Paramedics fear impact of construction on University Avenue near hospital row

Major road restrictions began Monday on University Avenue and are expected to last until the summer of 2024, but there are concerns about the impact of the construction on emergency rooms along hospital row.

For most of the next seven months, southbound University Avenue will be reduced to a single lane between College Street and Queen Street West to complete several infrastructure projects, including the replacement of a 150-year-old water main.

In addition, Ontario Line construction will occupy two northbound lanes on University Avenue between Queen Street West and Armoury Street until early December at which time the northbound route will be reduced to one lane until that project is completed in 2026.

CityNews witnessed at least two ambulances struggling to pass in a short period of time. One was forced to go southbound in the northbound lanes to cut through congestion, while the other had to detour into the construction zone to bypass traffic.

The Toronto Paramedic Union tells CityNews the lane restrictions will have a detrimental impact on paramedic crews and the public they serve.

“While alternate routes will be found, they can be time-consuming to a business where every second counts,” said Mike Merriman, the paramedic services unit chair for Toronto Civic Employees Union Local 416. “With a service that is short-staffed and having difficulty to service calls promptly as is, this may very well further decrease the service’s ability to do so.”

The City of Toronto said while this work is taking place, access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times and that extensive consultation was conducted with hospitals along University Avenue.

The University Health Network which is comprised of Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto General Hospital and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, tells CityNews their emergency room services are not accessed via University Avenue and their side streets remain open, adding emergency entrances have not been impacted yet by the construction.

Construction on the southbound stretch may be paused during the coldest part of winter from late December until February when traffic restrictions would be lifted.

With files from John Marchesan