City considering tolls for DVP, Gardiner Expressway

City council is being urged to take a more in-depth look at implementing tolls to pay for the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway.

The report says two scenarios were considered.

Staff looked at a $1.25 flat fee as well as a distance-based system that would cost drivers 10 cents per kilometre. In both cases, trucks would pay double.

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The authors of the report said that to determine the toll rates, it took into account all costs related to operating and maintaining the Gardiner Expressway and the DVP for the next 30 years.

It pegged the cost of maintaining the Gardiner at $3.8 billion and $200 million for the DVP.

If the city wanted to recover those costs over the next 10 years, the flat fee would be $3.25 or 35 cents per kilometre based on the distance-based system.

"However, a five-year recovery period is not feasible as the toll rates would be so high as to cause drivers to seek alternative routes with consequential impacts on revenue," the report said.

The Gardiner Expressway carries 228,000 vehicles each weekday east of Highway 427 and the DVP carries 110,000 vehicles per weekday north of the Bayview Avenue/Bloor Street interchange.