Everyone knows the old joke that Toronto has two seasons: winter and construction. Well, this year it's going to feel particularly true as the city embarks on an aggressive road work plan at the same time that the TTC runs through a host of weekend closures for track repairs and to update its signalling system.

There's a perfect storm brewing for a traffic nightmare this summer, one that will impact various areas in the city, including major stretches of downtown Toronto. Gerrard, Queen, Richmond, and Shuter streets will all witness significant closures before the end of the year, with many of these scheduled between June and September.

Lane closures will continue on the Gardiner until August, while major roadwork is also scheduled for a huge stretch of Bayview Avenue between River St. and Sutherland Dr. That's almost five kilometres of a street that's used as a key overflow route for the DVP (which mercifully has few closures in store).

There are 22 major closures planned this summer for road repairs and water main replacement, some of which was delayed on account of last summer's Pan Am Games. This doesn't include festivals, special events, and unforeseen repairs. That constitutes 122 kilometres of the city's streets and expressways.

Meanwhile, the TTC closures will affect portions of the subway system roughly three weekends a month for the remainder of 2016. The stretch of Line 2 between St. George and Pape will be particularly hard hit, with 10 scheduled closures remaining this year.

All that to say, it's probably time to buy a bike.

Summer Road Closure Highlights



Gardiner lane closures from Jameson to Spadina until the end of July.

Bayview between River St. and Sutherland Dr. from July to October.

Gerrard St. E. between Yonge and Sherbourne from June 2016 to July 2017.

Richmond St. between Church and York from September to December.

Queen St. between Bathurst and Spadina from May to September.

Yonge St. between Wilson and Highway 401 from June to September.

Don Mills Rd. between Lawrence and York Mills from June to September.

Ellesmere between Markham Rd. and McCowan from May to October.

To keep track of Toronto road closures, use the city's interactive map.

Photo by Vic Gedris in the blogTO Flickr pool.