Ramp off eastbound Gardiner Expressway to York-Bay-Yonge now closed

The off-ramp from the eastbound Gardiner Expressway to York, Bay and Yonge Streets closed for good on Monday.

City crews will begin demolition of the off-ramp soon and a replacement will be constructed.

Described by Mayor John Tory as theYork-Bay-Yonge "Hot Wheels ramp," the structure was officially shut downat 5 a.m.

• Attention, Gardiner commuters: The York-Bay-Yonge off-ramp shuts down Monday

Motorists are urged to useJamesonAvenue,SpadinaAvenue andJarvisStreet ramps to make their wayinto the downtown core.

"TheSpadinaoff-ramp is being under utilized for theLake Shoreaccess," said Const. Clint Stibbe of Toronto police'straffic services.

"You need to pay attention at all times, now that the ramp is closed, and the load is going onto the other threeramps."

Stibbe said manymotorists forgot about the closure on Monday morning.

"At about 6 o'clock this morning, theJarvisramp was already backed up on to theGardinerExpressway, affecting the eastbound ramp from Rees (Street).We don't normally see that this early in the morning," he said.

Ramp reopening January 2018

The city saidthe off-ramp will be torn down andreplaced with a shorter ramp that will take cars down to LowerSimcoeStreet. The replacementramp is expected to open in January 2018.

The city estimatedthat 10,000 vehicles used the off-rampduring peak hours.

As part of the ramp work, crews will widen Harbour Street to four lanes between Lower Simcoe Street and Bay Street, to accommodate car traffic and improve access to the waterfront for pedestrians and cyclists, according to a city news release.