Gardiner Re-Opens, Frustrated Motorists Cope With Closed DVP
Posted April 25, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was a frustrating day for motorists as they dealt with both planned and unexpected headaches in the downtown core.
The Don Valley Parkway was closed for its annual spring maintenance, but some drivers weren’t aware of the scheduled cleaning. They began pulling up to DVP on-ramps early Saturday morning only to find the major route off-limits. That began at 2am on Saturday and is expected to last until 5am on Monday.
Later in the afternoon, there was another problem to contend with as a police investigation shut down the Gardiner between Jameson St and the South Kingsway.
And long after that was cleared, the traffic problems continued.
“It has been so tough today – unbelievable. It took me an hour and a half to get to Keele and Dufferin. Nonsense, really,” remarked a frustrated driver named Katherine.
The Don Valley Parkway is often the scene of intense gridlock – it didn’t get the name Death Valley Parking Lot by accident – but there wasn’t a car to be found on the route on Saturday.
The north-south artery will remain off-limits in both directions from the 401 to the Gardiner until the start of the work-week rush hour. The yearly ritual involves cleaning out the catch basins, fixing the lights, filling in potholes and repairing whatever damage winter did to the always busy route.
Instead, the traffic tie-ups will move to the alternate routes. Drivers can take Bayview Ave., Don Mills Rd., Kingston Rd. and Victoria Park Ave., but be warned – those streets will be much busier than normal.
But Sgt. Reg Eldridge of Toronto Traffic Services has this advice: “Just be patient. Everyone is in the same boat. Like I said, it’s a beautiful day. Roll the windows down, enjoy the scenery and just be patient with everybody.”
As always seems to be the case, the DVP isn’t the only road that’s off-limits: A stretch of the 407 from McCowan to Brock Rd. was shut down as of 5am Saturday. It’s expected to reopen by 6pm Sunday.
