Lane restrictions begin on Toronto’s busy Gardiner Expressway today and will last for quite some time.

The next phase of the City of Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Plan is underway.

Mayor Olivia Chow says the construction is urgently needed to keep traffic flowing and keep Toronto’s communities connected. “The City is committed to completing this section of work to ensure a state of good repair for generations to come as we focus on getting Toronto back on track,” she said.

The more than 60 year old route is reaching its end of service life, with pre-construction work taking up most of the next several weeks. While lane closures are in place east and westbound, it should be noted that all lanes will be open for the upcoming Easter Weekend.

Those travelling in and out of Toronto should expect the following road impacts with approximate dates:

Monday, March 25 to Sunday, April 14: One lane (either eastbound or westbound) will be closed for pre-construction work with intermittent overnight closures of a second lane as required. During the eastbound lane closures, the eastbound on-ramp from Lake Shore Boulevard east of Jameson Avenue will also be closed to facilitate this work.

Friday, March 29 to Sunday, March 31: All lanes will be open over Easter weekend.

Saturday, April 6 to 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 8: All lanes will be open.

From mid-April until mid-2027: The Gardiner Expressway will be reduced to two lanes in each direction between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue with intermittent additional lane closures as required. The eastbound on-ramp from Lake Shore Boulevard east of Jameson Avenue will also be closed.

Between 2014 and 2016, Toronto City Council approved the Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Plan, which divides all the needed repair work into six sections. The first section, from Jarvis to Cherry Streets, was completed in 2021.

Preparatory work on this portion of the Gardiner began in November 2023 and construction is expected to continue until mid-2027. Details of this work, which will primarily take place Monday to Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., include:

-Replacing 700 metres of the elevated bridge surface on the Expressway
-Rehabilitating the structures underneath that support the elevated Expressway
-Adding a new traffic management system and streetlights
-Other work, including girder removal and replacement, shifting of traffic barriers between work stages and the delivery of materials, may be required at night.

In 2026, from May to the end of July, the Expressway will be fully open with no lane restrictions to accommodate the increased traffic anticipated during the FIFA World Cup