A coalition of lobby groups who were already loudly demanding that the city maintain a highway link from the Don Valley Parkway to the Gardiner Expressway have now launched a website urging city councillors to vote against knocking the existing one down.
Dontcutmeoff.net implores Toronto residents to “take a stand” and call their councilors to tell them to vote for the “hybrid” option for the future of the Expressway, which would see its current eastern strip rerouted between Jarvis Street and the Don Valley Parkway, allowing for the re-development of the former Unilever plant lands.
Mayor John Tory supports the hybrid option because of what he says are the potential traffic issues caused by removing the eastern portion of the Gardiner altogether. But a number of councillors have spoken out against the hybrid option’s high price tag.
Rerouting the highway is expected to cost a total of $919 million compared to $461 million for tearing it down completely.
City council will vote on the fate of the eastern Gardiner Expressway during a meeting next week.
A poll conducted by Mainstreet Technologies found 45 per cent of Torontonians support tearing down the eastern Gardiner, while 33 per cent support the hybrid option.
The site was put up by the Ontario Trucking Association, CAA of South Central Ontario, the Toronto Industry Network and the Financial District Business Improvement Area.
