The Gardiner Expressway is undergoing emergency repairs after sections of decay were discovered that compromise the expressway’s load-carrying capacity.
Routine inspections revealed “severe soffit deterioration” at various points along the Gardiner, forcing the City of Toronto to issue a sole-source contract for over $4 million.
This type of work would normally require competitive procurements and council approval, but city staff say it was rushed because it was such an emergency.
“The Gardiner is old. We are rebuilding it, we’re fixing it,” said Mayor Olivia Chow. “Both above and below, it needs major work.”
The state of the Gardiner was only made worse by this winter’s weather.
“Then we add a lot of salt on the road to clear up the snow, melt the snow, that is very dangerous for reinforced concrete structures. The steel will corrode, the concrete will deteriorate and the damage can be accelerated quite quickly,” said Shamim Sheikh, a civil engineering professor at the University of Toronto.
Toronto began the emergency repairs in November in an effort to complete the work before the FIFA World Cup this summer.
The tournament is expected to bring heavy traffic on top of the Gardiner Expressway and tens of thousands of fans right underneath it, gathering for the Fan Festival at Fort York and the Bentway.
Engineering experts say the concerns over safety here are valid.
“If you have taken care of the falling debris and all the repair work has been done then it’s safe to go there, but if we ignore that, then obviously there is a risk,” said Sheikh.
“If it needs to be fixed it’ll be 24/7 and we’ll rush ahead and do it before the FIFA World Cup … and then after FIFA World Cup, we will be back again,” added Chow.
The biggest stretch of deterioration is between Grand Magazine, York and Cherry Streets to the Don Valley Parkway.
The City’s chief engineer tells CityNews about 80 per cent of the repairs have been completed already and work should finish up in April.