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Lawrence station (Toronto)

Coordinates: 43°43′30″N 79°24′8″W / 43.72500°N 79.40222°W / 43.72500; -79.40222
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Lawrence
General information
Location3101 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates43°43′30″N 79°24′8″W / 43.72500°N 79.40222°W / 43.72500; -79.40222
PlatformsCentre platform
Tracks2
Connections
  •  97  Yonge
  •  124  Sunnybrook
  •  162  Lawrence–Donway
  •  320   Yonge
  •  352   Lawrence West
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
AccessibleNo
Other information
WebsiteOfficial station page
History
OpenedMarch 31, 1973; 51 years ago (1973-03-31)
Passengers
2022[1]27,847
Rank21 of 70
Services
Preceding station Toronto Transit Commission Following station
Eglinton
towards Vaughan
 Line 1 Yonge–University York Mills
towards Finch
Location
Map

Lawrence is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located under Yonge Street at Lawrence Avenue, in the Bedford Park, Lawrence Park and Lytton Park neighbourhoods.

Description

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The station is on four levels, all the entrances to the station are at street level, the concourse and collector level is on the second level, the bus platform is on the third level, and the subway platform is on the lower level. Both the subway and bus levels have a centre platform.[2]

Out of view from customers, there is an attic extending above and along the length of the subway platform. The attic contains ventilation equipment, a TTC substation and a city sewer pipe.[3] There is a double crossover just south of the subway platforms.[4]

Entrance at the northeast corner of Lawrence Ave. and Yonge St.

There are four entrances to the station located in the surrounding area:[2]

  • Entrance on Lawrence Avenue, west of Yonge Street, leading to the south-side mezzanine level
  • Entrance on Lawrence Avenue, east of Yonge Street, leading to the south-side mezzanine level
  • Entrance via sidewalk staircase at Bedford Park Avenue, leading to the north-side mezzanine level
  • Entrance via sidewalk staircase at Ranleigh Avenue, leading to the north-side mezzanine level

The south-side mezzanine leads down to the bus and subway levels. The unstaffed north-side mezzanine leads directly to the subway level.[2]

History

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Lawrence station was opened in 1973 as an intermediate stop between Eglinton, the former northern terminus of the Yonge line, and York Mills, which acted as a temporary terminus for a year until the subway was further extended to Finch. Lawrence station is one of the deepest stations on the subway system, as it provides a transition in depth between Eglinton station and York Mills station in the Hoggs Hollow valley. It was constructed using the cut-and-cover method down to the platform level.[3] Lawrence was the first station in the network to feature an underground bus terminal.[5]

On April 23, 2007, TTC employee Antonio Almeida was killed in the tunnel just south of the station when a platform on his work car was dislodged.[6]

In 2012, a series of renovations repaired the deteriorating concrete of the bus roadway and tunnel walls.[4] Between the fourth quarter of 2012 and mid-2015, four high-capacity fire ventilation fans were installed at the station.[7]

In 2015, the owner of the building at 3080 Yonge Street (at the northwest corner of Lawrence Street West) proposed to incorporate the TTC entrance at that corner into a renovation project for the building. The old TTC entrance building would be demolished; the renovated building would incorporate a new TTC entrance at ground level. The TTC requested that there be provision for an elevator.[8] These renovations were carried out, and the renovated TTC entrance was opened.[9]

Future

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By mid-2022, work had begun to make Lawrence station accessible.[10] Two elevators will be added, one from street level to the concourse level and a second from the concourse to the bus and subway levels. A new stairway will be added from the concourse to the subway platform. Signage and wayfinding will be improved throughout the station.[11] The station will have a fifth entrance to house the elevator from street level to the concourse; it will be located on the north side of a Tim Hortons outlet, a few doors north of the existing entrance at the northwest corner of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue.[12] The project requires partial closures within the station. In November 2023, the underground bus terminal was closed, resulting in the diversion of buses from Lawrence Avenue West to Eglinton station via Avenue Road, and buses from Lawrence Avenue East to the Roe Loop at Roe Avenue and Avenue Road.[13] In July 2024, the main entrances at the south side of the station were closed limiting station access to the northern secondary entrances.[14] As of July 2024, project completion is expected in late 2025.[11]

Nearby landmarks

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Surface connections

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Main article: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes
Underground bus platforms

Buses enter the station counter to the normal traffic directions so that bus doors will face the centre bus platform.

TTC routes serving the station include:

Route Name Additional information
97A Yonge Northbound to Steeles Avenue and southbound to St. Clair station
(On-street stop outside station)
97B Northbound to Steeles Avenue via Yonge Boulevard and southbound to St. Clair station via Yonge Boulevard
(On-street stop outside station)
124 Sunnybrook Eastbound to Sunnybrook Hospital
(On-street stop outside station)
162 Lawrence–Donway Eastbound to Don Mills Road
(On-street stop outside station)
320 Yonge Blue Night service; northbound to Steeles Avenue and southbound to Queens Quay
(On-street stop outside station)
352 Lawrence West Blue Night service; eastbound to Sunnybrook Hospital and westbound to Pearson Airport

George Milbrandt Parkette

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George Milbrandt Parkette is located at the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue East, and shares the small rectangular plot of land with the Lawrence station entrance at that location. At the request of George Milbrandt, acting on behalf of the Bedford Park Residents' Association, the Toronto City Council created the park in 1998. In 1999, the City named the parkette after Milbrandt, who had promoted the parkette's creation for 25 years. The parkette has simple landscaping including shade trees, park benches, grading and grass.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "Subway ridership, 2022" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved May 4, 2024. This table shows the typical number of customer-trips made on each subway on an average weekday and the typical number of customers travelling to and from each station platform on an average weekday.
  2. ^ a b c "TTC Lawrence Station". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Flack, Derek (January 11, 2018). "This TTC station has a secret attic above the platform". blogTO. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Bow, James; White, Richard. "Lawrence". Transit Toronto. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  5. ^ Milland, Russ (March 30, 2009). "Happy Birthday to the TTC Subway!". Toronto Railway Historical Association. Retrieved October 12, 2020. At Lawrence station, the connecting bus platforms were built underground for the first time in Toronto.
  6. ^ Staff Reporter (April 23, 2007). "Toronto transit worker dies in subway tunnel accident". CBC News. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  7. ^ "Lawrence Station: Fire Ventilation Upgrade". TTC. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "3080 Yonge Street – (Entrance Connection to Lawrence Station)" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. May 27, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 14, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  9. ^ Spurr, Ben (October 9, 2020). "A 'safety concern' has kept a Lawrence TTC entrance shut since March — with no end in sight". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "Lawrence Station – Easier Access Project" (PDF). Toronto Transit Commission. April 22, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 8, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Easier Access Program – Lawrence Station". Toronto Transit Commission. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  12. ^ "Renovated entrance to Lawrence station". Transit Toronto. May 25, 2020. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  13. ^ "Lawrence Station bus terminal closure". Toronto Transit Commission. November 19, 2023. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023.
  14. ^ "Lawrence Station main entrance closure". Toronto Transit Commission. July 8, 2024. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024.
  15. ^ "Toronto Public Library: Locke Branch". Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  16. ^ "Naming of New Parkette - N/E corner of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue East "The George Milbrandt Parkette"". City of Toronto. August 23, 1999. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
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Media related to Lawrence station at Wikimedia Commons

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