Roads: Gardiner Expressway catch-all, incl. Hybrid Design (2015-onwards)

[reinventingthewheel]

Back on topic here…

I observed today that the concrete deck is now poured for the entire stretch of middle lanes, with some minor work remaining around drainage and expansion joints. When that’s done I think it’s ready for asphalt.

 

[kotsy]

Back on topic here…

When that’s done I think it’s ready for asphalt.

There's a waterproofing layer that needs to go in before the asphalt. I confused it with asphalt during the first two lane rebuild because it was black or very dark, so it looked the same from the distant drone shots.

I expect everything to be wrapped up for the middle two lanes in the next 2-3 weeks.

 

[RapidTransit]

Key roadblock in Ontario's takeover of DVP and Gardiner Expressway could be cleared by end of year

 

[Dan416]

Key roadblock in Ontario's takeover of DVP and Gardiner Expressway could be cleared by end of year

This line doesn't seem wholly accurate, but they could be misquoting him:

The vice-chair of the city's infrastructure committee, Deputy Mayor Mike Colle, called the original download of the highways by the Harris government in the 1990s a bad decision that has hurt the city for decades.

From my understanding, the only highway downloaded to the City of Toronto was a portion of the QEW; the rest of the Gardiner and DVP were always city highways, no?

 

[max]

This line doesn't seem wholly accurate, but they could be misquoting him:



From my understanding, the only highway downloaded to the City of Toronto was a portion of the QEW; the rest of the Gardiner and DVP were always city highways, no?

Correct, the highway named for the then Queen Elizabeth (known to most of us as the Queen Mother) had it's eastern end at the Humber. The Lion monument now in a park to the southeast of that point used to sit in the middle of the beginning of the highway until it was moved during a widening.

The highway that "Big Daddy" Gardiner would direct Metro to build connected to the QEW, and the DVP were both owned by that government and then would become owned by the City post-amalgamation.

 

[kotsy]

Waterproofing for the middle 2 lanes is underway.

 

[innsertnamehere]

This line doesn't seem wholly accurate, but they could be misquoting him:



From my understanding, the only highway downloaded to the City of Toronto was a portion of the QEW; the rest of the Gardiner and DVP were always city highways, no?

Yes. Toronto got off relatively light in the downloading of the 1990's - it's the rural municipalities which really got screwed. Toronto only gained the Gardiner west of the Humber River, and conveniently only a few years after MTO had spent a ton of money rebuilding and expanding it across the Humber. Until the download the QEW extended to the Humber River. I believe Toronto also got Black Creek Drive, which until that point was an MTO Facility.

Ottawa also got saddled with 174 at the time, which the province is also reversing again. No word on reversing any of the dozens of rural highway downloads, some of which made sense, many of which continue to function as provincial, not regional / local, roadways.

 

[nfitz]

Yes. Toronto got off relatively light in the downloading of the 1990's - it's the rural municipalities which really got screwed. Toronto only gained the Gardiner west of the Humber River, and conveniently only a few years after MTO had spent a ton of money rebuilding and expanding it across the Humber. Until the download the QEW extended to the Humber River. I believe Toronto also got Black Creek Drive, which until that point was an MTO Facility.

King's Highway 2A was completely downloaded too.

Was the province providing any funding for all the other King's Highways? 2, 5, 11, 27, etc.?

 

[ShonTron]

Highways 27 and 2A were still MTO-maintained in 1996. The others – 2, 5, 11, 11A, and 48 were owned and managed by Metro, with some provincial “connecting link” funding.

 

[drum118]

April 19
The west end of the last section to be rebuilt has shoring under it

This is the wall that I noted back in 2024 that I thought was part of the work

 

[reinventingthewheel]

The mid section was sprayed with sealant yesterday, I expect asphalt is finished this week.

Edit: Monday morning all fencing and equipment is being cleared in prep for pavers.

 

[kotsy]

All paved up with reference markings for the eventual lane line paint.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Traffic shift over the weekend?

That would put timeline for the central part at 6 months or so. That should put completion of construction around, November 2025, maybe December to reconstruct the central median barrier?

 

[kotsy]

Traffic shift over the weekend?

That would put timeline for the central part at 6 months or so. That should put completion of construction around, November 2025, maybe December to reconstruct the central median barrier?

The lane paint is now down so they'll probably do the lane shift tonight. The last shift happened the night following lane painting and that was from Wednesday into Thursday (Nov 6/7th), so they don't need a weekend to do it.

This will make this sections timeline 5.5 months. Pretty impressive given that this one went through winter which must have lead to at least a few delays. I don't see why they can't have this next section done by early/mid October.

 

[reinventingthewheel]

No lane shift this morning, looks like some minor metal works being finished.