A major change to east end traffic begins Tuesday with the permanent closure of the Gardiner Expressway ramps to Logan Avenue. The city closed the ramps as of 9 p.m. on August 31 to facilitate their removal.
The construction is part of the Lake Shore Boulevard East project, which includes the permanent removal of the Logan Avenue ramp at the east end of the Gardiner Expressway, widening and lengthening the Lake Shore Bridge over the Don River, and rebuilding the roadway between Don Roadway and Carlaw Avenue.
Work to remove the ramps, and related road closures, will only occur on weekends. Closures start at 9 p.m. Fridays and end at 6 a.m. Mondays, except for Labour Day weekend when the closure ends at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Permanent closure
- Gardiner Expressway ramps to Lake Shore at Carlaw
Weekends Only – September to October 2021
- Lake Shore Boulevard East closed from Cherry Street to Carlaw Avenue
- Don Roadway closed between DVP and Commissioners Street – No access permitted to DVP. Access will be via Eastern Avenue and Queen Street
During the Lake Shore closure from Cherry to Carlaw, the westbound Gardiner can be accessed using Jarvis Street.
The city anticipates eastbound traffic to increase on Lake Shore Boulevard once the ramps are removed. As such, two lanes eastbound and one lane westbound will remain open on Lake Shore for the duration of construction.
The recommended alternate route for drivers travelling eastbound on Lake Shore Boulevard East is to follow Cherry Street north to Eastern Avenue eastbound. Drivers travelling westbound on Lake Shore Boulevard can also travel north on Leslie Street and westbound on Eastern Avenue.
The ramp removal phase of the project will continue through to the end of October, with work on the whole project continuing until 2024.
In a statement the City says, “Removal of the Logan Avenue ramp supports Gardiner realignment work and allows for the Lake Shore Bridge to be lengthened and widened.
“Once the Lake Shore Bridge is re-engineered, the new space will accommodate bike lanes, pedestrian paths and a new linear park, and allow for the re-design and naturalization of the Don River, which will be a critical element for future flood protection.”
The work will also help improve livability in the Port Lands and improve public access to the area.
The city’s Gardiner Rehabilitation Plan calls for new DVP ramps to eventually be built further north as well as the eventual construction of new access ramps at Cherry Street. There is no timeline for that project.
The Gardiner Expressway is a major arterial roadway that runs parallel to the Lake Ontario shoreline in the downtown core and has been in service for over 60 years.
