Opening of bridge in Toronto’s Port Lands marks key step in Cherry Street realignment

The realignment of Cherry Street in Toronto’s Port Lands precinct marked a key step with the opening of one of the new bridges on Monday.

Over the weekend, construction crews closed part of Cherry Street to facilitate the opening of the new section. The old section of the road south of Commissioners Street and north of Polson Street was shut down.

Pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle drivers are now redirected westbound on a new section of Commissioners Street and south over one of four new bridges, which were manufactured in Holland and barged to Toronto after being assembled in Halifax, to connect with the existing portion of Cherry Street south at Polson Street.

Construction crews will now begin digging out the old section of Cherry Street to continue work on extending the Don River and creating a new kilometre-and-a-half extension into the harbour. Officials said extending the Don River will help stop flooding.

RELATED: 2022 preview of construction projects along Toronto’s waterfront

In March, a Waterfront Toronto spokesperson said the goal was to open the fully realigned Cherry Street by the end of the year.

Cherry Street as well as others like the Don Roadway and Commissioners Street are all being rebuilt at a higher grade since the land sits on a flood plain.

The redevelopment project at the Port Lands, located south of where the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway meet, began a few years ago and it was pegged at around $1.25 billion. It’s set to be finished by the end of 2024.

Construction crews are revitalizing around 400 acres of land and creating 100 new acres of parks.