The City of Toronto intends to start repair work on five bridges next spring, as part of the next stage of the project to repair the Gardiner Expressway.

Rehabilitation work on Section 3 of the Gardiner Expressway, which runs from Highway 427 to the Humber River, is scheduled to take place from 2027 to 2031. However, five bridges in the section have been identified for an advanced start after assessments found critical repairs that need to be completed ahead of the original timeline.

The Ontario government will fund the replacement of the Gardiner Expressway overpasses at Park Lawn Road and Mimico Creek and the westbound on-ramp from Park Lawn Road over Mimico Creek as part of its new deal with Toronto. The city, meanwhile, will fund repairs to the Kipling Avenue and Islington Avenue bridges over the Gardiner Expressway.

The contract for the bridge repairs will be advertised in early January so that work can begin in spring 2025. Construction will be paused from May to July 2026 to accommodate the increased traffic expected during the FIFA World Cup, and is expected to be completed by December 2026.

The city says advancing this project is necessary to maintain the safety and reliability of the Gardiner Expressway.

“The Gardiner is old and falling apart,” said Mayor Olivia Chow. “We must upgrade it to keep it safe and keep Toronto moving. We are working hard to ease congestion for those living and working in the area.”

Construction on Section 2 of the Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation Plan (Dufferin Street to Strachan Avenue) began in November 2023 with the first lane closures in March 2024. In July 2024, the city and province announced plans to accelerate the construction work to move the construction completion date from April 2027 to at least April 2026.

Stage 1 of the Gardiner Expressway Section 2 rehabilitation work was completed four months ahead of the original, pre-acceleration schedule, helping to meet a revised timeline of April 2026.