Bloor Street Redesign

We are working to redesign Bloor Street to make it safer and more accessible for everyone, whether you drive a car, take transit, walk or roll, or ride your bike. Every street should be safe for all residents.

You may know this project as the preliminary study: Bloor Street Integrated Road Project that was completed to re-envision the corridor.

I wanted to share great news that the project website has been updated and I invite you to learn more about Bloor Street Redesign.

We are working to redesign Bloor Street to make it safer and more accessible for everyone, whether you drive a car, take transit, walk or roll, or ride your bike. Every street should be safe for all residents.

Bloor Street is being redesigned due to asphalt resurfacing. This gave the City an opportunity to make a change for the future, so that everyone can use Bloor Street safely. It means the City only has to do construction once. It’s also part of our commitment to build complete streets for every user.

Improvements planned as part of this project will help make roads safer and more accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. These improvements include road rehabilitation work, construction of cycling facilities, road safety improvements and landscaping work.

Here is what the 27 million dollar investment includes on the 4.6 km long east-west roadway:

The Bloor Street Integrated Road Project was chosen as part of the planned resurfacing of Bloor Street and the City’s goal of building complete streets everyone can use and feel safe. Many of the upcoming changes to the street are guided by the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan, and include new intersection controls, safer street lighting, active transportation like separated bike lanes and wider sidewalks, and transit infrastructure.

The projects listed above could all be separate projects, but they’ve been brought together into a single project to save time, money, and to reduce disruption to local residents.

The funding for Bloor Street incorporates the following infrastructure renewals and improvements, including but not limited to:

1. Pavement rehabilitation
2. Curb replacements and realignment
3. Street light pole replacements and illumination improvements
4. Additional boulevard trees where possible and appropriate to create more tree canopy and improve walking conditions
5. Utility relocations (where required)
6. Widened sidewalks
7. New cycle tracks
8. New signalized pedestrian crossing at Applewood Trail
9. Crossrides (all signalized and unsignalized intersections)
10. Protected intersections (to be confirmed during detailed design)
11. Transit stop improvements, including bus lay-by

Cycle tracks are being added into the boulevard instead of bike lanes on the side of the road to improve safety.

For information, bike lanes are integrated with the roadway while cycle tracks are separated from the roadway. In this case, we have a chance to install cycle tracks, so we’re taking it.

If places where people ride their bikes aren’t protected and safe, most people won’t use them. Riding on the road beside cars, trucks and buses, without any protection, is not fun.

All around the world, when protected bike lanes are installed, more people ride in them. It doesn’t happen overnight, but over time, more people ride their bikes. We built roads to accommodate cars and we are doing the same with protected bike lanes.

We are confident that adding cycle tracks to the boulevard instead of bike lanes to the roadway will allow and encourage more people to get on their bikes and ride, instead of using the car. You can still drive, if you want, but you should have the option to ride your bike too.

This is a main corridor and a place where cyclists – both recreational and commuter – should be able to ride safely. Plus, there is a direct connection to the Applewood Trail, which will allow people to travel through our community on their bikes safely. Hundreds of people use this trail every day.

Bikes racks on Miway buses also help people commute more easily using transit and cycling trails.

Streets and roads should be safe for everyone who wants to use them, whether you drive, take transit, walk or even bike. The City’s Cycling Master Plan aims to make Mississauga a bike-friendly city and build 900 km of bike infrastructure in the next 25 years.

If you’ve ever ridden your bike in a live lane of traffic, or even in a painted bike lane, you know that it can be frightening. We’re working to change this in as many areas around the city where it makes sense to do so, including Bloor Street. We build protected spaces for bicycles so people feel safe to ride.

I encourage everyone to check the project website where you can be kept informed about the major milestones, about the redesign, what is being done, traffic flow, road safety, revitalization of the corridor, and a FAQ section:

https://www.mississauga.ca/projects-and-strategies/city-projects/bloor-street-redesign/

As background, you may know this project as the preliminary study: Bloor Street Integrated Road Project that was completed to re-envision the corridor.

You will recall that over five years ago staff reported to Council that Bloor Street, as state of good repair, was due for major road rehabilitation work and that this presented an opportunity to make a change for the future, in an integrated way to incorporate road safety improvements to redesign the road in such a way that addresses safety concerns and make the road and adjacent neighbourhoods more accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and transit users, as well as motorists, keep traffic flowing at the posted speed limit, and at the same time revitalize the street as part of our commitment to build complete streets for every user and resident and so that everyone can use Bloor Street safely.  After extensive public consultation, feedback and first designs, Council and staff landed on an option that meets the needs of road users today and into the future. In June 2023, Council voted to redesign Bloor Street to make it safer for everyone who uses it.

The topics of road safety, addressing dangerous driver behaviour, ensuring safety for all continue to be top of mind for residents and front and centre on our Council and Committee agendas.

As well, implementing policies and collaborating to find ways to create neighbourhoods and communities that are safe, provide infrastructure and amenities that speak to the health and well-being of all and provide safe options for everyone to get around locally, and in the greater community and City.

The Bloor Street Redesign is a game changer in servicing our local Ward 3 community, the greater surrounding neighbourhoods and connecting to our great City of Mississauga. It will make the street, neighbourhoods, the community and City safer and more accessible for everyone, whether you choose to walk, roll, ride a bike, take transit or drive a car or other motor vehicle.

It also opens up endless opportunity for all residents in how they live, move, play, connect, belong in our community and City both now and into the future.

I look forward to moving through this Milestone Two in a collaborative way with residents, Council, staff and the community!

Why is Bloor Street being redesigned?

Bloor Street is due for asphalt resurfacing. This gave the City an opportunity to make a change for the future, so that everyone can use Bloor Street safely. It means the City only has to do construction once. It’s also part of our commitment to build complete streets for every user.

Improvements planned as part of this project will help make roads safer and more accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. These improvements include road rehabilitation work, construction of cycling facilities, road safety improvements and landscaping work.

When is the project going to happen?

After extensive public consultation, feedback and first designs, Council and staff landed on an option that meets the needs of road users today and into the future. In June 2023, Council voted to redesign Bloor Street to make it safer for everyone who uses it.

Construction will begin in the fall of 2024 and finish in December of 2025 and restoration work will be completed in 2026.

Here’s where we are in the process: