Roads: Gardiner Expressway catch-all, incl. Hybrid Design (2015-onwards)

[treplow]

Perhaps developers will come forward to hem in the new Gardiner with their backs toward it, all but hiding it from a viewer on the waterfront. Pedestrian bridges connecting buildings as has been done with the rail corridor in South Core would further hide the expressway. Even better would be if the city sells air rights over the expressway and rail corridor, enabling developers to build over the Gardiner East, effectively turning it into a tunnelled expressway.

That massive podium in the Distillery proposal should help hide a big chunk of the Gardiner, at least from the north.

 

[Paul Aitken]

Perhaps developers will come forward to hem in the new Gardiner with their backs toward it, all but hiding it from a viewer on the waterfront. Pedestrian bridges connecting buildings as has been done with the rail corridor in South Core would further hide the expressway. Even better would be if the city sells air rights over the expressway and rail corridor, enabling developers to build over the Gardiner East, effectively turning it into a tunnelled expressway.

I've often thought this. Is there a reason why it can't be done? There are many examples of buildings constructed over ground level expressways but I couldn't find any over elevated expressways. It would certainly solve a number of problems if it could be done.

 

[Neutrino]

I think the Gardiner is less of a problem for pedestrian access than Lakeshore. I, and as I'm sure most of us on this forum, have had the misfortune of needing to cross Lakeshore after dark. It's an absolute death trap. As for the Gardiner, it should not be torn down unless transit into the core is considerably improved. This would include both WWLRT and EBFLRT; DRL; RER on Stouffville, LSE and LSW; streetcar network improvements. We can't just tear down the Gardiner without giving people viable public transit commute options.

 

[gibsonm]

If it wasn’t for the Gardener ramps, Lakeshore would be no different to traverse than University Avenue and could be beautified in much the same way.

 

[innsertnamehere]

If it wasn’t for the Gardener ramps, Lakeshore would be no different to traverse than University Avenue and could be beautified in much the same way.

traffic levels on Lake Shore without the Gardiner would be absurd. University generally isn't too bad to cross because it's built well over the capacity it services.

Lake Shore if they demoed the Gardiner would just be a giant traffic sewer with cars spilling out into intersections all the time and making aggressive turns, etc.

 

[Tuscani01]

traffic levels on Lake Shore without the Gardiner would be absurd. University generally isn't too bad to cross because it's built well over the capacity it services.

Lake Shore if they demoed the Gardiner would just be a giant traffic sewer with cars spilling out into intersections all the time and making aggressive turns, etc.

That was always my concern with an expanded Lake Shore as well. I much prefer having all of that congestion above ground instead of at street level. I actually wish the Gardiner rebuild came with a Lake Shore diet. Narrow the street, improve the landscaping, and create a better underside to the Gardiner than exists today. I think it's a fair trade off - plus it could result in us getting weather protected bike lanes!

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

That was always my concern with an expanded Lake Shore as well. I much prefer having all of that congestion above ground instead of at street level. I actually wish the Gardiner rebuild came with a Lake Shore diet. Narrow the street, improve the landscaping, and create a better underside to the Gardiner than exists today. I think it's a fair trade off - plus it could result in us getting weather protected bike lanes!

That was in some of the original retain proposals - and it would have been a fair trade IMO.

AoD

 

[innsertnamehere]

That was always my concern with an expanded Lake Shore as well. I much prefer having all of that congestion above ground instead of at street level. I actually wish the Gardiner rebuild came with a Lake Shore diet. Narrow the street, improve the landscaping, and create a better underside to the Gardiner than exists today. I think it's a fair trade off - plus it could result in us getting weather protected bike lanes!

I believe they are planning a new bike trail along the north side of the rail corridor as a part of the Gardiner work. Not sure if it's physically underneath the highway or not.

 

[ADRM]

I believe they are planning a new bike trail along the north side of the rail corridor as a part of the Gardiner work. Not sure if it's physically underneath the highway or not.

Parts of it are to be directly underneath, and others just north of the overhang.

 

[Neutrino]

traffic levels on Lake Shore without the Gardiner would be absurd. University generally isn't too bad to cross because it's built well over the capacity it services.

Lake Shore if they demoed the Gardiner would just be a giant traffic sewer with cars spilling out into intersections all the time and making aggressive turns, etc.

Which is exactly why we need major improvements to public transit before tearing down the Gardiner.

 

[treplow]

Lakeshore at rush hour is already a traffic sewer with hundreds of backed up cars trying to squeeze onto the narrow, limited Gardiner on ramps.I actually think Lakeshore would flow better without the 3-4 lanes of commuters merging into one at Jarvis, York and Spadina.

 

[GabrielHurl]

Perhaps developers will come forward to hem in the new Gardiner with their backs toward it, all but hiding it from a viewer on the waterfront. Pedestrian bridges connecting buildings as has been done with the rail corridor in South Core would further hide the expressway. Even better would be if the city sells air rights over the expressway and rail corridor, enabling developers to build over the Gardiner East, effectively turning it into a tunnelled expressway.

It won't happen and this is very much a "pie in the sky vision" of the future.

From the recent "Toronto of the Future" exhibit a month or so back

 

[Tunafish13]

I love how you know its the future because of all the drones flying around

 

[Tunafish13]

 

[achender]

Some of the new sections and various stages of completion.