Repairs underway to fix Liberty Village bridge elevator

Just a few days after Mayor John Tory vowed to take action on the Liberty Village bridge elevator, the City of Toronto has confirmed they have started repairs 10 months after it was damaged.

A fire in the elevator on the south side of the King-Liberty Pedestrian/Cycle Bridge in November 2021 caused significant damage, forcing the closure of the walkway which connects King Street to Western Battery Road.

A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged with several arson-related offences.

Without the elevators, the bridge, which has three flights of stairs, that connected the bustling downtown community to King Street West was left inaccessible to many in the community.

Tory told CityNews over the weekend he planned to escalate the issue at City Hall after hearing residents have been calling 311 numerous times to try and get answers.

“We worked really hard, including me, to get that bridge built and it’s very frustrating the elevator is not fixed,” said Tory.

The city tells CityNews the first phase of the repairs will see a temporary fix to the broken glass panels of the elevators this week.

After inspection work, city staff anticipate the elevators will be operational by the end of the month.

A second phase of repairs will permanently replace the exterior glass panels, but the elevators will remain open during this phase. It is anticipated to take eight to 10 weeks.

The pedestrian walkway took 10 years to plan and build at a cost of $12 million, despite a number of safety concerns raised by area residents, and finally opened in April of 2021.

Many residents say they are happy it was constructed but drug use and loitering in the elevator vestibules have caused safety concerns for those using it, especially at night.

With files from John Marchesan