Ontario Construction News staff writer
Rehabilitation work on Section 3 of the Gardiner Expressway will begin ahead of schedule this spring due to critical repairs a City of Toronto condition assessment showed must be completed on five bridges ahead of the original 2027-2031 timeline.
The city in a press release said the project will incorporate “acceleration measures and congestion management tools” used on current work on Section 2 of the Expressway between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue in an attempt to lessen impacts on commuters.
These include early completion incentives, enabling crews to work up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week as required to meet the compressed construction timelines and temporary turning lane modifications.
Toronto also says it is working with the nearby Ontario Food Terminal to minimize impact to its operations by aligning the construction schedule with the low season at the terminal and providing a dedicated detour route for truck traffic.
The Ontario government will fund the replacement of the Gardiner Expressway overpasses at Park Lawn Road and Mimico Creek and the westbound on-ramp from Park Lawn Road over Mimico Creek as part of the Ontario-Toronto New Deal.
The deal includes a provincial commitment to upload the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway to the Ontario government, subject to a third-party due diligence assessment. Toronto will pay for repairs to the Kipling Avenue and Islington Avenue bridges.
Construction on Section 2 of the Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation Plan (Dufferin Street to Strachan Avenue) began in November 2023 with the first lane closures in March 2024. In July a $73-million funding commitment from the province helped move the construction completion date to at least April 2026 from April 2027.
Stage 1 of Section 2 rehabilitation work was completed four months ahead of the original schedule.
In service for more than 60 years, “the Gardiner is old and falling apart,” Mayor Olivia Chow said in a statement. “We must upgrade it to keep it safe and keep Toronto moving. We are working hard to ease congestion for those living and working in the area.”
