City council will decide the fate of the 2.4-kilometre eastern portion of the Gardiner Expressway later this month. At a June 10 meeting, they will decide whether to rebuild the crumbling portion of the expressway or tear it down completely. Here’s what you need to know about both options.

Quick Facts

  • The Gardiner is an 18-kolmetre highway running from the QEW to the Don Valley Parkway
  • Why change the eastern part of the Gardiner now? The ageing expressway is in need of significant repairs that will be costly, so the city is evaluating how best to spend the money.
  • A 2011 study showed that about three per cent (5,200 people) of those coming downtown in the morning rush hour use the eastern Gardiner (the portion from the DVP to Jarvis Street). That number is projected to remain relatively unchanged over the next 15 years.

 

 

Tear it down

Rebuild it (Hybrid option)

What would they build?

 
  • The elevated expressway would be torn down from Jarvis to the DVP
  • Lake Shore Boulevard would be transformed into an eight-lane boulevard lined with trees, sidewalks and retail stores. It would be connected to the DVP by continuous on and off ramps that wouldn’t be blocked by a traffic light
  • New on-ramps would be built to connect the expanded boulevard to the remaining portion of the Gardiner at Jarvis Street in the west and to the DVP in the east
  • Former industrial lands east of the Don River and in the Port Lands would be re-developed

 
  • The elevated expressway would be maintained west of the DVP
  • The deck would be replaced on the elevated part of the Gardiner
  • On and off ramps from the Gardiner to Logan Avenue would be demolished; New ones would be built between the Don River and Cherry Street
  • Lake Shore Boulevard would be transformed into a six-lane landscaped boulevard east of the Don River
  • Former industrial lands east of the Don River and in the Port Lands would be re-developed

How long would it take
  • The project would take six years and traffic would need to be diverted for 3-4 years

 
  • The project would take six years and traffic would need to be diverted for 1.5 years

 

How much would it cost?

 
  • $461 million

 
  • $919 million over 100 years

 

Pros

 
  • The new boulevard would be at street-level and would allow the areas around the current eastern stretch of the Gardiner to be better connected
  • Half the cost of the hybrid option
  • Proponents say it would create a vibrant urban space that follows the lead of other innovative cities like San Francisco and Madrid.
  • An additional 12 acres of redevelopment land would bring in a projected $100 million in additional revenue for the city.

 
  • Travel times would remain more or less unchanged
  • Advocates say rebuilding the existing infrastructure will help avoid further traffic delays and congestion in the city.

 

Cons

 
  • Travel times at rush hour would increase by at least three to five minutes

 
  • Rebuilding the eastern Gardiner would cost almost twice as much as tearing it down and replacing it with a widened boulevard
  • Critics say that sort of money would be far better spent on improving public transit (68 per cent of commuters come into downtown via public transit already and that number is expected to grow)

 

Who wants to do it?

 
  • Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell, Coun. Josh Matlow Former Toronto chief planner Paul Bedford, former mayor David Crombie and Ryerson University President Sheldon Levy have all spoken out in favour of the tear-down option

 
  • Mayor John Tory, budget Chief Gary Crawford, Public Works Committee Chair Jaye Robinson, the CAA of South central Ontario, the Ontario Trucking Association and others.