City council votes to move forward with Gardiner Expressway East plans

Despite the best efforts of some councillors, the plan to rebuild the east end of the Gardiner Expressway will go forward as scheduled.

Several motions tabled at Thursday’s city council meeting to pause or re-evaluate the costs of the project failed to pass.

The debate over whether the work should be happening dates back nearly a decade when the alternative was to tear it down. Discussions concerning money and traffic were at the centre of it all.

The argument not to spend hundreds of millions on rebuilding the Gardiner Expressway East is one that Josh Matlow has been pushing for some time, and reiterating in his bid to become the next mayor.

“I don’t think a smart idea is to keep making the same mistake over and over again,” said Matlow. “If you’ve lost money on a bad investment you don’t keep throwing money at it. That’s ridiculous.”

Matlow’s motion on Thursday was defeated 15-10.

In 2022, the preliminary cost for reconstruction of the new elevated portion was approximately $450 million. Estimates are that $650 million has been allocated but no contracts are signed and construction isn’t expected to start until 2026.

The construction and rehabilitation of the Gardiner Expressway includes rebuilding the section between Cherry Street and the Don Valley Parkway.

“This is one of the busiest sections of highway – if not the busiest – in the city,” said councillor Stephen Holyday, a proponent of the work. “It’s worth $1 billion in GDP.”

Preliminary design work has been done and so others in the running for mayor say now is not the time to stop.

“The plan for the Gardiner is to keep the project going, not slowing it down in any way, shape or manner,” said Mark Saunders. “The mayor before said that there’s over $400 million already invested and then the deputy mayor says $500 million of taxpayers money has been spent. We have to move forward. We have to build.”

Brad Bradford says he could find savings in other ways and keep people moving.

“My plan to accelerate the Gardiner rebuild by permitting 24 /7 construction will get this project done faster,” he said.

Olivia Chow wants to bring the Gardiner down and use the money saved for other major budget items, like additional transit.

City council did approve a motion to ask the province to upload and take control of the cost and maintenance of the expressway and the Don Valley Parkway.

The province has previously said it has no intentions of doing that.