Busy Toronto intersection shut down indefinitely after dump truck catastrophe

Those riding Toronto’s busiest streetcar line or otherwise travelling through one of its most bustling downtown intersections are in for an indefinite period of detours after a dump truck accidentally destroyed some key transit infrastructure at the corner of King and Spadina.

Overhead wiring that powers TTC vehicles that traverse the corner — most notably the 504 King and the 510 Spadina routes — was ripped down by a GFL Environmental waste management truck during rush hour Tuesday morning.

An image taken from a bystander at the scene around 8 a.m. shows the large green vehicle stopped in the southbound lanes of Spadina just past King, with a commercial dumpster extended high above its roof, apparently tipped at the very wrong time.

“Someone is in trouble!” the person wrote along with their photo, in which wires that used to criss-cross orderly over the corner can be seen broken and dangling in various different directions.

The TTC has since released an update on the repairs that are now underway, stating that crews are currently assessing the damage and starting to clean things up.

“Once the site is cleared of all down wires and is deemed safe, TTC engineers will begin repairing salvageable wires, installing and configuring new wires, and ensuring breakers and other power systems are operational before testing the system for safe operations,” the commission writes.

And then, the worse news: “Although the timeline for restoring service remains uncertain, the process is expected to be lengthy, and streetcar diversions are likely to persist throughout the day.”

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green also confirmed to blogTO over email Tuesday afternoon that the agency does not presently have an ETA for the completion of the fixes.

As a result of the serious bungle, multiple transit lines are being diverted, including the 501 Queen, 504 King, 508 Lake Shore, 511 Bathurst and 510 Spadina. “Buses are supplementing service where possible,” the TTC adds.

Replacement buses already took over for streetcars along the latter line many weeks ago due to construction, a change that was initially cause for complaint, but which now today is undoubtedly coming in handy.

Though some reports pegged that it would take about two weeks of work to fix the downed lines, the Toronto Police Service tells blogTO that the incident is still being investigated and that “the intersection will be closed for an extended period of time, but we do not have an ETA.”

Given that Spadina is a key access point for the Gardiner Expressway, expect downtown traffic to be even more of a mess than usual in the meantime.