More road closures to hit major Toronto highway as HOV lanes removed

WATCH ABOVE: The HOV lanes that were temporarily in place for the Pan Am and ParaPan Am Games will be removed on Aug. 18.

TORONTO – Drivers coming in and out of the city need to beware of yet another round of road closures in the GTA.

Starting Wednesday, the Gardiner Expressway will be reduced to two lanes on portions of the east and westbound routes.

The closure is part of the Gardiner deck rehabilitation.

“We completed the first phase ahead of Pan Am and this is the second phase,” said Michael D’Andrea, Executive Director Engineering and Construction Services with the City of Toronto.

“We are absolutely sympathetic, but when it’s all said and done, this is critically important work. It’s a very very large project and our ultimate objective is to make sure the Gardiner remains safe and operable.”

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Both east and westbound Gardiner from Spadina Avenue to Jameson Avenue will be reduced to two lanes. Construction is set to be complete in Oct. 31 2016.

Previously, the Jameson exit would close during rush hour, but D’Andrea says it will be open all hours to accommodate commuters.

HOV LANES

The Pan Am and Parapan Am games saw the installation of temporary High Occupancy Vehicle lanes along the 401, Don Valley Parkway, QEW, Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard.

After the successful closing ceremonies on Saturday, the lanes will be removed and open for all drivers on Tuesday.

Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Astrid Poei said the re-opening of the lanes would take place at 11 p.m. and that removal operations would take a few nights to fully complete.

“Starting the evening of August 18, our contractors will remove the regulatory signs and diamond pavement markings from these temporary lanes,” she said.

“The three-day period following the Parapan Am Games will see a large volume of departures by athletes and officials, which is why we pursued removal afterwards.”

The temporary HOV lanes on provincial highways were located on:

• QEW from Highway 427 to Trafalgar Road.
• Highway 401 from Warden Avenue to Westney Road (eastbound) and Brock Road (westbound).
• Highway 401 from Dixie Road to Kennedy Road (westbound only)
• Highway 427 from Rathburn Road to Dundas Street