The City of Toronto and Government of Ontario are moving forward with plans to reopen the Gardiner Expressway between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue – 18 months ahead of the original construction schedule.
A full closure of the Gardiner Expressway from Spadina Avenue to Highway 427 is required to do maintenance and final preparatory work to enable the safe reopening of all six lanes. Coordinated with the Blue Jays World Series schedule, this closure will happen over two weekends, to balance the need to support the Toronto Blue Jays and ensure safe movement in and around the downtown core.
As the City prepares to reopen the Gardiner between Dufferin and Strachan, crews will also carry out essential maintenance to extend the life of the expressway. As part of the maintenance work, crews will work around the clock to resurface lanes, make final repairs to the infrastructure and improve safety features.
A traffic management plan will be in place to help minimize congestion and manage traffic on alternate routes. Drivers are encouraged to plan their routes in advance, allow for extra travel time and consider using public transit to avoid delays.
The City thanks residents and road users for their patience as this critical work is completed to safely reopen this key section of the Gardiner Expressway well ahead of schedule.
In December 2016, Toronto City Council adopted the Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Plan, which divides all the needed repair work into six sections. The first section, from Jarvis to Cherry Streets, was completed in 2021. This marks the completion of the second section, from Dufferin Street to Strachan Avenue. Planning for work on the remaining sections is underway.
As part of the broader Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Plan, the City is also advancing repairs on five bridges between Highway 427 and the Humber River. This includes structures over Park Lawn Road, Mimico Creek, Kipling Avenue and Islington Avenue. Work is being delivered using similar acceleration strategies and is expected to be substantially complete by late 2026.
The Ontario-Toronto New Deal, approved by Toronto City Council on December 13, 2023, includes a provincial commitment to upload both the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway to the Ontario government, subject to due diligence. This agreement unlocks approximately $1.9 billion over the next decade to support City priorities such as transit and housing.
More information and project updates are available on the City’s website.
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