Toronto’s mayor has revealed that construction on revamping the Gardiner Expressway is four months ahead of schedule.
Wednesday evening, Chow joined the province’s Minister of Transportation, Prabmeet Sarkaria, on the Gardiner to meet the construction crews and see progress on the work. During her visit, Chow stated that construction is moving along faster than anticipated.
“That is worthy of celebration” the mayor said, tipping her hat to the construction crews behind the project.
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Construction on this part of the project began in November 2023 and was first predicted to be completed in April 2027. This phase includes replacing the 700 metres of concrete deck and girders between Dufferin St. and Strachan Ave., rehabilitating the substructure and installing new lighting.
Then in the spring, the city announced it would be closing some lanes, operating the highway with just two lanes in each direction along the 700-metre stretch.
Back in July, the province dedicated $73 million to the project to accelerate work on the highway, pushing the projected finish line up a year.
A study released in June found that travel times on the Gardiner had massively increased since construction began, with people spending 80 per cent more time driving on the highway on average. The study from Geotab ITS found that traffic times were up by 250 per cent in the morning rush hour and 230 per cent in the afternoon rush hour.
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This is only the second phase of a six-part project focused on rehabilitating the six-decade-old highway. The city reports around 140,000 people use the Gardiner every weekday.
TORONTO REACTS TO GARDINER WORK BEING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
Following Chow’s announcement, Toronto residents took to the internet to share their thoughts on the update. Some are skeptical.
“Just wait, it will be 4 years behind schedule in a couple of days,” one person posted on X.
“So 10 years and 8 Months to go guys,” another person shared.
While in true Toronto fashion, some people think the whole thing is a joke.
“I am afraid that it might fall apart quicker,” one Torontonian joked on X.
“Which realistically means, it’s only another 12 months before they dig it up again!” commented another.
