Rehabilitation work on Gardiner Expressway will result in lane reductions for 3 years: city

The Gardiner Expressway will be reduced to two lanes in both directions when rehabilitation work resumes this spring, the City of Toronto said Monday.

A spokesperson for the city told CBC Toronto the next phase of the highway's rehabilitation is expected to take three years to complete.

One lane — on each side of the expressway — will be out of service for the duration of the rehabilitation work.

In October, the city entered an agreement with Grascan Construction Limited to work on the underside of the expressway between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue. The work is expected to begin as soon as late March, with some construction already underway since November last year, a city spokesperson said in the statement. 

The city says construction will be paused during the FIFA World Cup in Toronto.

"The lane restrictions will be removed from May to the end of July 2026 to allow for full capacity of the Expressway during the tournament," the city said in a statement. 

The often under-scrutiny highway was uploaded to the province last year, along with the Don Valley Parkway, for a capital relief of $7.6 billion from the province.

The work for the next three years is part two of the city's six-part Strategic Rehabilitation Plan, which was approved by the council nearly a decade ago. The city expected to complete the rehabilitation by 2030, but it's not sure if that  deadline will be met. 

"This timeline will continue to be kept under review as implementation moves forward," the city said. 

It says factors such as supply chain management, material cost and availability and skilled labour shortages, could all impact the timeline of the full Strategic Rehabilitation Plan. 

The city said it will share further details "shortly through a construction notice, a community meeting and a public awareness campaign."