City and province to give update on speeding up Gardiner construction

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria will provide an update Wednesday on “a partnership” aimed at speeding up construction work on the Gardiner Expressway.

Chow’s office said Tuesday that the two will speak with the media Wednesday morning to provide details on the plan.                

Construction work to rehabilitate the crumbling expressway between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue has hampered traffic on the Gardiner for months since it started in April. The work is expected to go on until mid-2027.

The heavy delays drivers have already experienced have prompted calls for more to be done to accelerate construction.

Drivers have described ‘nightmare’ commute times with the busy expressway squeezed down to just two lanes of traffic in each direction.

A number of councillors have called for more to be done to accelerate construction and Chow has acknowledged that the original three-year timeline is “just too long” though she has pointed out that it is a major feat to keep the busy expressway open while trying to essentially rebuild it.

The mayor said recently that a staff report on speeding up work on the Gardiner is expected very soon.

While the province agreed to take back responsibility for the Gardiner as part of a new deal negotiated with Toronto, the work to rehabilitate the aging expressway has been underway for years and is expected to take several years more.  

The announcement is expected to get underway at 8 a.m. Wednesday.