The reopening of the Gardiner Expressway between Dufferin and Strachan could be delayed until Nov. 10, according to the Transportation Minister.
The minister attributed the delay to the Toronto Blue Jays’ World Series games.
According to the City of Toronto, the Expressway from Spadina Avenue to Highway 427 will be closed for maintenance and final prep work in advance of reopening all six lanes following the conclusion of Game 2 of the World Series.
“Weather depending, three westbound lanes and two eastbound lanes will reopen by approximately 7 a.m. on Monday, October 27, in time for the morning rush hour.”
A second closure is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 1, but that is dependent on whether or not there is a Game 7 in the World Series, which is scheduled for that day. If there is no game, then all six lanes will reopen by 7 a.m. Nov. 3. But if a Game 7 is needed to decide the World Series, the Ministry says a full reopening will be delayed until the following week.
Last month, the City of Toronto announced that the construction project was six months ahead of the last expected completion date. The expedited finish is due to the Ford government spending $73 million to accelerate the project, including allowing work to occur around the clock.
Construction to replace a 700-metre section of the concrete deck and girders, along with other repairs between Dufferin Street and Strachan, began in March 2024 and was initially set to run until April 2027.
However, in August of this year, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said that construction times have now been “halved.”
The Gardiner Expressway is a critical commuter artery, carrying more than 100,000 vehicles daily. In June 2024, a study revealed that travel times on the Gardiner had increased up to 250 per cent in the morning rush hour (7 to 10 a.m.), and 230 per cent in the afternoon rush hour.
Construction still continues on a stretch of the Gardiner in the west end of the city. It has been reduced from four lanes to three. The westbound lane closure stretches from Park Lawn Road to Grand Avenue in southern Etobicoke.
The eastbound lanes along the same stretch will be narrowed, but with no lane reductions, from April 2025 to December 2026.
