After almost 10 months of construction, a major downtown off-ramp is back in use.
The newly constructed York/Bay/Yonge ramp from the Gardiner Expressway to Lower Simcoe Street and Harbour Street reopens today.
The old, crumbling ramp was shut down in April 2017 so that it could be rebuilt.
Speaking ahead of its opening Sunday, Mayor John Tory lauded the project for being completed on-time and on-budget.
“This ramp was completed on time, despite encountering severe problems with a storm sewer on Harbour Street and an early winter,” Tory said. “Investing in Toronto's infrastructure is the only way to ease congestion and to keep traffic moving. The demolition of the old ramp has transformed the area and has improved access to the waterfront.”
Tory said he’s pleased the ramp was completed on time, joking that at the news conference announcing the work, “I was afraid there was going to be an angry mob chasing me out of town.”
The mayor said he knows the work caused some disruption but it had to be completed.
“We cannot postpone making these decisions anymore. We have to do the things that need to be done to keep people moving,” he said.
He noted the old ramp had reached the end of its lifespan and needed to be replaced as a matter of safety. He also referred to the old ramp as a “hot wheels” ramp because it wound in a continuous loop from top to bottom.
The $30-million project includes a new, shorter ramp to provide access to the waterfront. Harbour Street has also been widened from three to four lanes between Lower Simcoe and Bay Streets, and a dedicated multi-use trail has been added to improve pedestrian and cyclist access to the waterfront.
The new ramp also features winter technology, with nozzles that release anti-freeze spray in slippery conditions – the first time the technology is being used in Toronto.
The ramp was scheduled to open at 6 p.m., but traffic started coming down the new ramp at around 4 p.m.
The project will be wrapped up in the spring with the addition of permanent traffic signals, a new curb on the north side of Harbour Street between York and Bay Streets, installation of a multi-use trail on the south side of Harbour Street, the final top coat of asphalt on Harbour Street between Lower Simcoe and Bay Streets, and installation of planters and streetscape elements on Harbour Street.
The reconstructed plan also makes room for new parkland and the city says a public consultation process is underway to do so.
The ramp project is part of a larger plan for revitalizing the aging Gardiner Expressway. A major project to replace the crumbling eastern section of the expressway is set to get underway later this year.
