A 700-metre stretch of the Gardiner Expressway, one of the busiest roads in downtown Toronto, has been reduced to two lanes in each direction for the next three years leaving many drivers frustrated.
The Gardiner Expressway lane closures are part of the city’s “critical rehabilitation work” on the 60-year-old road as it reaches the end of its service life, according to a city press release. A combination of heavy daily use, weather, and salt have taken their toll on the aging expressway, leaving it in desperate need of repair.
One westbound lane from Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue was closed April 14 in addition to the one eastbound lane that was cordoned off last week. The closures are expected to last until mid-2027, the city said.
The closures are already frustrating motorists with many taking to social media to decry the additional congestion on the busy expressway.
“Drove the Gardiner Expressway the last few days, down to two lanes each way and is bumper to bumper traffic,” one user posted to platform X on April 13. “Did not see ONE construction worker doing work. Traffic and public transportation in the City of Toronto is a failure in every way.”
Another social media took to X to ask Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow to stop construction on the Gardiner.
“Today it took two full hours to travel from Etobicoke to downtown Toronto. Left at 5 p.m. from work to reach home at 7:30 p.m. This route normally takes 60 minutes,” the commentor said April 9.
Yet another X user tweeted that it took her an hour and 20 minutes April 13 to drive from the Junction, a neighbourhood in Toronto, to Cabbagetown, a drive that should take no more than 30 minutes.
“Cause it’s not just the Gardiner. There are lane closures on Lake Shore + 4 stalled streetcars on Parliament, that cars couldn’t get by ‘cause of on street parking. A real joy.”
Mary Ann Torres told CTV her commute from Park Lawn Road in Etobicoke to Strachan Avenue has more than doubled. Ms. Torres said her now 45-minute commute may convince her to look for another job to avoid the traffic.
“Public transportation or alternative routes (Lakeshore, Queensway) are also affected,” she said. “I wish the city had a better plan that comprehensively addresses the need to fix the infrastructure and mitigates the impact.”
The city’s Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Plan began March 25 with pre-construction work requiring intermittent lane closures. This work ran through April 14, with the exception of the Easter weekend.
Construction is now beginning in earnest with the highway reduced to two lanes in each direction between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue, the city said. The east on-ramp from Lake Shore Boulevard east of Jameson Avenue will also be closed and there will be other intermittent additional lane closures as required.
“This construction is urgently needed to keep traffic flowing and keep our communities connected,” Ms. Chow said in the news release. “The city is committed to completing this section of work to ensure a state of good repair for generations to come as we focus on getting Toronto back on track.”
The city said it will attempt to limit the impact of the construction on road users and neighbouring residents by using a “detailed congestion management plan that includes diversions, traffic agents and signal timing adjustments.”
Construction will primarily take place Monday to Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., the city said.
The work will include the replacement of 700 metres of the elevated bridge surface on the expressway, the rehabilitation of the structures underneath that support the elevated part of the road, and adding a new traffic management system and streetlights.
Other work, including girder removal and replacement, shifting of traffic barriers between work stages, and the delivery of materials, may be required at night.
