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

[nfitz]

What time of day is that as every time I've seen the Gardner no body is doing anything near 90 heck you'd be lucky if you could do over 20

I do Gardiner East at 100 or so most of the time - at least before the ramp closed (not much reason to use it anymore). The centre less so, because there is often traffic.

But when it's not congested, many if not most are driving 100+.

 

[W. K. Lis]

I do Gardiner East at 100 or so most of the time - at least before the ramp closed (not much reason to use it anymore). The centre less so, because there is often traffic.

But when it's not congested, many if not most are driving 100+.

That's why signage (90 km/h) is generally useless when the roadway and traffic lanes are designed for the safety of those of use doing 100+ km/h.

What is needed on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway are overhead adjustable speed limit signage based on the actual road conditions.

Also, the speed limit signs themselves should be changed to follow the red circle speed limit signs used in the rest of the world.

From link.

I've seen the speed limit number written on roadway, but are hard to be understood by most. Would be better with the red circle.

From link.

 

[dowlingm]

Dudes on here who are losing their minds at the removal of the Logan ramps gonna stroke out completely if someone ever shows them the boulevard option (given that the appellation "hybrid" for "retain but realign the Gardiner" was merely a marketing tag from Team Tory)

 

[MikeMacNcheese]

Photo from the Toronto subreddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/pqmpru

 

[W. K. Lis]

 

[kotsy]

From earlier in the week. Surprise, I have a drone now!

 

[kotsy]

 

[Transportfan]

Was the reason for demo'ing this section of the Gardiner due to maintenance reasons? It was just a short transition section anyways.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Was the reason for demo'ing this section of the Gardiner due to maintenance reasons? It was just a short transition section anyways.

It was because the Scarborough Expressway was never built, so they don't need a l-o-n-g ramp going east past the Don River/Don Valley Parkway.

From link.

 

[Transportfan]

It was because the Scarborough Expressway was never built, so they don't need a l-o-n-g ramp going east past the Don River/Don Valley Parkway.

From link.

I know that, but why didn't they do it when they tore down the section east to Leslie earlier?

 

[hawc]

Man that Scarborough Expressway would've been so sweet. I can see why the killed the other ones, but the Scarborough Expressway would have been great.

 

[TossYourJacket]

I know that, but why didn't they do it when they tore down the section east to Leslie earlier?

Politics probably.

 

[DSC]

Politics probably.

It was also undoubtedly cheaper to leave it and, at that time, there were no development pressures in that area.

 

[Northern Light]

I know that, but why didn't they do it when they tore down the section east to Leslie earlier?

Two Reasons:

First, the Scarborough Expressway wasn't actually 'killed' as in removed from the Metro Toronto Official Plan until 1994. So prior to that, however improbable.....it remained on the books as a potential highway.

Second, as per Wikipedia below, it was up for structural renewal in the late 90's and it turned out, it was cheaper to tear it down.

 

[Northern Light]

Man that Scarborough Expressway would've been so sweet. I can see why the killed the other ones, but the Scarborough Expressway would have been great.

It would have obliterated the Small's Creek Ravine (Williamson Ravine ) which is where it was suppose to run, parallel to and east of Coxwell up to the rail corridor.

Whereupon it would have created a massive divide between the Danforth Area and the Gerrard/points south area.........with a rail corridor large enough for 4 tracks followed by a six-lane highway, with interchanges.

That would have been more than undesirable to cross as a pedestrian (the rail corridor is a barrier too, but not on the same scale by itself).

I'm quite glad it was killed.