Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Toronto says it has achieved a significant construction milestone completing rehabilitation of the elevated section of the Gardiner Expressway between Jarvis and Cherry Streets.
Crews replaced the entire concrete deck and steel girders and rehabilitated the westbound off-ramp at Sherbourne Street, the eastbound on-ramp at Jarvis Street and the westbound off-ramp leading to Yonge, Bay and York Streets.
To complete this work faster and to be less disruptive to the public, the city used an innovative construction technique called Accelerated Bridge Construction to replace concrete deck and steel girder sections on the elevated portion of the Expressway with prefabricated concrete deck panels.
During this project, the largest of its scale in North America, sections of the Expressway were saw cut, hoisted out of place and transported elsewhere to separate and recycle the concrete deck and steel girders. In contrast to conventional cast-in-place methods, this new approach resulted in less dust and noise and reduced overall construction time and traffic impacts by up to 40 per cent.
In total, 409 unique panels were produced in the fabrication yard located north of Lake Shore Boulevard East just east of Cherry Street.
“This high-priority work was not only complex, but it was also innovative. The City’s Accelerated Bridge Construction technique allowed us to complete the work faster and in a way that was less disruptive to the public when compared to traditional construction methods,” said city councillor Jennifer McKelvie.
Construction for the next phase of the Gardiner Strategic Rehabilitation Plan, which involves the rehabilitation of the elevated portion of the Expressway between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue, is planned to begin in 2022.
Construction plans address immediate and long-term needs from Highway 427 to the Don Valley Parkway and is expected to be complete by 2030.
The Gardiner Expressway is one of the most significant and well-used highways for passenger and freight travel in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Through the movement of goods and services, it contributes an estimated $1 billion per year to Canada’s GDP.
