Eglinton LRT Receives Heritage Designation, Halting Construction Indefinitely

By Scott Slute

Toronto - There will be yet another hiccup in the finalized completion of the Eglinton Crosstown after the 19 kilometre long construction site just received heritage recognition for being one of the province’s most inefficient construction projects.

The construction was slated to be finished at some point this year, replacing the 17 year project with a completed light rail transit system. However, the Ontario Land Tribunal has passed a motion with Ministry of Heritage to designate the construction site a “culturally significant area”, noting that the construction and road disruption along Eglinton had become a vital part of the community.

“We realize that the Eglinton construction has become a unique feature of the Toronto landscape. No other project in North America has taken this long and accomplished so little,” stated Minister of Heritage Neil Lumsden, “Our government recognizes the importance of this site and have decided to halt the completion of the LRT for the foreseeable future.”

Lumsden clarified that in order to maintain the cultural importance of this new heritage site, workers would continue to rip up and replace tracks, divert traffic through one-way side roads, and block access to highway on-ramps for the foreseeable future. However, the completion date of the Crosstown has been scrapped.

The heritage designation will protect the Eglinton construction for the next two decades, at which point it will be replaced by a row of condos in the centre of the street.

Scott Slute is the Editor in Chief at The Toronto Harold