The Gardiner Expressway Is Undergoing A Makeover & It Could Mess Up Your Weekend Plans

Driving to the Gardiner Expressway is (likely) about to get a lot more stressful for Toronto drivers.

A ramp that provides access to the Gardiner will be torn down this week, which will then lead to many months-long weekend closures along Lake Shore Boulevard East.

On August 20, the city detailed its construction plan for the Lake Shore Boulevard East project. The plan includes the removal of the Logan Avenue ramp, located at the most eastern part of the Gardiner Expressway. The permanent closure of the on-and-off ramp kicks off on August 31 at 9:00 p.m.

The removal of this ramp will help widen and lengthen the Lake Shore Bridge over the Don River. "Once the Lake Shore Bridge is re-engineered, the new space will accommodate bike lanes, pedestrian paths, and a new linear park, and allow for the re-design and naturalization of the Don River, which will be a critical element for future flood protection," the City of Toronto's news release read.

Every weekend from September to October, Lake Shore Boulevard East will be closed from Cherry Street to Carlaw Avenue. The Don Roadway between the Don Valley Parkway and Commissioners Street will also remain closed on the weekends, so you might want to rethink your driving routes during these times. Westbound Gardiner will be accessible from Jarvis Street.

Then, starting up in November, work will kick off on Lake Shore Boulevard East, which is not expected to close again after the Gardiner ramp is removed. All of the roadway construction is expected to be completed by 2024.

The construction is part of the Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation Plan and the Port Lands Flood Mitigation Protection project, which the city says will keep the roadway safer and enhance the City's future climate resiliency.

"This work will support planned realignment of the expressway to keep the roadway safer, facilitate broad improvements and livability of the Port Lands area, improve public access to the Port Lands, and significantly enhance the City's future climate resiliency through the Port Lands Flood Mitigation Protection work undertaken by Waterfront Toronto," officials wrote in the announcement.