Those fancy new streetcars sure are nice, but the TTC needs somewhere to put them. Enter the Leslie Barns, a new car house being built at Lake Shore that will accommodate about half the fleet of new low-floor vehicles. As part of this project, the TTC has to install new tracks at Queen and Leslie streets, which will result in an extended closure of the intersection this spring. Between May 11 and June 21 (assuming everything goes according to plan) the corner that's home to The Duke and The Nose will only be passable if you're on foot or bike.

This will be a bit of a pain in the ass for motorists, who will have to jog up to Dundas before returning to Queen, but the real annoyance will be borne by streetcar riders. Heading east, the 501 car will divert to Gerrard St. via Broadview before returning south on Coxwell. That's a pretty big chunk of Queen St. that's going to lack streetcar service. Oh, and in case you live in the west end and think this doesn't affect you, do bear in mind that the 501 struggles with bunching as it is, and this detour isn't likely to help. It's just over a month, though. And those new streetcars really are nice.

Photo by Michael Kelly