Mayor promises plan to speed up Gardiner work coming within weeks - Action News
Home WebMail Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 02:55 AM | Calgary | -2.2°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
TorontoVideo

Mayor promises plan to speed up Gardiner work coming within weeks

Mayor Olivia Chow says an urgent, behind-the-scenes collaboration is underway between the city and province to speed up the Gardiner Expressway rebuild and ease traffic pain for drivers.

Olivia Chow makes pledge in wide-ranging interview 1 year after taking office

Olivia Chow marks 1st full year as Toronto mayor

3 months ago
Duration 4:29
In the 12 months since Olivia Chow was elected mayor of Toronto, shes grappled with strained city finances, frustrating levels of congestion and a housing crisis. Chow sat down with CBCs Shawn Jeffords for a wide-ranging interview about her first year in office.

Mayor Olivia Chow says an urgent, behind-the-scenes collaboration is underway between the city and province to speed up the Gardiner Expressway rebuild and ease traffic pain for drivers.

Chow made the remarks in a wide-ranging interview with CBC Toronto's municipal affairs reporter, Shawn Jeffords, nearly a year after beingsworn in as mayor. Chow says the three-year construction project that started earlier this year will be sped up by the combined efforts of both governments, cutting time off the complex expressway rebuild.

"We've met with the province, with the experts, and we are coordinating an approach," she said. "It's coming soon, within the next couple of weeks."

Chow and Premier Doug Ford struck a "new deal" last year that provides the city billions in financial relief and will see Ontariotake responsibilitythe Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway. The mayor said the deal will free up billions in the city's capital budget to fund state-of-good-repair projects around Toronto.

The Gardiner rebuild has angered and frustrated commuters in recent months as lane reductions and closures have snarled traffic. That has led to calls to explore how to accelerate the project by working overnight and on weekends, as well as pre-fabricating parts of the expressway in another location and installing it in pieces.

Chow said the plan, which will be announced in the weeks ahead, will include new traffic management strategies and use of technology to accelerate the project.

"We could do the construction faster, rebuildit faster," she said. "It's coming."