Ramped-up construction work will relieve gridlock for drivers on the Gardiner Expressway earlier than expected.
At a press conference on Wednesday morning, Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow announced that the provincial government will provide up to $73 million to the City of Toronto to accelerate construction scheduling on the Gardiner on the condition that crews can work up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with multiple shifts per day.
Under the leadership of Premier @fordnation, our government is accelerating construction on the Gardiner Expressway by at least one year! 🏗️
We are investing in up to $73 million to support 24/7 construction work to help get drivers out of gridlock and where they need to go… pic.twitter.com/3RrSwOoxFD
— Prabmeet Sarkaria (@PrabSarkaria) July 24, 2024
Construction of the Gardiner from Dufferin to Strachan Ave. (as part of the City’s Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Plan) means that a 700-metre stretch of the route is now only running on two lanes in each direction for the foreseeable future. Travel times on the Expressway — which sees about 200,000 vehicles pass through daily— have increased up to 250% on the westbound lanes during morning rush hour and 230% on eastbound lanes in the afternoon rush hour as a result of the latest construction project.
Closures were to remain in effect until the project concludes in 2027, but today’s announcement will move the construction completion date from April 2027 to at least April 2026.
The provincial government predicts that this will benefit Ontario’s economy by an estimated $273 million by getting drivers and goods out of gridlock a year faster than planned.
“Our government is helping get the 140,000 drivers from Toronto, Peel, Halton, York, Hamilton and across Ontario who use the Gardiner Expressway each day out of gridlock and where they need to go faster,” Sarkaria said in a statement. “The practical solutions we are implementing to speed up construction, like 24/7 work, will provide major economic benefits to Ontario and make life easier and more convenient for drivers from across the province, and in the local community.”
Other measures being supported through this funding include modifying the Jameson to westbound Gardiner on-ramp, opening a left-turn lane at Spadina Avenue from Lake Shore East Boulevard, and relaxing noise restrictions and overnight lane closures.
“Together with the provincial government, we can rebuild the Gardiner Expressway more quickly and ease the painful congestion in downtown Toronto,” Chow said in a statement. “Working together, we can repair our aging infrastructure, ensure that the Gardiner Expressway is safe and help people get around our city easier.”
The province referenced a recent poll conducted by Ipsos for the Toronto Region Board of Trade that found that 73 per cent of respondents from the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area support 24-hour road construction and 74 per cent support 24-hour public transit construction.
Once construction is complete on the Gardiner, drivers will save on average of up to 22 minutes per trip.
