Badly needed repairs to Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway delayed yet again

Those who attended the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) this summer might have noticed how badly repair work is needed on the aging Gardiner Expressway near Exhibition Place. Its rusted steel beams and crumbling concrete on the underside are plain to see.

CityNews is now learning that despite its condition and an already more than year-long delay, the start of previously approved rehabilitation work on this section of the expressway has been pushed back once again. Crews are not slated to begin work until the summer of 2023 at the earliest.

In 2014, the city decided on a plan to completely rehabilitate the entire Gardiner Expressway between the 427 and Don Valley Parkway while maintaining its current configuration through downtown.

“With the effects of age, heavy usage, weather and salt, this is critical work that needs to be done,” the city’s website says.

Step one of the six-phase project saw repairs made to the stretch between Jarvis and Cherry Streets and was completed in April of 2021.

Phase two construction on the section between Dufferin and Strachan near Exhibition Place was slated to begin later that year.

Construction expected in second-half of 2023

CityNews spoke with City of Toronto staff shortly before the end of phase one and was told of changes to the timeline for the project, which pushed back the start of phase two to 2022. Now, the city says the beginning of the second phase is still about a year away.

Jodie Atkins, Director of Design and Construction for Bridges and Expressways with the City of Toronto, says they’re still in the bidding process.

“The procurement for that stage of the work between Dufferin and Strachan is underway this year, but construction is expected to start in the second half of 2023,” Atkins said when reached by phone.

This latest delay calls into question the timeline for the entire rehabilitation project, which has already been adjusted from 2027 to 2030.

When pressed, Atkins insisted that the overall timeline to complete the project hadn’t changed.

“The target is 2030, and we’ll provide another update once we’ve got a better handle on the scope and the timing of each section.”

Atkins says the city will give a full update on the rehabilitation progress either late this year or early in 2023.