Gardiner Expressway traffic chaos to end over a year ahead of schedule

Ongoing lane closures on the Gardiner Expressway have caused plenty of headaches for Toronto drivers over the past several months, but a new release from the Ontario government reveals a rare bit of good news.

It's been a fraught few months for frequenters of the Gardiner Expressway as the major artery undergoes a massive rehabilitation project to ensure the expressway's longevity.

Since Section 2 of the Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Plan, intended to breathe new life into the decaying thoroughfare, kicked off in November 2023, drivers have been plagued with lane closures, reducing busy stretches to, at worst, two lanes in either direction for months on end.

Despite the disruptions slowing down traffic, though, construction has only sped up, thanks to a $73 million investment from the Ontario government that has allowed for crews to work on the project 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The project had already been running impressively smoothly in November 2024, when the rehabilitation project moved into Stage 2 four months ahead of schedule, but a release shared by the Province on Friday, April 25, claims that the completion date will be further accelerated.

While plenty of major construction projects in Toronto (ahem, Eglinton LRT?) have made the city's residents rightfully wary about the timely completion of this project, the investment is actually proving to pay off, as the estimated end date for the current stage of construction has moved up by 15 months.

In the current stage of construction, crews have begun work on five bridges on Section 3 of the expressway, narrowing eastbound lanes and shutting down one westbound lane entirely, on top of several on-ramp closures for as long as a year — but the end is in sight. The end of this round of construction, that is.

Originally slated for completion by April 2027, the Province amended its timeline to target completion for April 2026. Now, they're saying it could be even earlier than that.

"We're getting drivers out of gridlock by investing in infrastructure and accelerating construction on priority highways, allowing 24-hour-a-day construction, seven days a week," says Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria in the release.

"These measures mean that we're on track to reopen all lanes on the Gardiner Expressway more than 15 months ahead of the original schedule."

At the time of publication, crews have now completed rehabilitation on two southern and two centre lanes of the Gardiner between Dufferin and Strachan, and have begun work on the remaining north lanes.

This should position the completion of this stage well before the 2026 FIFA World Cup sees droves of visitors pass through the city, which is a major win not only for them but for those of us who live here year-round and will still have to commute during the championship.

"The Gardiner is vital to keeping Toronto moving," says Mayor Olivia Chow. "Thanks to our collaboration to accelerate this critical rehabilitation work, we are tracking well ahead of schedule, which means less disruption for our residents, visitors and businesses."

So, while Toronto traffic remains as frustrating as ever elsewhere in the city, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the Gardiner will be open for business at least a year earlier than expected, not to mention that it won't crumble to bits under the weight of our cars.