nondes 

Just got back from what I thought would be my usual short loop, only to find that the wooden ramp and bridge over the railway line near Don Mills Road has been closed for reconstruction until December. There was a cop there as people had been reported walking across the rail line. The out and back ride is about as long for me as the loop, so I guess I'll have to be satisfied with that for a while. It would have beeen nice to have had some advance warning - this has to be one of the busiest bike routes in the City.

urbanlegend

A while back, I wrote to the city with some suggestions of bike paths that could use improvement near where I live in the west end. When they finally got back to me, much of their response was that the DV trail was much worse off and would be getting more repairs, etc.

Just think of how nice it will be when it's done. And what a miracle it is to get anything bike-related done given our mayoral situation.

Happy pedalling!

nondes 

The ramp and bridge need some work - badly worn, poor sight lines, slippery when wet, but it does take the whole section of trail out of commission as happened near Queen Street a couple of years ago. The route connecting the Martin Goodman trail through Queens Quay is up for construction soon as well. I'll have to pick my routes carefully, but I agree it will be good when it's finished.

nondes 

I headed south along the Don Valley Trail from Sunnybrook yesterday (Mar 29) - unfortunately the bridge over the railway is still closed so I couldn't complete my loop. The bridge crossing was supposed to be opened in December. A major metal structure is going in there - the new bridge should be about twice as wide as it was before but there was no indication of when it will be completed.

jet sanchEz

So there is no way to cross the tracks then? When the repairs were being done, it was still possible to shoulder your bike and cross over, I take it this is no longer the case? I guess I will be finding out soon as I intend to head down that trail tomorrow....

nondes 

I rode up the trail from Pottery Road this morning, to see what's going on on the south side of the bridge (I usually approach from the north). The former wooden walkway to the south of the rail bridge has been replaced with a structure that has a textured steel deck. The bridge over the railway is still closed and there's a sign saying the work will last from March to mid-May (funny as it's been closed since last August). Maybe it will be open in a couple of weeks - who knows?

There may be a way to scramble across the line but there's a lot of fencing and signs, and I'm not interested in dragging my road bike through the undergrowth in my cleats.

The trail south of Pottery Road seemed better than it was last year - no mud on the trail, a bit less bumpy, and trees trimmed back.

SuperTrouper

Good to hear that the bridge may open again soon.

About two weeks ago a bunch of maintenance crews had a big effort on the Don Trail, cutting back trees, painting over graffiti, etc.. For a while parts of the trail were littered with branches, but everything seems to have cleared up now. I still find it bumpy, though! That short series of bumps just south of the bridge connecting Riverdale Parks annoy me every time

Boudicca

Agreed. The bumps are particularly irritating going downhill, presumably because you're going faster.

kempenfeltkelly

Hello nondes,

What is the route you take in the valley. I don't like riding on city roads and thought the valley would be a great alternative. Do you have a course you can send / share with me?

Thanks

Boudicca

Where do you want to ride from and to?

nondes 

Maybe we should post the Toronto bike map link as a sticky - and others can add their maps as well.. https://www.toronto.ca/cycling/map/

chopstickhero

I was still able to get through the fence last week and cross the tracks.

nondes 

The good news is that the new bridge is open. The approaches are fresh, smooth asphalt and the deck is textured metal. There's a "cyclists dismount" sign at the bridge but I won't be paying attention to that unless it's wet.

The bad news is that the recent flooding has left a lot of mud and silt on the trail, so take care!

Wilfred Laurier

YAY

i bet there are loads of people
with dead bodies waiting to be dumped
that are in pretty advanced stages of decomposition

let the disposals begin!