Gardiner’s eastbound York/Bay/Yonge offramp closes as of April 17

—Paul B. Martin, City of Toronto

The ramp from the eastbound Gardiner Expressway to York, Bay and Yonge Streets will be closed permanently as of Monday, April 17 at 5 a.m. The ramp will be replaced with a shorter ramp from the eastbound Gardiner Expressway to Lower Simcoe St. that will open in January 2018.

As part of the project, Harbour St. will be widened to four lanes from Lower Simcoe St. to Bay St. to accommodate traffic and improve pedestrian and cycling access to the waterfront.

During the construction work, motorists will still have full access to downtown by exiting the eastbound Gardiner Expressway at the Jameson Ave., Spadina Ave. and Jarvis St. ramps. In addition, motorists will be able to access eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard from the eastbound Gardiner Expressway ramp at Spadina Ave. beginning Monday, April 10.

Harbour St. will be reduced to two lanes of traffic through the construction area. From May 1 to June 15, there will be periodic daytime (9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) closures of the centre lane of Harbour St. from Lower Simcoe St. to Bay St. These daytime closures will prevent the need for extensive overnight demolition work.

During the demolition of the ramp there will be no access to the eastbound on-ramp to the Gardiner Expressway at Rees St. between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday from April 17 to May 31.

To maintain traffic flow in the area, traffic signal timing on alternative routes will be adjusted to minimize congestion and enhanced signage will be installed to advise motorists of the ongoing work. Motorists should expect delays and plan routes accordingly.

The westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard and the Gardiner Expressway will not be affected by this construction.

Work on the project will take place Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Overnight work on weekends will take place to demolish portions of the structure over Lower Simcoe St. and York St. Additional overnight work will be required over the course of the project and notification will be provided.

More information about the ramp closure and construction plans can be found on our website at bit.ly/2oCtR2U.