The majority of Toronto residents are in favour of the eastern portion of the Gardiner Expressway being torn down altogether rather than rerouted, a new poll from Mainstreet Technologies has found.
The poll of 2,415 randomly selected Torontonians found that 45 per cent of respondents prefer the tear-down option for the 2.4 kilometre stretch of the highway between Lower Jarvis Street and Logan Avenue while 33 per cent say they support the so-called hybrid option touted by Mayor John Tory. An additional 11 per cent said they don’t support either option while 12 per cent said they don’t know what is best.
Support for tearing down the highway completely was strongest in North York (45 per cent) and downtown (46 per cent) while residents in Scarborough were more split (42 per cent for tear down, 36 per cent for hybrid option).
The tear-down option would see the highway removed completely east of Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard widened to eight lanes to accommodate the displaced traffic. Meanwhile, the hybrid option would see the highway rerouted between Jarvis Street and the Don Valley Parkway, allowing for the development of the former Unilever site near the DVP and Lake Shore Boulevard.
Though Tory has been outspoken in his support for the hybrid option given the potential traffic implications of removing the eastern portion of the Gardiner altogether, a number of councillors have expressed concerns about the higher price tag that the proposal carries.
Rerouting the highway is expected to cost a total of $919 million compared to $461 million for removing it completely.
City council will vote on the fate of the eastern Gardiner Expressway during a meeting next week.
“When we asked Torontonians if they approved or disapproved of the two competing plans for the Gardiner east of Jarvis both plans received strong support. But the plan to remove the Gardiner east of Jarvis received the highest approval and when we asked Torontonians which option they preferred 45% chose removing the Gardiner,” Mainstreet Technologies President Quito Maggi said in a press release accompanying the poll. “Mr. Tory will need to do more to convince Torontonians the hybrid plan he supports is best for the city.”
The release of the poll comes ahead of 10:30 a.m. press conference at city hall, where Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell is expected to publicly throw her support behind removing the eastern portion of the highway.
Former City of Toronto Chief Planner Paul Bedford, former Mayor David Crombie and Ryerson University President Sheldon Levy are expected to join McConnell for the press conference.
The poll carries a margin of error of 1.99 per cent, 19 times out of 20,
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