Leslie Street will re-open at Eglinton Avenue East on August 21. That’s two weeks ahead of schedule.

A portion of the street had been closed for work on the guideway for the future Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) project.

The work went off without a hitch, and this will be welcome news for local residents, businesses and commuters as everyone knows how frustrating construction can be. It’s also another sign of progress on Toronto’s newest rapid transit line, which is slated for completion in September 2021.

Now while transit users will be back to their normal bus routes, and drivers will be able to pass through the intersection again, some construction will remain in the area as Metrolinx continues to deliver the Sunnybrook Park Stop.

And, until next month, only one eastbound left turn lane from Eglinton Avenue to Leslie Street will be open.

A traffic flip will soon take place that will see westbound traffic flow on the north side of Eglinton Avenue at Leslie Street. Follow the Crosstown on Twitter or check out thecrosstown.ca for more information in the coming weeks

Sunnybrook Park is the first surface stop when heading east on the line. The stop will be located in the middle of the intersection of Eglinton Avenue East and Leslie Street, where much of the traffic work has taken place, and will be accessible from the east side of Leslie, running north-south across Eglinton.

To see how the track installation is progressing along the Crosstown route, just click here.

Construction here is being carried out in stages. The widening of Eglinton Avenue north and south is complete, and now the guideway, which contains the electricity to power the light rail vehicles and the track, has been constructed down the centre of the roadway. Sunnybrook Park even has some track in place. More will continue being installed later this year.

Once complete, this stop will feature two fully accessible parallel side platforms with level boarding. Automated PRESTO machines will be on the platform, so you can pay your fare before riding. The stops themselves will have next vehicle arrival time screens, so you will know how long until your next ride, as well as covered waiting areas featuring benches, platform illumination and a passenger assistance intercom.

Sunnybrook Park summer visitors, nearby residents and businesses, and transit users and drivers deserve a heartfelt thanks for their patience during the closure. While we can’t make everyone’s next holiday come any quicker, at least this part of progress on the Sunnybrook Park stop – a future centerpiece of the community – arrived early.