John Street Cultural Corridor project gains $40M in funding

Makeover would widen sidewalks, introduce innovative road design and add new trees and public art.

Thestar.com
April 17, 2017
By David Hains

John St.’s much-anticipated makeover that will turn the downtown street into a pedestrian-friendly plaza now has $40 million in funding.

The John Street Cultural Corridor project was a decade in the making. The consultations and designs have been completed, and formal construction will start as soon as 2018 or early 2019, said local Councillor Joe Cressy.

“It’s part of a generational shift to move people rather than cars,” he said of the plan to transform John Street, which will have a pedestrian focus in the same way the new design for King St. will have a transit focus.

“Think of Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington, but along a cultural corridor.”

The proposal stretches from Rogers Centre to the south (Front St.) to the AGO to the north (Stephanie St.). Other cultural institutions along John include the CBC building at Wellington, Metro Hall at King and the Bell Media building at Queen.

The John Street Corridor project would widen sidewalks and boulevards, install new public art, add additional trees and lighting and introduce innovative road design to calm traffic. The aim is to create a street that can easily host cultural events throughout the year.

The plan would also reduce traffic to one lane each way, and Cressy knows there will be objections.