TTC modifying 510 Spadina replacement bus amid travel times tripling

The TTC says it will be modifying the 510 Spadina replacement bus amid afternoon gridlock and congestion on the south end of the route.

Starting on Monday, between 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, the buses will not operate on Spadina between Front Street West and Queen’s Quay West, skipping the stops at Spadina and Fort York Boulevard and at Queen’s Quay.

It will instead turn left on Front Street, then right on Blue Jays Way, looping back around to Spadina to return to Spadina station.

The city says the change is the result of ongoing monitoring of the route since the streetcars were removed from the street to accommodate infrastructure work.

In the first week, the TTC saw southbound travel times triple to more than an hour compared to between 20 to 25 minutes at other times of day.

In CityNews’ own Spadina Sprint, it took close to an hour-and-a-half to get from Spadina station to Queen’s Quay, slower than it took someone walking down the same stretch.

The TTC says the congestion is caused by buses running south of Front St. getting caught in gridlock as drivers try and get on the Gardiner Expressway.

New stops are being placed on the south side of Front, just east of Spadina to offload southbound travelers and on the north side of Blue Jays Way east of Spadina for those wanting to travel north.

Traffic agents have also been deployed at intersections along the 510 route from Monday to Friday between noon and 7 p.m.

Councillor for Spadina-Forth York Ausma Malik previously said that she has “been pushing TTC to look at all options to speed up construction timelines and keep transit moving on this route.”

On Friday, she posted on X that she is continuing to look for solutions.

“The 510 Spadina Construction has left too many of us stuck, and I share your frustration. I’m keeping the push on TTC to speed up construction on this critical work, look at a dedicated bus lane, and add traffic wardens to the route to manage impacts,” she said.

The work along Spadina is expected to last until December.