Weekend drivers demand answers after DVP, Gardiner shut down longer than expected

Toronto drivers are demanding answers after the city’s two main thoroughfares into downtown were shut down longer than anticipated over the weekend.

The Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway were scheduled to be closed off for 14 hours on Sunday to make room for thousands of cyclists taking part in a charity bike ride, the Bike for Brain Health, which raises money and awareness to help defeat dementia.

But several drivers who called the CityNews 680 traffic centre expressed dismay after the major routes remained closed hours after the scheduled reopening time at 4 p.m. Some drivers even noted they were running out of gas as they were left stuck in traffic backlogs that they thought would be cleared up by the early evening.

“There’s a lot of people running out of gas because it’s at a complete standstill,” says one caller to the traffic centre who was left stuck on westbound Lakeshore Boulevard near Jameson Avenue during the extended closure.

“Why wouldn’t they open at 4 p.m. as planned? I think the city owes us a huge apology.”

A look here at the DVP at Bayview/Bloor pic.twitter.com/DawHUyUujX

— 680 NewsRadio Toronto Traffic & Weather (@NewsRadioTO) June 4, 2023

The Gardiner was scheduled to be closed in both directions from 2 a.m. to 4 p.m. from South Kingsway to the DVP and the DVP in both directions from the Gardiner to York Mills Road.

The northbound DVP was the first stretch of the highway to reopen around 5 p.m. The eastbound Gardiner opened around 5:30 p.m., and the westbound lanes opened around 6:30 p.m. The southbound DVP also reopened around 6:30 p.m.

“Why would they even have fundraisers paralyzing our city?” a traffic caller asked. “We have such an extensive park system. Can’t we have some other kind of fundraiser that takes advantage of our infrastructure that we already have in place?”

City issues statement following weekend traffic debacle

A police source told CityNews that a private company contracted to take care of the closures was delayed in reopening the highways and removing the barricades.

A spokesperson with the City of Toronto, meanwhile, said it takes approximately two hours to fully re-open the expressways.

“City crews were on standby by 1:30 p.m. to ensure the expressways would reopen promptly at 4 p.m.,” the spokesperson said in an email to CityNews 680.

“However, the contractor hired by the event organizer failed to promptly remove their equipment from the road after the event’s conclusion, resulting in an unexpected delay in reopening the highways.”

In addition to the two major highway closures, additional road closures were in place around Exhibition Place on Sunday. Motorists were warned to expect significant delays on Sunday, and drivers were advised to find alternate routes or take public transit.

The city said it recognizes the frustration felt by those on the road this weekend.

“Because of this delay and we are currently engaged with the event contractor to ensure such delays do not occur in the future,” the city spokesperson added.

“City staff are also reviewing protocols to strengthen the city’s oversight mechanisms and ensure stricter adherence to agreed-upon timelines by contractors, in addition to prompt notification to drivers in case of any unexpected delays in future road closures.”

With files from CityNews 680 reporter Carl Hanstke