TORONTO - Toronto drivers are being warned to expect significant disruption on the Gardiner Expressway for the next decade.
Major repairs are set to begin on the highway next year, with costs estimated at between $10 million and $15 million a year.
That's a large increase from recent years, when average annual spending has been around $2 million or $3 million.
News of the repair work comes after at least two recent incidents of concrete falling from the Gardiner. No one was injured.
A public works report released Wednesday says the Gardiner is structurally sound but has taken a beating from salt and water penetrating the concrete.
The plan is to start fixing up the busy downtown artery, with a period of significant repairs beginning this summer.
Construction crews will start with the Jarvis and Bay ramps. They are scheduled to be closed from July until September.
There will also be more inspections along the entire structure to make sure no other pieces fall off.
Later on there will be more significant lane closures on the expressway and closures along Yonge Street, Bay Street and Lakeshore Boulevard.
"The Gardiner is very safe, but clearly because of the pieces that are falling, we're going to do everything we can to continue to make it safe," said Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong, who chairs the public works committee.
