A new report from a city staffer recommends the eastern leg of Toronto’s aging Gardiner Expressway be torn down.
The high-traffic roadway, which was completed in 1964, is in dire need of repairs, and the latest proposal sets sights on a section just east of the Jarvis Street ramp.
City staff members are recommending that the elevated portion of the Gardiner from the Jarvis on- and off-ramps to the Don Valley Parkway be completely removed.
The works committee has four options for the Gardiner: maintenance, improvement, replacement and removal. All options will be costly.
Earlier this month, Waterfront Toronto announced that it was in favour of removing the Gardiner east of Jarvis, and now it seems that some city staffers are backing the idea.
It would cost an estimated $417 million to remove the 2.4-kilometre portion, and would take six to 12 years if approved. Construction would start in 2020.
The staff report says demolition is the cheapest option. Staffers estimate the cost of maintaining the expressway to be as high as $650 million, due to the number of improvements that have been suggested to ensure drivers’ safety.
The final details for the long-term project would be decided early next year, shortly after the October 2014 election, so the proposal is likely to surface during the Toronto mayoral race.
Mayor Rob Ford, who will be fighting to keep his seat, has already stated he’s opposed to tearing down the expressway.
“Is there some crumbling? Absolutely there is. It is an old bridge that needs some work, but we can clean it up and beautify it,” Ford said earlier this month. “The Gardiner is very useful and if we tear it down, it will be traffic chaos for five or six years. I do not want to see that. ”
A city evaluation found that it would take commuters who usually use the stretch of road an extra 10 to 15 minutes in either direction to reach their destination if the eastern section of the Gardiner is torn down.
An estimated 4,500 vehicles use the section in question every hour. The proposal suggests widening Lake Shore Boulevard by two lanes, one in each direction, to accommodate the extra traffic.
The recommendations will go to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee next week, and will be in front of city council on April 1.
Changes proposed to western leg of the Gardiner
On Monday, CTV Toronto reported on a proposal involving a western portion of the Gardiner.
The current rehabilitation plan for a section near Strachan Avenue is expected to take 20 years, and will cost the city an estimated $7.4 billion.
A new proposal suggests cutting the timeline down to 12 years, by inserting a prefabricated section of roadway into a part of the western deck near Strachan Avenue instead of pouring concrete at the scene.
The shorter process would save $3 billion, but would cost more money up front. The city would have to pay a $90 million at the beginning of construction.
The proposal also goes before the works committee next week. Construction is scheduled to begin in March.
With files from CTV Toronto’s Colin D’Mello
