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Gardiner ExpresswayThe Gardiner Expressway (planned name as Lakeshore Expressway, known locally as "The Gardiner", is an expressway connecting downtown Toronto, Ontario with its western suburbs. Running in close proximity to the shore of Lake Ontario, it extends from the junction of Highway 427 and the Queen Elizabeth Way in the west to the foot of the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) in the east, just past the mouth of the Don River. East of Dufferin Street, the roadway is elevated, running above Lake Shore Boulevard east of Bathurst Street. For some years, the Gardiner has been the subject of controversy, with repeated calls from many citizens and politicians to demolish it or move it underground. The Gardiner Expressway, along with the Don Valley Parkway and the Allen Road (the short completed section of the truncated Spadina Expressway), form the municipal expressway system in Toronto. These are the expressways which are owned and operated by the City of Toronto. The remainder of the highways operating within the city's boundaries—Highways 401, 427, 400, 409, 404, and the Queen Elizabeth Way—are 400-Series Highways, which are owned and operated by the Province of Ontario. It is named for the first chair of the now-defunct Metro Council, Frederick G. Gardiner, who championed the project and was responsible for the building of the Don Valley Parkway. History Construction on the expressway began in 1955 and was completed in 1966; the Gardiner Expressway was one of the first projects undertaken by the newly formed government of Metropolitan Toronto: The stretch east of the DVP was part of a planned extension through the eastern suburb of Scarborough, that would eventually connect with Highway 401. This extension, which was to be known as the Scarborough Expressway, was never completed, though a short stretch of the highway, connecting Kingston Road with Highway 401, was constructed before the project was tabled. Subsequent to the 1998 amalgamation of the Metro municipalities into a single government, the stretch of the Queen Elizabeth Way between Highway 427 and the Humber River became part of the Gardiner. In 2001 the Gardiner's short eastern spur was demolished, as the level of traffic it carried was considered too low to justify the high maintenance costs of the elevated roadway. Present In the wake of the eastern demolition, Lake Shore Boulevard East has been revealed from the cover of the highway. Green boulevards have been implemented along the wide thoroughfare. Paved bicycle paths extend eastward for approximately two kilometres from the Martin Goodman Trail at Cherry Street to Coxwell Avenue. A local artist has created a commemorative piece for the demolished elevated expressway out of several of its giant supportive concrete pillars. As one of the few express routes for motor traffic into the downtown core, the Gardiner is regarded by many as essential to the city's economy, but its presence remains one of the most contentious urban planning issues in Toronto. Critics of the expressway have long decried its appearance, referring to it as "The Mistake by the Lake", and have argued that it cuts off the city from its waterfront. In recent decades, several proposals have been made to dismantle it or replace its central section with a tunnel. The most recent and detailed of these proposals was part of a wide-ranging report presented by the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Task Force in 1999. Lack of municipal funds and political will have repeatedly stalled such plans. Interchanges from West to East | idth="33%"|Municipality | width="55%"|Intersecting Roads | | oronto | Queen Elizabeth Way/Highway 427
Brown's Line/Sherway Gardens Road (westbound only) | | oronto | Kipling Avenue | | oronto | Islington Avenue | | oronto | Park Lawn Road (eastbound only) | | oronto | Lake Shore Boulevard | | oronto | South Kingsway (westbound only) | | oronto | Jameson Avenue/Dunn Avenue | | oronto | Spadina Avenue | | oronto | Yonge Street/Bay Street/York Street | | oronto | Jarvis Street/Sherbourne Street | | oronto | Don Valley Parkway/Lake Shore Boulevard | References - Fulford, Robert. "Fred Gardiner's Specialized City", in Accidental City: The transformation of Toronto (1995). Toronto: Macfarlane Walter & Ross.
- Toronto Expressways - Transfer Points Feb 2004 pp7
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