Per OC Transpo:
There were a few reasons for the decision to re-route the 61, 62, and 63 via Carling, Richmond, and Pinecrest:
- One of the main factors involved in the decision was related to the frequent closures of the Pinecrest westbound off-ramp from the 417. This ramp had been closed for an extended duration, and in the last year or so since it was re-opened, has been closed regularly for short durations, including various weekends and overnight periods.
- With traffic returning to the highway, there was also some uncertainty about the possibility for delays in this segment, between the Transitway and the Pinecrest off-ramp – the original Stage 2 plan had a direct lane for buses to the off-ramp from the Transitway, but this was adjusted when the highway widening was removed from the project scope, requiring buses to operate in the mixed traffic lane for a portion of the segment, therefore subject to delays.
- In addition to the management of the highway ramp closures, the change helped to reduce the number of buses operating along the Transitway between Lincoln Fields and Highway 417, which has been heavily affected by construction for several years, and was also subject to several short duration/weekend closures.
- In addition to improved reliability throughout the construction and closures, we have also been looking into bus lanes along Carling between Richmond and the KZM, which would help to improve travel speeds and reliability along this route. With the bus lanes, there is a good chance that this routing would be as fast, or faster, than operating via the Transitway into Pinecrest Station. We need to complete a more thorough traffic study along with our colleagues in Public Works before we can speak with Councillor Kavanagh about these potential bus lanes, and we expect to do that this winter.
Given all of the potential construction impacts along the regular route, we had anticipated that re-routing via Carling provided a consistent route option that would be reliable for customers. As we had discussed with the Councillors earlier in the summer, our intention is to evaluate the operating times between Lincoln Fields, Pinecrest, and Bayshore now that the ramps are open to compare the route options directly, to confirm which would be the fastest option. This analysis is already underway, and if it shows that operating via Carling, Richmond and Pinecrest is slower than operating via the Transitway, we can certainly coordinate returning these routes to their original routing. It is important to note that all of the other movements that were affected by the changes to the western detour corridors in April 2025 have resulted in travel time savings, including the eastbound change between Pinecrest Station and Lincoln Fields Station, via Pinecrest, Richmond, and Carling.