A large concrete chunk of the Gardiner Expressway crashed to the roadway below Thursday morning, missing cars and causing no damage or injuries but raising fears about the elevated highway.

The chunk, which was described as being the size of a loaf of bread, hit nothing and bounced harmlessly away despite heavy traffic on the roadway during the morning rush hour.

City crews were quickly sent to the Kipling Bridge and closed off lanes of traffic to begin an inspection of the structure.

The city says there's no need for motorists to worry.

"What happened this morning is similar to shingles coming off a house," Gary Welsh of Toronto Transportation Services said. "The house is not going to fall down but it's a sign that repairs are needed."

It is not the first time pieces of the Gardiner have broken free. Last January a 20 kilogram chunk of concrete fell near York Street, damaging a car below. It happened again in 1999, littering the roadway just east of Spadina.

The most memorable incident in Canadian history occurred in Laval, Que. in September of last year. At that time a whole section of an overpass collapsed, killing five people and injuring six others.

Toronto officials say a similar incident is not likely to happen.

"My understanding is that in Montreal there were structural problems and we have inspectors out all the time looking at the structural integrity of our bridges," Works and Infrastructure Committee Chair Glenn De Baeremaeker said.

"They are safe and we do have a very good repair program."

Mayor David Miller seized the incident as an opportunity to campaign for more money from other levels of government. He said it is an example of how funding problems are affecting the city.

"We do have a comprehensive bridge repair program. But it is an example of how Toronto's infrastructure is deteriorating. It's true in Montreal, and in Calgary they can't keep up with their growth," Miller said.

The mayor is hosting a meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Mayors of the nation's 22-largest cities are in Toronto discussing how they can get more money from Ottawa to help pay for infrastructure and more.

"That's why we need significant investment in our cities; for our roads, for our bridges, for our people, for our libraries, for our community centres, to fight climate change, to build public transit and that's what today's meeting is all about," Miller said.

With a report from CTV's Alex Mihailovich