After years of construction, shuttered businesses and inconvenient detours, the TTC’s much-maligned St. Clair right-of-way is, for the most part, up and running.

The first streetcar rolled out early Sunday morning on the new designated line between Bathurst Street and Lansdowne Avenue. It won’t be until next year that the final phase is done – the stretch between Lansdowne and Keele Street.

The 6.7 kilometre right-of-way started construction in 2005 and was supposed to cost $65 million and take only two years to finish.

Phase 1 between Yonge Street and Bathurst Avenue opened in 2007. But the rest of the project has been plagued by delays, which the TTC blamed on contractors' scheduling problems.

Many local merchants say the prolonged road closures forced them out of business. But others believe the rejuvenation – which includes buried hydro wires, new trees and lamps, and moving hydrants to make room for street parking – is worth the wait.

For more information on the project, click here.