The City of Toronto has scheduled two weekend closures to perform maintenance work on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway.
The Gardiner Expressway will be fully closed from the Humber River to Spadina Avenue from 11 p.m. on Friday, April 24, until 5 a.m. on Monday, April 27. The Don Valley Parkway will be fully closed from Highway 401 to the Jarvis Street ramp on the Gardiner Expressway from 11 p.m. on Friday, May 8, until 5 a.m. on Monday, May 11. Both closures are weather‑dependent and will be rescheduled in the event of forecasted rain or other inclement weather.
This planned work supports the City’s long-term strategy to maintain expressway infrastructure, reduce future disruptions, and prepare Toronto for major events, including the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
The closures allow multiple City divisions and partners to work safely and at the same time, to ensure the expressways remain safe, clean, and in good working condition.
During each closure, crews will complete work equivalent to more than 30 overnight lane closures, saving drivers up to 150 hours of disruption. This approach results in:
Working around the clock, road crews, engineers and contractors will complete the following maintenance activities on both expressways:
The Gardiner Expressway closure will allow crews to complete final paving of the eastbound lanes between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue as part of the City’s long‑term Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Plan. Other work includes paving of the Jameson Avenue off‑ramp. Major rehabilitation work in this area was completed last year, 18 months ahead of the schedule. The final paving could not be finished due to scheduling conflicts during the Toronto Blue Jays’ playoff run.
The Don Valley Parkway closure will also enable full width resurfacing of sections along with work to advance two City projects, the Eastern Avenue bridge project and the Bayview-Bloor ramp. The closure will also provide access for Metrolinx to carry out work as part of the Ontario Line project and Toronto Hydro to complete electrical maintenance work.
In addition to completing this work during a single closure for each expressway, which reduces the need for multiple overnight lane restrictions, the City is implementing a comprehensive traffic management plan to help minimize congestion as much as possible during the expressway closures. Measures include:
Drivers should plan their travel in advance and consider alternate routes, leave extra time for their journey and take public transit if possible.
Closure dates for this critical and time-sensitive work were selected to avoid closing both expressways at the same time, minimize conflicts with major events and provide suitable weather conditions to complete the work safely and efficiently. Public transit trips anywhere in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) can be planned using TTC and GO Transit trip planners: https://www.ttc.ca/trip-planner and https://www.gotransit.com/en/plan-your-trip
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