[URBAN NOTE] “How the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will transform Toronto”

blogTO’s Derek Flack describes how the soon-to-be-completed Eglinton Crosstown LRT will transform Toronto, especially the midtown. Plenty of analysis and photos is there: go read!

In about five years, Toronto will unveil the largest expansion of the TTC’s rapid transit network since the 1960s. The Crosstown LRT will consist of 25 stops stretching across 19 kilometres of Eglinton Avenue, 10 of which will be underground.

While this massive project won’t open until 2021 (assuming it stays on target), it’s already transforming Toronto in profound ways.

The construction of rapid transit spurs development, whether it’s a heavy rail subway or an LRT, but the placement of a new line is always crucial. In the case of the Eglinton Crosstown, there are already plenty of signs that the route will lead to a huge increase in density along the street after which it’s named.

It’d be overreaching to claim the condo boom in and around Yonge and Eglinton as the direct result of the coming LRT. The area is already so well served by transit thanks to its proximity to the Yonge Line.

When you follow the route away from the core, however, it’s amazing to see how many developments have already been proposed, many of which will be completed shortly after the LRT opens.