[URBAN NOTE] "Deteriorating Dufferin Street bridge to close for 18 months"

[rfmcdonald]

Yay! crumbling city infrastructure. At least--as detailed by City News' Showwei Chu--the closure is taking place on a part of Dufferin Street I've rarely if ever been to.

The City of Toronto says it will close the deteriorating Dufferin Street bridge — over the rail corridor north of Exhibition Place — to all vehicle traffic for 18 months beginning June 12.

But the bridge, which was built in 1912, will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists.

“The purpose of the closure is to ensure public safety,” the city said in a release.

The bridge was scheduled to be replaced at a cost of $17 million in 2016 but the city made the decision to expedite the closure and replacement after recent inspections.

The reconstruction will include the installation of a temporary bridge at an estimated cost of $3 million before the full reconstruction is completed.