Waterfront Toronto is asking city residents what they think should become of the Gardiner Expressway east of Jarvis Street, with four different options set to be presented at a public meeting Wednesday night.

The meeting marks the start of the second phase of the environmental assessment process for determining the Gardiner’s future. The four options were first presented during phase one of the assessment.

They are:

  • maintaining the elevated expressway as is, with minor enhancements.
  • maintaining the elevated expressway but with improvements such as better supports and more green space underneath, at a cost of up to $630 million.
  • replacing the current expressway with either an above- or below-ground expressway, at a cost of about $1 billion.
  • removing the elevated expressway and building a new roadway with between eight and 10 lanes of traffic, similar to University Avenue.

“Whatever we do, we think it has to be a practical, implementable solution that considers Toronto’s overall city-building objectives and transportation needs today and well into the future,” Deputy City Manager John Livey told a news conference.

Wednesday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library. Residents who cannot attend in person can watch the proceedings online.

After it factors in the public’s response to the four ideas, Waterfront Toronto will make its recommendation to council in the spring.

The agency points out that the western portion of the Gardiner, which has much higher traffic volumes than the eastern portion, is already undergoing significant repairs.

Shortly after Tuesday morning’s news conference, the South Central Ontario division of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA SCO) issued a statement urging Waterfront Toronto and City Council to eliminate options that call for removing lanes from the Gardiner.

The CAA SCO says reducing the number of lanes would increase traffic and worsen gridlock on the Gardiner.

"Reducing capacity on the Gardiner would also force more commuters onto Toronto's arterial roads putting the safety of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians at risk,” Faye Lyons, of the government relations division of the CAA SCO, said in a statement.

“This would have an enormous impact not only on the GTA's economy and road congestion, but also the quality of life for residents.”

The CAA SCO says the only option that does not reduce the number of lanes is the one that calls for maintaining the status quo, but making necessary repairs.

The agency says 750,000 trips in both directions are made on the Gardiner each week.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Ashley Rowe