A year and a half of work on the Gardiner Expressway began Monday.
Two eastbound lanes were shut down between Jarvis and the Don Roadway. They’ll remain closed until December.
There will be various road and ramp closures for the duration of the project, which the city expects to have finished by December, 2014.
Work began with the installation of a traffic light, and will continue with the relocation of light poles, and the repair of various aspects of the road, including drainage.
The budget for all the work is $6.99 million.
All this work is being done while the city decides exactly what to do with the road, which many believe is a blight and one of the major factors in hobbling the process of connecting the city to the lake.
But while the lengthy
environmental assessment (EA) is done to determine the Gardiner’s fate, the city couldn’t hold off on repairs any longer.
"The repairs of the deck are to keep the Gardiner safe and serviceable until the EA is complete," says Jim Schaffner, the city’s acting manager of structures. "The repairs should cover a seven-year span (2013-2020), during which time the EA should be complete."
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Jim Schaffner