Starting Sunday, November 1, King Street West between Portland and Spadina drops to one lane in each direction for watermain work, and the streetcars can't use the tracks through that stretch. The 504 King moves over to Queen Street West for the whole run from Spadina to Roncesvalles. Coverage so far has focused on King, but for anyone living between University and Bathurst, the bigger daily change is on Queen. To keep twice as many streetcars moving there, the city has approved closing most of Queen's curb to stopping for most of the day, every day of the week, starting November 1.
That affects rideshare drop-offs, food delivery, a quick stop at the dry cleaner and a friend pulling over to load a suitcase. Those routines are the subject here.
Queen Takes On the King Car
The city's staff report puts a number on it. During the afternoon rush, Queen West goes from 6 streetcars an hour to 12, roughly one every five minutes. To keep those cars from getting stuck behind parked and parking vehicles, the city is lengthening the no-stopping hours on Queen. Here is the change for the stretch from Shaw to Spadina, which includes the western half of the Fashion District:
| Queen St W, Shaw to Spadina | No stopping now | No stopping from Nov. 1 |
|---|---|---|
| North side | 4 to 6 p.m., Mon. to Fri. | 7 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 7 p.m., Mon. to Sun. |
| South side | 7 to 10 a.m., Mon. to Fri. | 7 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 7 p.m., Mon. to Sun. |
Counted by the week, the north side goes from 10 hours of no stopping to 63, and the south side goes from 15 to 63. Weekends now count too. A Saturday brunch pickup at 10:30 a.m. or a Sunday grocery drop at 4 p.m. now falls inside the restricted window on either side of the street. The new rules don't touch the midday gap from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or the evening after 7 p.m.
Turning gets harder as well. From 2 to 7 p.m. on weekdays, westbound drivers can't turn left from Queen onto Portland or onto Augusta, though TTC vehicles are exempt. For a different turn, the report itself suggests that drivers heading from Queen to Spadina use Adelaide or Richmond, which it says avoids any backtracking once people know the rule. Traffic agents and signal timing changes will be used at pinch points along the diversion.
These aren't proposals anymore. Toronto and East York Community Council took up the measures on July 8 and 9, and City Council adopted them with amendments on July 29 and 30. The parking and traffic changes start November 1 and stay in place until regular King streetcar service comes back. The Queen Street West amendments were enacted as by-laws 1175-2026, 1176-2026 and 1177-2026.
Why King Goes Quiet for So Long
The TTC's project page lists track renewal and watermain replacement on King between Portland and Spadina from November 2026 to August 2027. TTC spokesperson Stuart Green told CBC Toronto the tracks have reached the end of a lifespan of about 15 years, and that the track work is being "piggybacked" onto the city's watermain replacement so it all happens as "one big chunk."
It comes in two phases. The plan that starts November 1 runs to May 1, 2027, and covers the watermain work. The staff report expects the track work, along with more traffic restrictions, to start in May 2027, and that phase will need its own diversion plan. For now, here is how TTC service is set up from November 1:
- 504/304 King streetcars combine into a single branch between Broadview Station and Dundas West Station.
- West of Spadina, they run along Queen as far as Roncesvalles.
- 504C/304C replacement buses run from Sunnyside Loop to the Distillery District at Front and Cherry.
- 503 Kingston Rd buses are extended west to Dufferin Gate Loop.
- 508 Lake Shore is suspended while the work goes on.
The TTC says it will post route diversion maps later, so stop locations for the replacement buses are still to come.
The timing has a twist. Right now the 501 Queen is the car that's been rerouted. A Toronto Hydro project has it running via King and Shaw until October 15, with replacement buses between Bathurst and Sunnyside. About two weeks after Queen gets its own streetcar back, it starts carrying King's as well.
What Stays Open on the King Block
The city's August pre-construction notice says sidewalks and building entrances must stay safe and accessible. Any driveway restrictions will be announced ahead of time, and emergency access will be maintained. The city also says it will coordinate deliveries and loading for businesses. It hasn't published anything on patios.
That matters because this block is home to some of King West's busiest dining rooms:
- The Keg Steakhouse + Bar, 560 King St W
- Earls King West, 601 King St W, at King and Portland
- King Taps, 620 King St W
- Portland Square, 600 King St W, home to Primadonna, Honey Chinese and the Portland Room, with Rodeo Dive listed as coming soon
An August restaurant news roundup also called Parlé Speakeasy & Cocktail Lounge "the next King West arrival." It pairs Parlay, a sports bar, with Parlé, a password-only speakeasy, at 626 King St W.
None of these addresses is closing for the construction. Getting to them will change. A narrower King with buses in place of streetcars makes walking over from Queen, Adelaide or Richmond the simplest way to reach dinner, and walking will be easy, since the city requires sidewalks and entrances to stay open.
Queen and Spadina Was Already a Work Site
The intersection where the streetcar diversion begins is also the site of the Ontario Line's Chinatown Station. Metrolinx plans entrances on the north and south sides of Queen and Spadina, with a station building at the southwest corner. A rendering also shows buildings at the southwest and northeast corners, with the latter keeping the historic façade of 378 Queen St W. Metrolinx says the station is meant to relieve crowding on the 501 Queen and 510 Spadina.
According to Metrolinx's September 1 update for the station's community liaison committee, waterproofing, rebar, formwork and concrete work on the north site was planned around the clock. The south site works weekdays from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and weekends from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Metrolinx said to expect noise and occasional short traffic disruptions. Between October 2 and mid-October, crews are installing ground monitors around the Chinatown and King West sites, which means temporary lane and sidewalk closures, but only overnight while crews are working. Metrolinx says traffic in all directions, access to nearby properties and transit service will be maintained. At the district's eastern edge, Metrolinx also lists an overnight sidewalk and lane closure at Queen and University starting October 5.
Put together, that's a lot for one corner this winter. Streetcars arriving roughly every five minutes at rush hour, a curb closed to stopping, and a subway station under construction will all meet at Queen and Spadina.
The Queen Calendar Before and After the Switch
Plenty of Queen West's fall calendar happens right on the diversion route, and some of it comes before November 1:
- October 7. Sunday Best: The Power & The Glory of Black Style opens at the AGO, 317 Dundas St W.
- October 15. The Toronto Hydro diversion on the 501 Queen is scheduled to end.
- October 17. In Plain Sight: Highlights from the AGO's Collection of Historic Picture Frames opens at the AGO. The AGO's bistro is temporarily closed while its shop is renovated, and the Members' Lounge has moved to the Grange Library for now.
- October 20, 5 p.m. The Fashion District Cocktail Crawl meets at BarChef, 472 Queen St W, then stops at Civil Works and Goodnight Cocktail Club.
- November 1. The 504 moves onto Queen, and the new no-stopping hours and turn bans start.
BarChef at 472 Queen sits in the Shaw-to-Spadina stretch where the longer no-stopping hours apply. So does the second Esquire Restaurant at 566 Queen St W, which opened in late July serving Greek and Mediterranean food, with a late-night crowd among its customers, according to Streets of Toronto. After 7 p.m., both fall outside the restricted window, so evening pickups and drop-offs there work the way they do now.
The Pieces Still Being Decided
Some of what residents need hasn't been released. The city's engagement plan calls for construction notices and a virtual public information meeting in October 2026, but no date has been set. Properties in the work zone should get a more detailed construction notice about two weeks before work starts. The city's project page for Portland to Spadina is the place to watch for both.
Council also added some oversight. City staff have to report to Toronto and East York Community Council in the first quarter of 2027 on transit priority, traffic mitigation and public engagement along King. A carried motion from Councillor Alejandra Bravo directs staff to recommend an expiry date for the temporary Queen Street West regulations in the same quarter. Council also told the city to make sure its construction communications plan reflects how the work is phased and keeps residents informed about sequencing and efforts to minimize travel impacts. That means the 63-hour weekly curb restriction on Queen comes with a scheduled review in early 2027.
If you're weighing a building on Queen against one on King for 2027, how each block works during construction is as important as how it looks finished. Selin Yasar can go through the curb rules, transit timing and building-by-building access with you before you decide. Start your tailored home search.
