Construction on Gardiner Expressway ‘more than 15 months’ ahead of schedule, province says

Ontario says the construction work along the Gardiner Expressway is set to finish more than 15 months earlier than planned.

On Friday, the province said that due to its $73 million investment to ramp up repair work on the major arterial road—announced last July—the Gardiner is projected to open way ahead of its initial schedule, slated for April 2027.

“We’re getting drivers out of gridlock by investing in infrastructure and accelerating construction on priority highways, allowing 24-hour-a-day construction, seven days a week,” Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said in Friday’s release.

“These measures mean that we’re on track to reopen all lanes on the Gardiner Expressway more than 15 months ahead of the original schedule.”

The province says construction crews have started working on the northern lanes of the expressway between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue, adding they have finished rehabilitating the centre and southern lanes.

The City of Toronto said the centre two lanes reopened to drivers on Thursday.

“The Gardiner is vital to keeping Toronto moving,” Mayor Olivia Chow said in a release issued Friday. “Thanks to our collaboration to accelerate this critical rehabilitation work, we are tracking well ahead of schedule, which means less disruption for our residents, visitors and businesses.”

This means that by next year, the Gardiner is expected to be completely open right in time for when the city hosts the FIFA World Cup.

Amid the around-the-clock construction, the province says traffic along the Gardiner has skyrocketed by 250 per cent. But, as soon as the work finishes, the province says the 140,000 drivers who use the major roadway daily will save up to 22 minutes per trip.