Traffic mayhem expected as Blue Jays fight for the post-season

Traffic around Rogers Centre is expected to be chaotic on Friday evening as the Toronto Blue Jays kick off their final homestand of the regular season.

The Jays take on the New York Yankees in a four-game series as they try to clinch a playoff spot.

Toronto police are expecting around 50,000 people to attend the game. In an effort to alleviate traffic, police suggest taking public transit, carpooling, and to consider avoiding the Rogers Centre area if you are not attending the game.

However, for those who are planning to drive downtown, Const. Clint Stibbe said drivers may want to double or triple their travel time.

“With that much traffic coming into the Gardiner Expressway down to the downtown core, not to mention the side streets and arterial roadways, all it takes is one collision to back up the expressway quite heavily,” Stibbe told 680 NEWS.

After the game, many roads will only be open in one direction to help with the flow of traffic:

• Blue Jays Way will be closed to southbound traffic from Front Street West to Navy Wharf Court
• Bremner Boulevard will be closed to eastbound traffic from Spadina Avenue to Rees Street, and from Rees Street to Lower Simcoe Street
• Bremner Boulevard will also be closed to westbound traffic from Lower Simcoe Street to Navy Wharf Court
• Spadina Avenue will be closed for southbound traffic from Front Street West to Lake Shore Boulevard West

 

Police are also asking taxi and ride-sharing drivers to pick up and drop off passengers on Front Street West, east of Blue Jays Way.

There are just 10 games left in the regular season and Toronto is currently sitting in the top wild card spot.

Here’s a look at the wild card picture: The Jays are one game ahead of the Detroit Tigers. Baltimore has slipped down after being swept by Boston. The two wild cards will play in a one-game playoff, hosted by the top team, to determine who moves on. The Red Sox are five-and-a-half games ahead of the Jays.

After the Yankees, the Jays play three games against the Orioles at home and the final three games are in Boston.

If you are planning to take transit to Saturday’s game at 4 p.m., subways won’t be running on Line 1 (Yonge-University-Spadina) between Osgoode and Yonge-Bloor stations for TTC track work. The first World Cup of Hockey semifinal game – Canada vs. Russia – is also being held on Saturday, 7 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre.