Some falling concrete likely from trucks, not crumbling Gardiner: police
Posted June 6, 2017 6:22 am.
Last Updated June 6, 2017 8:11 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Gardiner Expressway may be crumbling, but apparently it’s not as bad it appears to be.
According to Toronto police, tests have shown that some of the concrete debris on the Gardiner isn’t from the expressway itself, but likely from debris falling off of trucks.
Since 2012, there have been 86 reported incidents of concrete flaking off the underside of the Gardiner and crashing down on the road below.
Const. Clint Stibbe said of the 86 cases, only 22 – or around 25 per cent – were chunks that actually fell off the expressway.
“The other 64 have been determined to be from other sources, some of which are overweight trucks where their loads are coming out and onto the Lake Shore or onto other areas of the the roadway,” Stibbe told 680 NEWS on Tuesday.
According to the latest numbers, seven of the cases were determined to be construction debris likely from trucks. The cause of the other 57 reported incidents is not yet clear.
Police said overloaded dump trucks are prone to having bits of concrete debris spill out and land on the road.
Stibbe said due to the construction boom in the city, sites are being constantly excavated and that some of that debris is being left on the roadway.
“[The dump trucks] are being overloaded … these vehicles are overloaded by several tonnes,” he said.
Baljit Gharial of the Ontario Dump Truck Association said overloading has been a problem for years and they’ve reached out to the Ministry of Transportation for help enforcing weight restrictions.
Gharial said the association met with Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca last week and they were assured that enforcement will be ramped up in the coming months. They want the loader of the truck to be penalized, but not the operator of the truck who has no control over how much is put in the box.
The city is in the process of tearing down portions of the Gardiner due to its deteriorating state. One of the projects involves tearing down the existing ramp from the eastbound Gardiner to York, Bay and Yonge streets and replacing it with a shorter ramp to Lower Simcoe Street.
The ramp has been closed to motorists since April 17 and construction is scheduled to wrap up next January.
With files from Carl Hanstke and Tammie Sutherland
