gardiner expressway

Toronto neighbourhood has had enough of the construction on the Gardiner Expressway

Toronto residents living near the Gardiner Expressway are getting beyond frustrated with losing sleep due to the overnight construction that has recently been taking place on the deteriorating road.

The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association has issued an official release demanding that the City do something about the "jack hammering, drilling, saw cutting and other activities" that have been impacting their sleep and life in general.

The statement says that the noise from the construction, which apparently takes place during all hours of the night, would usually be considered a bylaw violation, but "the City [has] exempted themselves from their own regulations."

The neighbourhood is asking that the louder work on the highway be done during daytime hours. Though the maintenance has been taking place around the clock, measures have been taken to avoid seriously impeding local traffic.

Members of the community plan to meet with City staffers at the St. James Cathedral Centre tomorrow evening to discuss the issue.

The ongoing work is part of the Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation Strategy that will see the iconic, though admittedly anachronistic road replaced and repaired in sections over the next seven years.

Anyone who's been on, under, or anywhere near the highway can attest to the fact that it definitely needs a facelift, not only for aesthetic reasons but structurally in the interest of safety as well. The City deems it "critical work that needs to be done."

But, many over the years have called for the expressway to be demolished completely, in part due to the billions it's costing to fix.

The portion being renovated at the moment runs 1.7 km between Jarvis Street and Cherry Street, and is due to finish in 2021. Six more phases of the project will follow, ending with the central segment of the 18 km road between Humber River and Fraser Street in 2025-2027.

Unfortunately for residents, loud overnight construction is not an uncommon practice in big cities around the world.

Lead photo by

Duane Schermerhorn


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