East-end residents and commuters will get some long-awaited relief this weekend, when the TTC says it will reopen the intersection of Queen Street East and Leslie Street.
The intersection has been closed for the last six weeks to put in new streetcar tracks and replace an 80-year-old water main — a delay which left a dent in daily commutes and in the bottom line of local business owners.
“They seem to do the construction at the exact same time as our boom,” said Judy Clark of the East End Garden Centre, a few blocks east on Queen near Greenwood Ave.
The intersection is scheduled to reopen on Sunday. But there are more detours and closures to come.
The Queen streetcar will be back on track for only eight days before the TTC shuts down Queen and Broadview for three weeks to replace streetcar tracks and switches.
In the west end, in mid July, the TTC will also close down the heart of Chinatown for two weeks, again to replace aging tracks and switches there.