Road closures will make getting around the city this weekend a major challenge

Heading downtown this weekend? Get ready for a slew of road closures.

With several festivals and other events planned to take place around the city, residents and visitors are being advised that only pedestrian traffic will be allowed in some areas.

The city says there will be 186 major road restrictions, 181 moderate restrictions and 357 minor restrictions, and these will make getting around this weekend quite the challenge.

“Those who need to drive in the general vicinity of special events should allow extra time to get to and from their destinations, and plan ahead,” the city said on its website.

Weekend events and street closures

• Beaches Jazz Festival — Queen Street East will be fully closed from 6 p.m. to midnight between Woodbine Avenue and Beech Avenue, from Thursday, July 25 to Saturday, July 27.
• Taste of the Middle East — Dundas Square will be fully closed from Yonge Street to O’Keefe Lane, and the west curb lane on Victoria Street between Dundas Square and Shuter Street will be closed from 6 a.m. on Saturday, July 27 until 2 a.m. on Sunday, July 28.
• OssFest — Ossington Avenue will be fully closed from Queen Street West to Dundas Street West starting at 6 a.m. on Saturday, July 27 until 3 a.m. on Sunday, July 28.
• Pedestrian Sundays at Kensington Market — Parts of Kensington Avenue, Augusta Avenue, Baldwin Street and St. Andrew Street will be closed on Sunday, July 28 from noon to 10:30 p.m.

Closed for filming

Meanwhile, ongoing filming in the city also means that several roads will be closed this weekend, the city says.

Filming locations include:

• 1087 Queen Street West — 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• 147 Danforth Avenue — 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• 230 St. Clair Avenue West — 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• 253 Spadina Avenue — 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

In addition to road closures related to special events, a significant amount of road work is taking place in the city.

People are encouraged to take public transit to get to their destinations.

Those who need to drive in the general vicinity of special events should allow extra time to get to and from their destinations and plan ahead using this complete list of events and road work.

Gardiner Expressway rehabilitation

The city is also rehabilitating the Gardiner Expressway between Jarvis and Cherry Street — the first project of its 10-year Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Plan.