TORONTO – Commuters who rely on the crumbling Gardiner Expressway to get to and from work can expect travel delays in their very near future.
Three major construction projects will begin on the aging elevated highway next month.
It all starts with the Gardiner’s annual spring maintenance closure from Friday April 25 to Monday April 28.
Immediately following that, three major projects will roll out:
- Deck replacement on part of the elevated portion of the Gardiner between the CNE and Grand Magazine Street. This project includes the demolition of the Garrison Road bridge under the expressway. One lane of traffic will be closed in each direction. City officials said work is expected to wrap up in December 2016 (that’s not a typo, 2016).
- Rehabilitation of three bridges along the Gardiner between the Humber River and Park Lawn. One lane of eastbound traffic will be closed. Work is expected to be completed in December 2014.
- Median replacement between Ellis Ave. and Dufferin Road. One lane of traffic will be closed in each direction. Work is expected to be completed in August 2014.
Meanwhile, work continues on the Gardiner between York St. and Jarvis St. The lane restrictions for that portion are expected to ease in May.
City officials are asking for the public’s patience with the on-going rehabilitation of the Gardiner, calling the work critical.
The highway is one of Toronto’s major arterial roads.
A 2012 investigation by Global News journalists revealed thousands of documents detailing the state of the aging expressway and significant safety concerns.
IN DEPTH: Trouble Overhead – An investigation of the Gardiner Expressway
City council has debated extensively what to do with a heavily-trafficked highway in desperate need of attention, specifically the eastern portion: remove it, replace it, maintain it or improve it.
Earlier this year, city staff recommended the city’s 44 councillors approved the removal of the elevated portion from Lower Jarvis St. to Logan Ave.
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