterfront's main boulevard. This short video demonstrates the basic rules for cyclists, motorists and pedestrians on the new Queens Quay. Following signs and signals helps make sure that everyone enjoys this space.