Commuters Dread Second Day Of Gridlock As King St. Stays Closed

How can something so high up be causing so much trouble so far below? That’s just one of the questions drivers are asking after enduring the first of what could be a very long few days of gridlock in one of the busiest sections of the downtown core. It started just after 3pm Tuesday, when a 140-kilogram tile fell from the 60th floor of First Canadian Place. It hit the third floor atrium, preventing it from reaching the ground and potentially hitting a pedestrian or smashing into a car. But the danger was far from over.

Cops made the difficult decision to close three major arteries – King St. W., Adelaide St. W. between York and Bay, as well as a section of  Bay St. itself, because there were no guarantees another deadly bit of debris wouldn’t come crashing down at any minute. The result – all day gridlock that only left motorists’ blood pressures going fast. Cars barely moved, as pedestrians, also hampered by the closure, left them standing still.

But some taking a stroll in the financial district admitted they looked up at the dangerous gap the fallen tile had left and wondered about how safe they really were. “Think about it. You’re walking; all of a sudden something just falling on you. Of course you’re going to pay a little more attention to it,” one concerned passerby agrees.

Another notes, “I’m always aware of it, it’s like when you have windstorms and so on, you can feel things of water falling off the roof but I’m not really afraid of it or anything.”

And the Better Way became the more frustrating way, as vehicles that run along the busiest streetcar route in the city were forced to turn off onto Wellington, Queen and Spadina, creating new traffic trauma on the alternates.  

Finally, around 3pm, came the first bit of good news in a while – authorities decided to re-open Bay and Adelaide, just in time for the afternoon rush. What took so long? Inspectors spent the day going over every single tile on the building. But while that eased the problem, it won’t end it. Authorities admit they may be forced to keep King St. closed for the rest of the week until they can be sure there are no more hazards.

Meanwhile, the owners of First Canadian Place, which insists that inspections are held every six months, aren’t off the hook for all this fuss. The city of Toronto has issued a safety work order against the building to ensure compliance with all regulations. But for Thursday and into Friday, that will do little to help those who work in the area.

Officials think violent thunderstorms that tore through the GTA Tuesday may be to blame for the loosened white marble square. The building is covered in thousands of them. Your best bet? Use the underground PATH system if you’re walking or take the subway past the sealed off area. But if you must use your car, you’ll also need to use something else Toronto drivers aren’t noted for – your patience. And that may be a lot harder to come by.