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

[Civdis]

The best you can do with this stretch is removal of as many on and off ramps as possible (along the lines of the York-Bay off ramp freeing up Harbour) - and possibly pulling Lake Shore out from underneath the Gardiner - which may not be possible (certainly not along the central stretch where there is no room to do so).

AoD

Good point, the bigger problem is Lake Shore Blvd. Crossing that thing is brutal. Get rid of that and keep the Gardiner! The Gardiner keeps traffic away from pedestrians after all. We could have parks under the Gardiner and over the rail corridor. I live in a condo that overlooks the rail corridor and it is way uglier to look at from the sky than the Gardiner. It is like a huge scar through the city. Ok, let's get back on topic

 

[afransen]

Tesla can build only 200k per year in North America, which contributes to large majority of all EV production. Although it sounds a lot, but EV is still less than 2%. It's really hard to break those people's fossil fuel mind. Unless there is significant range and infrastructure improvement, ICE will still be around for another 10 ~ 20 years IMO. Let see what tomorrow's battery day Tesla has to offer.

No tunnel is getting complete in the timeline.

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

In all seriousness, the Lakeshore+Gardiner combo is awful right now, but some creative design work & strategies for pedestrian prioritization ( and lots of $$$ ) could turn the Gardiner underside into a sequence of unique spaces. It's already happening to the west - why not the east as well?

That's what I mean by living with it. And there you go.

Edit/Update: Thanks for redirecting this here, Admin. /bows

 

[robmausser]

Seattle just did a similar project as well. Replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct which was a prominent feature on Seattle's waterfront for years. So far there are no issues with the Seattle Tunnel vs the massive, and in one case deadly issues that there are with "The Big Dig" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Route_99_tunnel

lol what

Jurors deciding who pays for SR 99 tunnel delays, boring machine repairs

A nine-week trial pitted the state transportation department against the SR 99 tunnel contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners.

www.king5.com

 

[3Dementia]

Maybe some fun for newbies (don't think this is buried anywhere in threads ;-), posted on my "THROWBACK from old laptop" thread in RENDERINGS. Page link below (scroll down if you visit).

Toronto Waterfront Viaduct (link below):

https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/throw-back-of-ut-odds-and-ends-from-my-old-laptop.31325/

 

[DSC]

The work on the Gardiner from Cherry to Jarvis is moving along well and it looks as though they will meet the completion deadline of early 2021.

This is the City's schedule:

The City has just advertised for supervisory engineers for Phase 2.

Summary Notice and Notice of Intended Procurement		Solicitation number:	RFP-20ECS-TI-01GE
Commodity:	Professional Services, Consulting Services
Description:	OE/TA Services, Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation Project Section 2; Dufferin St. to Strachan Ave, RFP-20ECS-TI-01GE

Question: What is the time-line for the section from York to Jarvis? This appears to be in pretty poor condition and I think the on-ramp at Bay is to be removed and the off-ramp to Jarvis is to be shortened and re-positioned so that the Pinnacle development at One Yonge can expand further south. Yes??

 

[Bojaxs]

More construction on the west end of the Gardiner? Didn't the west end already get refurbished? Resurfaced, new middle median, overhead bridge replacements. Particularly the Humber River to Fraser st. portion.

 

[asher__jo]

Good point, the bigger problem is Lake Shore Blvd. Crossing that thing is brutal. Get rid of that and keep the Gardiner! The Gardiner keeps traffic away from pedestrians after all. We could have parks under the Gardiner and over the rail corridor. I live in a condo that overlooks the rail corridor and it is way uglier to look at from the sky than the Gardiner. It is like a huge scar through the city. Ok, let's get back on topic

I've always thought combining Gardiner, Queensway and Lake Shore into a Boulevard that straddles the rail lines is an obvious.

 

[DSC]

It IS moving onwards...

The removal of the last deck panel required to rehabilitate the Gardiner Expressway between Cherry and Lower Jarvis Streets is anticipated to occur on November 9 between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., subject to weather or unforeseen circumstances.

 

[W. K. Lis]

It IS moving onwards...

The removal of the last deck panel required to rehabilitate the Gardiner Expressway between Cherry and Lower Jarvis Streets is anticipated to occur on November 9 between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., subject to weather or unforeseen circumstances.

If only the weather was warm until November... oh, wait!!!

 

[Softee]

Here's another video by a Toronto walker about Toronto's new supertall boom.

 

[ptbotrmpfn]

Wow first video at the 10min mark show just how awful the Gardiner is STILL. Looks extremely unsafe now. (Wildest I’m sure some one will say it’s perfectly fine.. but how’s that acceptable in a city. To say ”well, it’ll hold for now” just don’t fly with me. Wouldn’t feel safe driving on it other ( if I drove).

 

[Full Metal Junkie]

Wow first video at the 10min mark show just how awful the Gardiner is STILL. Looks extremely unsafe now. (Wildest I’m sure some one will say it’s perfectly fine.. but how’s that acceptable in a city. To say ”well, it’ll hold for now” just don’t fly with me. Wouldn’t feel safe driving on it other ( if I drove).

To some it's "unsafe", to others it's "rustic, charismatic character of true heritage"

 

[cd concept]

Wow first video at the 10min mark show just how awful the Gardiner is STILL. Looks extremely unsafe now. (Wildest I’m sure some one will say it’s perfectly fine.. but how’s that acceptable in a city. To say ”well, it’ll hold for now” just don’t fly with me. Wouldn’t feel safe driving on it other ( if I drove).

You're right about the strength and cosmetic look of the Gardiner Expressway . It was built to serve the comercial and industrial area in the past. And now that it's staying cutting through all those new condo skyscrapers.instead of having a new beautiful Parkway. It's need a cosmetic make over to compensate for the parkway. Starting by capping the columns and beams underneath the highway. With some fiber glass or aluminum product that's aesthetically nice and durable. And the top with aesthetically nice looking highway lamps and stamped coloured jersey barriers . Something like the one they have on the Niagara Parkway by the Horseshoe falls . Will complement the area starting from the CNE to the Don River. For locals and tourists that pass on and under it.

 

[Lenser]

I'm on the Gardiner five days a week and the best part of it is driving through downtown - the views it affords are certainly inspiring. But viewed from underneath it's just a massive eyesore requiring obscene amounts of money to keep from crumbling into oblivion. Really wish it had been demolished by now and a tunnel put in its place. You could have had a ribbon park threading the downtown area roughly parallel to the lake and it would still afford killer views of the city. As long as it stands however it's just going to be a massive money pit.