Gardiner Expressway construction to finish by end of the month

Construction on the Gardiner Expressway between Dufferin and Strachan will be complete and all lanes will open by the end of this month, possibly as early as Monday, Oct. 27, 680 NewsRadio has learned.

Last month, the City of Toronto announced that the construction project was six months ahead of the last expected completion date. The expedited finish in less than two weeks is due to the Ford government spending $73 million to accelerate the project, including allowing work to occur around the clock.

“Great news on this,” Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria told 680 NewsRadio. “By pushing construction crews to work 24/7, by ensuring that we had the investment with the city of Toronto and working with them very well on this, we’ve got this project opening by the end of this month.”

Construction to replace a 700-metre section of the concrete deck and girders, along with other repairs between Dufferin Street and Strachan, began in March 2024 and was initially set to run until April 2027. However, in August of this year, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said that construction times have now been “halved.”

Multi-year rehabilitation project nearing its end

The city transferred the responsibility for the construction of the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway to the province two years ago.

“We’re excited and want to thank all the workers,” said Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, who said the province will use the lessons learned on this project to quicken other road construction efforts elsewhere.

“We have to be innovative, we have to think outside the box. I think we have to look at ways in which we can go 24/7 in more places across the province.”

The Gardiner Expressway is a critical commuter artery, carrying more than 100,000 vehicles daily. In June 2024, a study revealed that travel times on the Gardiner had increased up to 250 per cent in the morning rush hour (7 to 10 a.m.), and 230 per cent in the afternoon rush hour.

That same study showed that commercial drivers were spending 80 per cent more time per day on the Gardiner, and the top three alternate routes — Harbour Street, Lakeshore Boulevard, and Cherry Street — saw an average traffic increase of 43 per cent.