WATCH ABOVE: Toronto city councillors say Gardiner Expressway vote will be extremely close. Peter Kim reports.
TORONTO- Decisions, decisions.
Should the crumbling Gardiner Expressway east of Jarvis Street come down, or should we work with what’s there?
That’s the question being asked at council this week.
The answer is anyone’s guess.
Sixteen councillors are in favour of tearing it down and replacing it with a ground-level boulevard, while 13 others and the mayor are backing the hybrid option.
WATCH ABOVE: Mayor John Tory pushes ‘hybrid’ option for dealing with Gardiner Expressway
City Councillor Rob Ford wants to keep the Gardiner as it is.
That leaves 14 votes that could go any way. Council will debate the options, but the city’s leader has been clear with where he stands.
Mayor John Tory prefers the hybrid option and drilled in his point when he spoke to the Empire Club of Canada Monday afternoon.
Tory backs removing part of the highway, but keeping the elevated deck and adding new ramps.
Speaking Monday, Tory said the consequences of traffic congestion are very real.
“Time is not a commodity that can be bought,” said Tory.
He vowed to not rob Toronto residents of their valuable time by making decisions that will increase commute times.
The average commute time in the city is already more than an hour.
Mayor Tory: I did not get elected to make congestion worse in Toronto
He said voting for an option which maintains a seamless link between the Gardiner and the DVP is “critically important.”
“I shake my head when I hear the argument that it’s only 10 minutes more,” said Tory, of increased commute times without the link. “Let’s make the right decision.”
He said those arguing that traffic will simply work itself out are “dreaming.”
He said that the spill-over traffic, vehicles that currently bypass residential streets, will end up on those side streets in the area. Tory said the debate on the Gardiner has been “vigorous,” and there has been a lot of misinformation floating around.
The price tag for the removal option is $461 million, while the hybrid plan would cost $919 million.
The mayor said while the remove option is less expensive than the other options, the price tags do not take into account the cost of congestion.
He reiterated the estimate that the tear down option would take a toll of $37 million per year due to lost productivity.
WATCH: John Tory stresses fiscal argument for ‘hybrid’ Gardiner Expressway plan
“That is why I believe that the fiscally responsible choice is the hybrid option.”
Whatever the outcome, the decision will have a major impact on the city.
“I am the mayor of the entire city,” said Tory. “I am confident the hybrid options is the best option for the city as a whole.”
With files from Tania Kohut
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