Chesswood Drive Resurfacing & Road Safety Improvements Project

Construction Updates

Construction Notices

Construction Update Notice – March 2023

Construction Update Notice – January 2023

Construction Update Notice – December 2022

Construction Notice – July 2022

January 2023

The watermain replacement has been delayed due to poor weather conditions. Work is expected to be completed by the end of February 2023.

June 2022

A Pre-Construction notice has been mailed out to residents and businesses.

March 2022

A project postcard has been mailed out to residents and businesses.

Residents and businesses will receive a Pre-Construction and Construction Notice before work begins with more information about the work.

Background

Chesswood Drive is a minor arterial that carries an average of 15,000 vehicles/day. There is one travel lane in each direction between Sheppard Avenue West Drive and Champagne Drive with turn lanes at the major intersections. Over the five-year period between 2015 and 2019, there were approximately 271 collisions with no serious injury.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) 117 Alness-Chesswood bus route operates along the length of the corridor with eight existing TTC bus stops. The area is industrial with many employment destinations and falls within the DUKE Heights BIA.

The existing sidewalks are sub-standard and there is a missing sidewalk link on the east side from Vanley Crescent (southern intersection) to 20 metres south of Champagne Drive. There are no existing bikeways along Chesswood Drive.

At the time of programming the state of good repair work, a number of project objectives were established in alignment with City Council adopted policies including the Cycling Network Plan, Vision Zero Road Safety Plan and TransformTO. The Chesswood Drive project objectives are to provide a safe, continuous cycling and pedestrian connection for the neighbourhood and eventually to connect to the Finch Hydro Corridor Trail and incorporate Duke Heights BIA streetscape features. This corridor is essential to the cycling and walking network due to the limited roadway network in the area. There are no other identified feasible parallel routes.

These changes were considered in the Cycling Network Plan by Infrastructure and Environment Committee on May 25, 2021. The report was approved by City Council on June 9, 2021.

Project Area

Need assistance? While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content on this site. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding our maps, drawings or any other content, please contact Stephen Gagne at 416-338-5521 or stephen.gagne@toronto.ca.

Project Overview

As part of the 2023 road resurfacing project, the following improvements have been made:

State-of-Good Repair

Roadway asphalt was removed and replaced with new asphalt. Some curb adjustments at key locations were made to facilitate safe truck movements. Existing sidewalks were reconstructed to meet accessibility requirements, including the addition of intersection curb depressions and tactile walking surface indicators. The sidewalks were widened to 2.1m, where not in conflict with large trees or utilities.

DUKE Heights BIA Features

New BIA branded benches, bike racks and waste bins were added where possible.

Intersection Safety Improvements

A new signalized intersection was installed at Chesswood Drive and Champagne Drive.

New Sidewalk

A new sidewalk was installed on the east side of Chesswood Drive from Vanley Crescent (south intersection) to 20m south of Champagne Drive.

Raised Cycle Tracks

Raised uni-directional cycle tracks were installed between Champagne Drive and Sheppard Avenue West. This project had no impact to motor vehicle lanes. The cycle tracks provide a connection to the Finch Hydro Corridor Trail through future bikeway projects on Champagne Drive and Alness Street.

TTC Bus Stop

TTC bus stops were consolidated and updated. The bus stops on both the west and east side of Chesswood Drive between Steeprock Drive and Vanley Crescent (south intersection) were removed because they are located mid-block with no safe crossing. The four bus stops between Vanley Crescent (south intersection) and Vanley Crescent (north intersection) were consolidated and upgraded to two stops with transit shelters and concrete bus pads.

What Will This Change Mean for You?

If you drive on the street:

• No reductions to vehicle travel lanes.
• Lane width increases at curves to accommodate heavy truck turns.
• All laneway and driveway access remain unchanged, except for some curb radii changes within the public right of way per the City’s heavy truck curb radii guidelines.

If you cycle:

• Raised uni-directional cycle tracks on both sides of the street were installed.
• The cycle tracks are physically separated from motor vehicle travel lanes and the sidewalks, which will reduce conflicts with motor vehicles and people walking, and provide a safer experience for all road users.

If you walk:

• Sheppard Avenue West, Steeprock Drive and Champagne Drive intersections were improved to increase safety for people walking.
• All existing sidewalks were repoured and widened to 2.1m, wherever possible.
• A missing sidewalk was installed on the east side of Chesswood Drive between Vanley Crescent (south intersection) and Champagne Drive.
• New DUKE Heights Business Improvement Area (BIA) branded benches, bike racks and waste bins were added to the streetscape.

If you use TTC:

• Two TTC stops in each direction were removed and relocated as part of the TTC stop consolidation policy. See the project map for new stop locations.

If you live or work in the neighbourhood:

• City services such as fire, emergency medical services, solid waste pick-up, and snow clearing will continue as usual. There will be no impact on existing traffic flow or speed limits.

Street Trees:

• Unfortunately, some street trees required removal due to the conflict with the sidewalk and cycle track. Where soil volumes allow, new trees were planted to enhance the health of the urban forest, enhance air quality and mitigate the urban heat island effect.