Ontario to give Toronto $73-million to accelerate construction of Gardiner Expressway by one year

The Ontario government will provide the City of Toronto with $73-million to accelerate the construction on the Gardiner Expressway by one year – in exchange for the city agreeing to round-the-clock work.

In a news conference on Wednesday, Ontario’s transportation minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria said that the accelerated schedule would move the construction deadline from 2027 to 2026 and bring in $273-million in economic benefits while saving the city millions in construction costs.

Construction work to fix the Gardiner’s deteriorating roadways began in April and has created chaos for many of the 140,000 drivers who rely on the highway daily. The province agreed to take on responsibility over the Gardiner last year as part of a new deal with the City of Toronto. The plan was designed to save the municipality billions of dollars amid persistent budget shortfalls.

“The Gardiner is one of the most important economic corridors,” Mr. Sarkaria said. “Ontario’s investment will support contractors working 24 hours a day, seven days a week with multiple shifts per day … once construction is complete, drivers will save up to 22 minutes per trip.”

The minister said that if contractors don’t meet the accelerated construction deadlines, they would not get incentivization payments.

Toronto mayor Olivia Chow, who was also at the news conference, said the city welcomed the financial help from the province and the funding would go toward hiring more workers, getting better equipment and extending work hours.

“No one wants to be stuck in traffic … it gets your blood pressure up,” Ms. Chow said. “I am pleased the province has stepped in to help finance this acceleration.”

A small portion of the funding will also go toward enhancing temporary road conditions and minimizing disturbances to drivers during construction, Ms. Chow said. This includes making enhancements to streamline traffic flow through the Jameson Avenue on-ramp onto the highway and opening the critical left-turn lane at Spadina Avenue from Lake Shore Boulevard West.

In response to concerns about construction noise and disturbance to local residents, Ms. Chow said that measures will be taken to minimize the inconvenience, but that flexibility will be needed.

Jodie Atkins, the city’s director of design and construction, told a city council meeting on Wednesday that noise studies have previously been conducted ahead of the accelerated schedule and various measures will be taken to minimize the impact. In addition to real-time monitoring, “significant noise-generating activity” will only be allowed to occur between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., she said.

Councillor Anthony Perruzza said at the council meeting that involving the provincial government in the construction on the Gardiner would lead to lengthy delays, citing the province’s track record of construction delays, including the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit line, which is being built by Metrolinx, a provincial Crown corporation.

Councillor Ausma Malik, whose ward encircles a large chunk of the expressway, told the news conference that residents will have a “reliable and accountable place to bring forward any complaints with the city and the contractors.”

Mr. Sarkaria said that the accelerated schedule will finally help the city and province to make good on long-made promises.

“It’s time to deliver on critical infrastructure that’s been planned for over a decade,” he said.