Cherry Street (Toronto)

Last updated

Cherry Street (Toronto)
Cherry St map.png
Maintained by City of Toronto government
Length2.2 km (1.4 mi) [1]
South end Cherry Beach
Major
junctions
Lake Shore Boulevard
North end Eastern Avenue

Cherry Street is a north-south arterial roadway in the eastern downtown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is situated in a former industrial area, that is now the site of redevelopment. It connects Eastern Avenue south to Lake Shore Boulevard, then to the Toronto Port Lands district, and terminates at Lake Ontario at Cherry Beach.

Contents

Description

Its northern terminus is at Eastern Avenue. A co-linear street, named Sumach St., continues north. It crosses Front St. and Mill St. proceeding south to the railway viaduct and Lake Shore Boulevard. The road has a dedicated right-of-way for streetcars beginning at King Street East and Sumach, which continues south on Cherry, to its terminus known as Distillery Loop beside the railway viaduct. The loop is opposite the Distillery District on the west side of Cherry. On the eastern side of the street is the redevelopment site, first built for the 2015 Pan American Games athletes' village, now being turned into a residential apartments district known as the Canary District.

The road proceeds south of Lake Shore Boulevard into the Port Lands district where it intersects with Commissioners Street and Unwin Ave. After crossing Unwin, it continues another 200 metres (220 yd) south to Cherry Beach, where it ends in a roundabout.

Cherry Street is carried over the waterways of the Port Lands by Toronto's only two lift bridges: a smaller one where it crosses the Keating Channel and a larger one where it crosses the channel to the turning basin.

According to The Canadian Entomologist Cherry Street, between Unwin Ave. and the Keating Channel was the first recorded site of termite infestation in Ontario. [2] [3]

2015 Pan American Games

During the 2015 Pan American Games and Parapan American Games thousands of athletes were housed in a temporary athlete's village just east of the intersection of Cherry and Front streets. [4] Temporary pavilions were built on a large vacant lot on the southwest corner of Cherry and Front which served as the athletes' dining area, as well as a temporary bus marshalling yard for the fleet of rented buses which carried athletes to their venues.

The apartments that housed the athletes were made available only partially complete. Since the athletes dined at central cafeterias, completing the apartments' kitchens was postponed. That way the rooms intended to serve as kitchens could be used as an additional bedroom. Other fittings, like hardwood floors that could be damaged by the spikes on sports shoes, were installed after the games were over.

The intersection of Cherry and Front streets, the gateway to the athletes' village, is being described as the future gateway to the Canary District, 200 acres of former light industrial land being redeveloped into a residential area. [5]

Streetcar route

In 2012, the Toronto Transit Commission started to construct the first segment of a new streetcar line beside Cherry Street, from King Street 700 metres (770 yd) south to just north of Lake Shore Boulevard. [6] [7] This initial segment was projected to cost CA$90 million. Original plans called for the line to extend further south into redeveloped portlands. That extension pushed the budget for the line to CA$300 million.[ citation needed ]

In early plans, athletes would have ridden a streetcar to Union Station to make connections to the games' scattered venues. However, the streetcar's opening was delayed until after the games were over. [8] [9]

The TTC began service on Cherry Street in 2016. The route, named the 514 Cherry, ran from the Cherry Loop, along King, to the Dufferin Gate Loop, adjacent to Exhibition Place. This route was discontinued in 2018, replaced by a re-routing of the 504 King streetcar. The route of the 504A begins in the west at Dundas West Station, travels south along Dundas Street, Roncesvalles Avenue, then east on King Street to Cherry Street. In the east, the 504B begins at Broadview Station, travels south along Broadview, west on Queen Street and King Street and terminates at the Dufferin loop by Exhibition Place.

Future development

Lower Cherry Street, south of Lake Shore Boulevard, will be re-aligned west, as part of the development of the Villiers Island. [10] Developers plan a dense knot of high-rise and mid-rise development on lower Cherry, as part of the development. [11] [12] It will pass under the Gardiner Expressway and cross the Keating Channel over two new bridges, one for vehicles, and the other for streetcars.

Related Research Articles

The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly known as the Gardiner Expressway or simply the Gardiner, is a partially at grade and elevated municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running close to the shore of Lake Ontario, it extends from the foot of the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) in the east, just past the mouth of the Don River, to the junction of Highway 427 and the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) in the west, for a total length of 18.0 kilometres (11.2 mi). East of Dufferin Street to just east of the Don River, the roadway is elevated for a length of 6.8 kilometres (4.2 mi), unofficially making it the longest bridge in Ontario. It runs above Lake Shore Boulevard east of Spadina Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Street (Toronto)</span> Thoroughfare in Canada

King Street is a major east–west commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was one of the first streets laid out in the 1793 plan of the town of York, which became Toronto in 1834. After the construction of the Market Square in 1803 at King and Jarvis streets, to house the first St. Lawrence Market farmer's market, the street became the primary commercial street of York and early Toronto. This original core was destroyed in the 1849 Great Fire of Toronto, but subsequently rebuilt. The original street extended from George to Berkeley Street and was extended by 1901 to its present terminuses at Roncesvalles Avenue in the west and the Don River in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Shore Boulevard</span> Street in Toronto

Lake Shore Boulevard is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore Boulevard were designated as part of Highway 2, with the highway following the Gardiner Expressway between these two sections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Queensway</span> Road in Toronto and Mississauga in Ontario, Canada

The Queensway is a major street in the municipalities of Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is a western continuation of Queen Street, after it crosses Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in Toronto. The Queensway is a divided roadway from Roncevalles westerly until 600 metres of the South Kingsway with its centre median dedicated to streetcar service. The road continues undivided west from there to Etobicoke Creek as a four- or six-lane thoroughfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto streetcar system</span> Streetcar network in Ontario, Canada

The Toronto streetcar system is a network of nine streetcar routes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is the busiest light-rail system in North America. The network is concentrated primarily in Downtown Toronto and in proximity to the city's waterfront. Much of the streetcar route network dates from the 19th century. Most of Toronto's streetcar routes operate on street trackage shared with vehicular traffic, and streetcars stop on demand at frequent stops like buses. Since 2019, the network has used low-floor streetcars, making it fully accessible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Distillery District</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Distillery District is a commercial and residential district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, east of downtown, which contains numerous cafés, restaurants, and shops housed within heritage buildings of the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery. The 13 acres (5.3 ha) district comprises more than forty heritage buildings and ten streets, and is the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">504 King</span> Streetcar route in Toronto, Canada

504 King is an east–west Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada. It serves King Street in Downtown Toronto as well as Broadview Avenue on the east end and Roncesvalles Avenue on the west end of the line. The route consists of two overlapping branches: 504A between Line 2 Bloor–Danforth's Dundas West station and Distillery Loop, and 504B between Broadview station – also on Line 2 – and Dufferin Gate Loop. The two branches overlap on King Street between Dufferin and Sumach streets, both passing St. Andrew station and King station on subway Line 1 Yonge–University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">508 Lake Shore</span> Streetcar route in Toronto, Canada

The 508 Lake Shore is an east–west streetcar route in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The route served the downtown financial district from the western limit of the city, and operated as a weekday rush hour service only. The route was started as an experiment in 1992, suspended in June 2015 due to a streetcar shortage, and reintroduced in September 2019. It was suspended again on March 24, 2020, due to low ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2023, the TTC announced that the route was set for reintroduction on September 3, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Lands</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Port Lands of Toronto, Ontario, Canada are an industrial and recreational neighbourhood located about 5 kilometres south-east of downtown, located on the former Don River delta and most of Ashbridge's Bay.

The Waterfront West LRT (WWLRT) is a proposed streetcar line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The WWLRT is currently part of a City project called the Waterfront Transit Reset which also includes the East Bayfront LRT. The WWLRT was initially proposed as part of the Transit City plan to expand transit services offered by the Toronto Transit Commission that was announced March 16, 2007. The new line was to use existing parts of the Toronto streetcar system, extending from Union station to Long Branch Loop via Exhibition Place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Don Lands</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The West Don Lands are the site of a neighbourhood under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area is bordered by the Don River, King Street, Parliament Street and the rail line adjacent to the Gardiner Expressway. It is 80 hectares in size. A former industrial area, the area is being rebuilt as a mixed-use neighbourhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliament Street (Toronto)</span> Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Parliament Street is a north–south street in the eastern part of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street runs from Bloor Street to Queens Quay and is the first major street west of the Don River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto streetcar system loops</span>

Turning loops of the Toronto streetcar system serve as termini and turnback points for streetcar routes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The single-ended streetcars require track loops in order to reverse direction. Besides short off-street track loops these can also be larger interchange points, having shelters and driver facilities, or be part of a subway station structure for convenient passenger interchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dufferin Gate Loop</span> Bus station and streetcar turning loop in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dufferin Gate Loop, also known as Dufferin Loop, is a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus station and turning loop for streetcars near the southern end of Dufferin Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. During the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), the loop becomes a primary access point for visitors entering Exhibition Place via the Dufferin Gates. This west entrance to the CNE can be reached by the Dufferin Street bridges across the Lakeshore West railway corridor and Gardiner Expressway.

East Bayfront LRT, also known as the Waterfront East LRT, is a planned Toronto streetcar line that would serve the East Bayfront and Port Lands areas in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It would run from Union station under Bay Street and along Queens Quay and Cherry Street to a new Villiers Island Loop along Commissioners Street east of Cherry Street. It would complement the existing 509 Harbourfront service that connects Union Station to Queens Quay west of Bay Street. Longer-term plans are to extend the East Bayfront line from Cherry and Commissioners Streets to the planned East Harbour Transit Hub along GO Transit's Lakeshore East line and the planned Ontario Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">521 Exhibition East</span> Former streetcar route in Toronto, Ontario

521 Exhibition East was a streetcar route in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission from the 1960s to 1986 and briefly again in 1995 and 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">514 Cherry</span> Former streetcar route in Toronto, Canada (closed 2018)

The 514 Cherry was a streetcar route of the Toronto streetcar system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that operated from June 19, 2016, until October 7, 2018. The 514 operated through the financial district and downtown Toronto between Dufferin Gate Loop and the Distillery Loop. It used to supplement with the 504 King service along King Street, specifically to the dense residential areas in Liberty Village, the Canary District and the Distillery District. The City of Toronto's "King Street Visioning Study" proposed a transit and pedestrian corridor through which this route would operate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villiers Island</span> Island in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Villiers Island is a 22-hectare (54-acre) area in Toronto's Port Lands being converted to an island. The project is a part of Port Lands Flood Protection Project by Waterfront Toronto. To prevent flooding from the Don River, a channel is being created to extend the river south and then west into Toronto Harbour providing another outlet and a more natural mouth for the Don River. The new channel effectively creates the island, which is also bounded by the Keating Channel and Toronto Harbour. Mixed-use residential development is planned for Villiers Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Distillery Loop and Cherry Street branch</span> Streetcar loop and branch line in Toronto

Distillery Loop is a streetcar loop in the Toronto streetcar system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that lies at the south end of the Cherry Street branch – originally dubbed the Cherry Street streetcar line – that runs from a streetcar junction on King Street East south along Sumach and Cherry Streets. The loop opened in June 2016 and is some of the newer streetcar infrastructure in the city. The Cherry Street branch is currently served by the 504A King streetcar route which has its eastern terminus at Distillery Loop.

References

  1. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  2. F. A. Urquhart (1953). "The Introduction of the Termite into Ontario". The Canadian Entomologist . 85 (8): 292–293. doi:10.4039/Ent85292-8 . Retrieved March 13, 2012. the termite was introduced into Ontario from the United States between the years 1935 and 1938, and that the point of introduction was in the vicinity of Cherry Street between Keating and Unwin Avenue on the ...[ permanent dead link ]
  3. C. S. Kirby (1965). "The Distribution of Termites in Ontario after 25 Years". The Canadian Entomologist. doi:10.4039/Ent85292-8 . Retrieved March 13, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. Justin Skinner (October 1, 2014). "Pan Am Athletes' Village nearly complete in Canary District". Inside Toronto. Archived from the original on October 3, 2014. The village will be located in the Canary District in the West Don Lands, near Front and Cherry streets. The buildings that comprise the Athletes' Village will be converted to 810 units of market housing and 253 units of affordable housing once the Games are done, and the site will also be home to housing for students at George Brown College and the Cooper Koo Family YMCA.
  5. "Canary district" (PDF). www.lastminutecondodeals.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 3, 2014. The iconic intersection of Front Street and Cherry Street is not just the doorway to the Canary District, but also a window to a storied past. Here, timeless history lives in harmony with 21st century infrastructure, a master-planned vision of past, present and future.
  6. Adrian Morrow (May 25, 2012). "A tiny perfect streetcar line is being laid along Cherry Street". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved July 19, 2012. There's a new streetcar line under construction in Toronto, the first in more than a decade and a surprising development during the tenure of a mayor who is outspokenly opposed to light rail.
  7. Tess Kalinowski (December 11, 2007). "Transit-first street plan hailed". Toronto Star . Retrieved July 19, 2012. Unlike Toronto's other streetcar routes, which traditionally run in mixed traffic and board passengers from platforms in the middle of the road, the Cherry St. plan calls for putting all the transit on the east side of the street, running in two directions, with a tree-lined platform separating it from other traffic. "Two figures incorrect in Cherry St. transit plan". Toronto Star . December 12, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2012. The transitway envisioned for this section is 700 metres.
  8. Tess Kalinowski (October 1, 2014). "TTC won't run streetcars on Cherry until at least 2016". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on October 3, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2017. The Cherry streetcar service was never intended to begin until after the Pan Am Games next summer, during which the street will be a closed security zone, said Councillor Pam McConnell (Ward 28, Toronto Centre-Rosedale).
  9. "Relief could be coming to King streetcar in June". CBC News. March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016. A report made public Wednesday recommends that the new route begin service on June 19. It would operate between the Distillery Loop in the east and the Dufferin Gates loop in the west via Cherry, King and Dufferin streets.
  10. Morgan Bailey (February 28, 2020). "Catching Up With Work in Toronto's Port Lands". Urban Toronto . Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020. Cherry Street will be realigned to the west of its current path and connected via a new bridge over the Keating Channel. A minor diversion will be created at the intersection of Cherry and Polson Streets starting in Spring 2020, ending in Winter 2021.
  11. Devon Johnson (April 3, 2013). "3C Lakeshore Waterfront Project To Transform Lower Don Lands". Urban Toronto. Retrieved February 22, 2017. The 3C site, positioned between Cherry Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East, is the largest contiguous tract of land on Toronto's East Bayfront. The project is designed to be a mixed-use urban development adding 2.4 million square feet of residential, commercial, office, retail, and parking space to the waterfront.
  12. Stefan Novakovic (February 21, 2017). "New Proposals Envision Cherry Street as High-Rise Corridor". Urban Toronto. Retrieved February 22, 2017. Untangling the complex meeting of roadways beneath the Gardiner Expressway, Cherry Street is set to be re-aligned, allowing it to serve as a more effective streetcar corridor.

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