The Ford government is touting the success of its push to make Toronto implement 24/7 construction on the Gardiner Expressway, saying the project is now 15 months ahead of schedule.
Last spring, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria floated the idea of 24-hour construction to speed up rehabilitation work on the Toronto route, which Ontario is in the midst of taking over.
The idea sparked a back-and-forth between Queen’s Park and City Hall, with the city suggesting round-the-clock work could already take place.
The province eventually offered Toronto $73 million toward the cost of rehabilitating the road, on condition that it greenlit construction on the Gardiner Expressway 24 hours per day, seven days a week.
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Now, the Ford government says the move has significantly sped up construction, which it predicts is 15 months ahead of its original schedule.
“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,” Sarkaria said in a statement.
When Sarkaria announced the additional funding for 24/7 construction last year, his office said it would move the project’s completion date by at least a year from April 2027 to April 2026.
According to the province, crews have now finished rehabilitation on two southern and two central lanes of the Gardiner between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue. Work is now set to begin on the northern lanes.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow praised the “collaboration” with Queen’s Park for speeding up the project.
“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,” she said in a statement.
At the end of 2023, Ontario agreed to take control of the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway from the City of Toronto as part of a new agreement between the two governments.
The deal will see Ontario take on the costs associated with maintaining the two key routes, along with other funding commitments for subways, housing and an agreement over the future of Ontario Place.
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