It's expected that the Gardiner will start to look more like a parking lot than an expressway in the next few months as a slew of planned construction projects will result in lane restrictions that will likely cause gridlock during rush hour.
Starting May 2 until the end of the year, the city is planning to do extensive work on the Gardiner, including road resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation and regular maintenance.
Most of the work is scheduled for the overnight hours when traffic is at its lightest.
However, there are some mornings and evenings when several lanes of the highway will be closed during rush hour traffic.
On May 8, all westbound lanes will be closed at Kipling from 2 a.m. until noon.
The Gardiner's eastbound express lanes will be closed from Kipling to Royal York from 2 a.m. on May 15 until 5 a.m. on May 17.
Perhaps the biggest inconvenience this spring will be between May 17 and June 11, when the city plans to restrict the Gardiner to two lanes in both directions near the Jameson exit.
For a full listing of closures on Toronto's major routes, click here to view the city's posted schedule.
The Gardiner connects downtown Toronto to the west end of the city and the Greater Toronto Area. The expressway is said to carry about 8 per cent of commuters to the city.
