Gardiner Expressway Update

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, earlier this year, city staff released a report on the joint City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto study on the eastern section of the Gardiner Express way (from Jarvis to Logan).

City staff reviewed four options for the future of the eastern section of the Gardiner (maintain, improve, replace and remove) and recommended the remove option.

When city staff’s report came to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee in late March, the Committee directed staff to report back in early 2015 following further study of the track and congestion impacts of the recommended option.

The Committee also asked staff to study a proposal brought forward by First Gulf that involves realigning the eastern leg of the Gardiner.

Accelerated Rehabilitation

While the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee deferred a decision on the Gardiner’s eastern leg pending further study, City Council approved an innovative plan to accelerate the rehabilitation of the elevated highway.

The newly approved plan centres on the use of prefabricated deck and girder sections to replace the at-grade and deck sections of the expressway at the same time. The new approach is expected to shave eight years of construction time o of the rehabilitation project, which city sta estimate is equal to about $3 billion in user impacts.