Let the digging begin! Roncesvalles from High Park/Fermanagh to Westminster is all dug up (as is a southern stretch) and the traffic pattern is definitely disturbed!

All of this, of course, is for the good overall plan to replace aging utility infrastructure and eventually aging streetcar tracks - not to mention get ready for new streetcars, to be delivered starting in 2011 - but there's no way around some short-term headaches.

Still, all the digging means some pretty amazing construction equipment has taken up residence on the street, not to mention an awfully fascinating view into the depths of a major Toronto street. One local who can't help but check out the digging said he was sure he smelled horse during the initial demolition - perhaps a vestige of the days of horse-drawn streetcars?

The logistics are a bit messy, perhaps, but the essential things to know include:

> No streetcars! The King streetcar between Queen Street and Dundas West Station is replaced by a bus that runs north on Roncesvalles and then south from the Dundas West station along Dundas, down Lansdowne and west on Queen, back to Roncesvalles.

> No southbound traffic on most of Roncesvalles. There are some stretches where you can go south, but expect those to dwindle as the construction zone expands. There's one northbound lane the whole way.

> The Polish Festival will go on! Come September, whatever areas are all dug up will get filled in temporarily so the popular festival can go on. > Watch out for bikes and pedestrians - and confused drivers! 

> Keeping shopping at the local businesses! Everybody is still open and happy to see customers. There is still some Roncesvalles parking but all side streets are also available (just be sure to check the signs for restrictions, such as one hour limits).

And stay tuned for further detailed design information because this is just phase one, and not the really exciting part where we figure out what trees we'll have or what the bump-outs will look like.