Unfinished Expressway System
Missing_Links_Expressway_History
Missing_Links_Expressway_History
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<strong>Unfinished</strong><br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> <strong>System</strong>
TABLE OF CONTENTS<br />
Chapter<br />
Page<br />
1 Introduction 3<br />
2 The Creation of Metropolitan Toronto 1945-1954 7<br />
3 The Age Of New <strong>Expressway</strong>s 1954-1969 14<br />
4 Revolt Against <strong>Expressway</strong>s 1969-1975 27<br />
5 A Brief Revival Of <strong>Expressway</strong>s 1975-1980 37<br />
6 Arterial Highways 1980-1998 44<br />
7 Amalgamation 1998-2006 60<br />
8 <strong>Expressway</strong>s To Boulevards 2006-Present 74<br />
Toronto <strong>Expressway</strong>s History Timeline 87<br />
MAPS<br />
1947 Plan for Lake Shore (Later Gardiner) <strong>Expressway</strong> 10<br />
1956 Toronto Draft Plan <strong>Expressway</strong>s 12<br />
1959 Toronto Draft Official Plan <strong>Expressway</strong>s 13<br />
Toronto <strong>Expressway</strong>s 1963 17<br />
1966 Toronto Official Plan <strong>Expressway</strong>s 18<br />
Plans for the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> south from Lawrence Avenue West 21<br />
Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> Plan – 1967 Alignment 22<br />
Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong> Plan – 1961 Alignment 23<br />
Highway 400 Extension Plan 24<br />
Richview <strong>Expressway</strong> Plans 25<br />
Toronto Road Lighting 1950's And 1960's 26<br />
Toronto <strong>Expressway</strong>s 1971 32<br />
Toronto <strong>Expressway</strong>s 1973 33<br />
Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> Plan – 1973 Alignment 34<br />
Proposed Alignments for the Highway 400 Extension 36<br />
Toronto <strong>Expressway</strong>s 1989 42<br />
Toronto Road Lighting 1970's And 1980's 43<br />
Toronto <strong>Expressway</strong>s 1998 55<br />
Toronto <strong>Expressway</strong>s 2002 69<br />
Toronto Road Lighting 1990's And 2000's 70<br />
Schedule of Repairs to the Elevated Portion of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> 81<br />
Toronto <strong>Expressway</strong>s Today 86<br />
2
1. INTRODUCTION<br />
By 1980, Greater Toronto became Canada's largest metropolitan area, reaching a population of nearly<br />
3,000,000, and then 4,000,000 by the mid 1990's. This represents over one-tenth of the total Canadian<br />
population. It has become the economic engine of the Canadian nation. In 1953, the City of Toronto joined<br />
with the surrounding twelve towns and townships to form a federation known as Metropolitan Toronto. In<br />
1966, the twelve towns and townships were merged into five boroughs, four of which achieved City status<br />
in the 1980's. In 1998, the Metropolitan federation, commonly known as Metro, with its six constituent<br />
municipalities, was amalgamated into one large City of Toronto. This is the largest City in Canada and the<br />
fifth largest City in North America. During its existence from 1953 to 1997, the Metro federation was<br />
engulfed in vigorous debates over transportation policies. The subject of a transportation system, which<br />
would tie Metro’s component parts together, became a very controversial one. Two schools of thought<br />
existed on this subject. Firstly, one believed in a balanced system of roads and transit with new expressways<br />
serving the entire Metro area. The other believed in a transit-oriented system with little road development,<br />
arguing that expressways were a threat to neighbourhoods and the environment. The expressway system<br />
was planned in a grid pattern crossing Metro to take the City's ever-increasing traffic out of neighbourhoods<br />
by routing it around them on by-pass routes, therefore unclogging local streets. <strong>Expressway</strong>s also provided<br />
fast routes for the movement of goods. The system would be expanded to keep the growing traffic volumes<br />
moving. New Metropolitan expressways were built from the mid 1950's until the late 1960's, when changing<br />
attitudes towards roads halted them. The anti-expressway movement, which became strong in the late 1960's<br />
and early 1970's, argued that expressways took out homes, brought more cars downtown and increased air<br />
pollution. They wanted a more efficient public transit system instead to decrease people's reliance on cars.<br />
The pro-expressway movement, which was far less organized and made up mostly of planners and<br />
engineers, argued that, without expressways, traffic congestion increased air pollution, made local streets<br />
dangerous and slowed the economy because goods could not be delivered on time due to trucks being stuck<br />
in traffic. The car versus transit argument nearly tore Metro apart in the 1970's. However, both roads and<br />
transit would be essential to the City's well-being. By 2001, Toronto faced traffic gridlock.<br />
The expressway system that serves Toronto consists firstly of Ontario Provincial highways, built and<br />
maintained by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. In the Greater Toronto area, this system consists<br />
of freeways including the Queen Elizabeth Way (Highway 451), Highways 401 (also named<br />
MacDonald-Cartier Freeway as of 1965), 400, 427, 404 (Don Valley Parkway extension), 409 (Belfield<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong>), 410, 403 and 407. The Queen Elizabeth Way was the first to be built, being opened in 1939.<br />
Highway 401 was originally built as the northern Toronto by-pass in the early 1950's, but with the vast<br />
expansion of the City, the new Highway 407, later built further north, took over that role, leaving the 401 as<br />
a cross-town route. Highway 400 was also completed north from Highway 401 to Barrie in the early<br />
1950’s. The right of way was also protected to extend it south to Eglinton Avenue West and the first part of<br />
this extension to Jane Street was constructed in 1966. The remainder of this extension was built as an<br />
arterial road by 1982 and transferred to Metro Toronto. Highway 27 was a major Provincial highway in<br />
Toronto’s west end extending north from the Queen Elizabeth Way. In 1970, the section south of Highway<br />
401 was widened and renamed as Highway 427. The short four-lane Airport <strong>Expressway</strong>, opened with the<br />
reconstruction of Toronto Airport in 1964 from Highway 401 to Dixon Road, later became part of Highway<br />
427 and was extended north to Highway 7. Highway 407, the new northern east-west Toronto by-pass first<br />
opened in 1997, was originally intended to be a regular Provincial freeway, but instead was sold to a private<br />
consortium as Ontario's first private electronic toll freeway. In 2007, Highway 401 east of the Don Valley<br />
Parkway was also renamed as the Highway of Heroes to honour Canadian service personnel who have<br />
served and died in overseas conflicts. Highways 403 and 410 west of Toronto were built in the 1980’s.<br />
3
Provincial highways, originally only four lanes, now stretch from six to twelve lanes with a posted speed<br />
limited of 100 km/h. A system of express and collector lanes to separate through express traffic from<br />
traffic entering and exiting the freeway was built on Highway 401, Highway 427 south of Highway 401,<br />
and a short stretch of the Queen Elizabeth Way, within Toronto in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Plans for a<br />
new Provincial freeway, known as the East Metro Freeway, to run from Highway 401 near<br />
Morningside Avenue, in eastern Scarborough, to Highway 407, were dropped due to local protests from<br />
Rouge Valley preservationists due to the route running through the valley. This was the Province's first<br />
experience with protests against expressway construction, similar to those which Metro faced with its<br />
road plans in the early 1970's.<br />
Secondly, there is the system of Toronto Municipal or City (formerly called Metropolitan)<br />
expressways, the subject of this discussion, which was built and maintained by the Metro Roads<br />
Department. The Department existed under this title from 1954 until 1968, when it merged with Metro<br />
Traffic Engineering to become Metro Roads and Traffic. This title was changed to Metro Transportation in<br />
1990 and finally to Toronto Transportation in 1998 after amalgamation. The Metro Roads Department was<br />
headed by a Commissioner, firstly George Grant, then Sam Cass and finally Doug Floyd. The Metro<br />
expressways were retained in 1998 by a new department of the amalgamated City of Toronto, known as<br />
Works and Emergency Services, headed by its first Commissioner, Barry Gutteridge, with David Kaufman<br />
as the first General Manager of Toronto Transportation which directly looks after roads and expressways.<br />
While the Province built the 400-series freeways, Metro Toronto, since its incorporation in 1954, until<br />
1969, provided an expressway network which proceeded continuously with the completion of the<br />
Frederick G. Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> to Leslie Street, the Don Valley Parkway between the lakeshore<br />
and Sheppard Avenue and the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong>, renamed in 1969 as the William R. Allen<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong>, north from Lawrence Avenue – a total of 32 kilometres (20 miles) of new expressways.<br />
Metro's first expressway, the six lane Frederick G. Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, was constructed along the<br />
shore of Lake Ontario from the end of the Queen Elizabeth Way at the Humber River in the west, to Leslie<br />
Street in the east, and intended to eventually continue through the east end of the City into Scarborough to<br />
connect with Highway 401. The Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> became controversial in the 1980's and 1990's due to<br />
most of its length being on an elevated structure along the Lake Ontario shoreline. It needed much<br />
maintenance and repair. Anti-road critics argued that it was ugly and was a barrier to the lake. They<br />
consistently called for its removal or burial, and even got City Council to approve the demolition of the<br />
eastern end of it. In 1997, the Province transferred ownership of the Queen Elizabeth Way within Metro<br />
Toronto, from Highway 427 to the Humber River, to the City, which renamed it as part of the Frederick G.<br />
Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. In 2001, the eastern section of the expressway from the Don Valley Parkway to<br />
Leslie Street was demolished and replaced with a new eastern terminus for the expressway just west of<br />
Carlaw Avenue. This involved building new exit and entrance ramps east of the Don Valley Parkway,<br />
which merged with Lake Shore Boulevard at Bouchette Street, which is just west of Carlaw Avenue. East of<br />
that point, Lake Shore Boulevard was rebuilt to handle the traffic flow. While being shortened by 1.5 km (1<br />
mile) in the east, the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> assumed 6.6 km (4.5 mi.) of the Q.E.W. to the west. Today, the<br />
Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> now stretches from Highway 427 to west of Carlaw Avenue. Plans to demolish<br />
another section of the elevated Gardiner west to Jarvis Street are now being discussed.<br />
The six-lane Don Valley Parkway was completed from the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> to Sheppard Avenue,<br />
north of Highway 401 in 1967. It was constructed on the surface and follows the beautiful meandering main<br />
Don River valley, which offers drivers a delightful view of nature, particularly in the autumn, with the<br />
change of colours of the leaves. The planned northern extension of the Don Valley Parkway from<br />
4
Sheppard Avenue to Steeles Avenue was ceded by Metro to the Province in 1974, which constructed it<br />
as part of their Highway 404 instead. The existing section of the Parkway north from Highway 401 to<br />
Sheppard Avenue also became part of Highway 404 in 1974. Today, the Don Valley Parkway stretches<br />
from the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> to just south of Highway 401, continuing further north as Highway 404,<br />
which connects to Newmarket. The Don Valley Parkway was designated as part of the City of Toronto’s<br />
Route of Heroes in 2010 as it was part of the final route for the bodies of service personnel killed overseas.<br />
The highly controversial originally planned six lane Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> was never completed. Intended<br />
to extend into downtown, it was completed only from Wilson Heights Boulevard, north of Wilson Avenue,<br />
to Lawrence Avenue. The Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> was renamed as the William R. Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> in 1969,<br />
and construction of it south of Lawrence Avenue was cancelled by the Provincial Government in 1971 due<br />
to a well-organized public protest against the extension of the expressway into downtown Toronto. South of<br />
Highway 401, the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> was built as a depressed roadway in a trench, passing under crossing<br />
local streets. The section south from Lawrence Avenue to Eglinton Avenue was an incomplete structure for<br />
five years after the cancellation, and was nicknamed as "the Spadina Ditch", until a four-lane extension was<br />
paved as an arterial road, opening to Eglinton Avenue in 1976. A six lane northern extension, built as a<br />
signalized controlled access arterial road, and at first containing bus lanes, was opened to north of Sheppard<br />
Avenue in 1982. The southern and northern arterial extensions are now known collectively as the William<br />
R. Allen Road. The Spadina Subway line was built in the expressway's median and was opened in 1978.<br />
The only other additions to Toronto’s expressway system since 1971 have been highways transferred<br />
from Provincial control to Municipal control. In 1982, a four-lane extension of Highway 400 to Weston<br />
Road known as Black Creek Drive was built by the Provincial Government and transferred to Metro. In<br />
1997, three more Provincial highways were transferred to Metro. In addition to The Queen Elizabeth<br />
Way east of Highway 427 to the Humber River becoming part of Metro’s Frederick G. Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong>, Highway 27 and Highway 2A were also transferred to Metro. Metro became the<br />
amalgamated City of Toronto in 1998. With these transfers, the City of Toronto now owns 48 kilometres<br />
(30 miles) of expressways. However, all 400-series highways remained under Provincial control.<br />
Metro had originally planned an extensive grid of expressways around the City, which would have consisted<br />
of inner and outer ring-roads. Only 40% of the originally planned system was constructed, with the rest<br />
being cancelled or shelved. The unbuilt planned Toronto Municipal expressway system consisted of the<br />
Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> (Frederick G. Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> Extension), the Crosstown<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong>, the Highway 400 Extension and the Richview <strong>Expressway</strong>. If built, these would have<br />
provided a large expressway network, which would have covered the entire City. It was planned to have an<br />
outer ring consisting of a large triangle formed by Highways 401 and 427 and the Gardiner and Scarborough<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong>s. An inner ring around downtown would have consisted of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, Don<br />
Valley Parkway, Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong> and Highway 400 Extension. Radial expressways including the<br />
Don Valley Parkway to the north and the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong>, Highway 400 Extension and Richview<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> to the northwest would have connected these two rings. Lands were acquired for the rest of the<br />
Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> and the Scarborough and Richview <strong>Expressway</strong>s. The Province acquired lands for the<br />
Highway 400 Extension to Eglinton Avenue West. All Metro residents would be no more than 4 miles (6<br />
kilometres) from an expressway.<br />
The Gardiner Extension east to Highway 401, commonly known as the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>,<br />
which, in the 1960's was committed to construction after the Spadina, would have extended the Gardiner<br />
east to Highway 401 and included the existing Highway 2A. It was shelved in 1974 after another bitter fight<br />
with residents along the route. Metro tried to hold on to the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> by designating it as<br />
5
the Scarborough Transportation Corridor in 1976. This was an undefined strip of land for future<br />
transportation purposes. However, since Metro only held parcels of land along the route, and not the entire<br />
corridor, attempts to complete acquisition of lands met with more fierce opposition. This led Metro to<br />
abandon the route altogether in 1994.<br />
The Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong>, Highway 400 Extension and Richview <strong>Expressway</strong>, together, would have<br />
formed a continuous system, which would have crossed, in the middle of the City from the Don Valley<br />
Parkway in the east to Highways 400 and 427 in the northwest. The Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong>, which would<br />
have run east to west, north of Davenport Road from the Don Valley Parkway to the Highway 400<br />
Extension in the vicinity of Christie Street, was in doubt from its inception, so nothing was done and it was<br />
later scrapped. However, the existing Bayview-Bloor ramp to the Don Valley Parkway would have been<br />
part of the Crosstown route. The Highway 400 Extension, which the Province would have built from Jane<br />
Street, south of Highway 401, to Eglinton Avenue, and Metro would have extended further south as a major<br />
expressway to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> linking with both the Crosstown and Richview <strong>Expressway</strong>s, was<br />
instead constructed as a four lane road ending at Weston Road south of Eglinton Avenue, where Weston<br />
Road, Keele Street and Parkside Drive continue it south to the Lake Shore. The Richview <strong>Expressway</strong>,<br />
which would have extended west from the Highway 400 Extension along Eglinton Avenue West to<br />
Highway 427 and the Airport, with a possible further connection to Highway 403, became the Eglinton<br />
Transportation Corridor, which was an empty strip of land for transit and a widened Eglinton Avenue.<br />
Opposition to expressways in Metro grew very quickly in the early 1970's from just a fight against the<br />
southward extension of the Spadina to a fight against the entire proposed expressway network and for a<br />
complete change of policy to one of promoting public transit. The proposed expressways disappeared in<br />
1980 when Metro adopted a new official plan, moving the emphasis from a balanced system of roads and<br />
transit to a transit-oriented system, in order to satisfy the strong anti-expressway movement in the City.<br />
Road-building in Metro would always depend on the political will of the Metro council and the Provincial<br />
Government. An agreement with both levels of government provides for a 50/50 split of funding for roads.<br />
Metro provides for its half within its capital budget, and the Province is obligated to provide the other half.<br />
The halting of construction of the Metropolitan expressway system had little effect on construction of the<br />
Provincial freeway system, which has continued as planned.<br />
The only Municipal expressways which are through routes are the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and the Don Valley<br />
Parkway which connect downtown Toronto with the west and the north. <strong>Expressway</strong> access from both the<br />
northwest and the east to downtown Toronto is missing. There also several incomplete expressway<br />
stumps such as the northern half of the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> (now Allen Road), the eastern end of the<br />
Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> (Highway 2A), and part of the Highway 400 Extension as an arterial road<br />
(Black Creek Drive). The Bayview-Bloor off ramp from the Don Valley Parkway is all that exists of the<br />
formerly proposed Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong>.<br />
New Metro expressway construction proceeded as planned in the 1950's and 1960's, but none has<br />
occurred since the Spadina cancellation in 1971. Politicians, particularly those in downtown Toronto,<br />
argued that this situation would encourage people to take public transit instead of using their cars in order<br />
to avoid traffic congestion. Accordingly, Metro has made some improvements to the arterial road system<br />
and has greatly expanded public transit. No new major expressway has been built within Toronto for over<br />
thirty years. Sam Cass, to whom this book is dedicated, was Roads Commissioner at the time of the most<br />
intense fight against expressways in the 1970's. He found himself having to defend his policy of by-pass<br />
routes across the City. This book is entitled "Missing Links" due to the large gaps which exist in<br />
Toronto's expressway system. Whether this was good for the City, in terms of neighbourhood preservation,<br />
6
or bad for the City, in terms of resulting traffic congestion, is up to the reader. In spite of the claims made by<br />
politicians favouring transit over roads, the planned major switch from car use to public transit did not come<br />
true. The facts of the story will now unfold.<br />
2. THE CREATION OF METROPOLITAN TORONTO 1945 – 1954<br />
In the late 1940's, the City of Toronto was looking at a "Superhighway" system, which would connect its<br />
ever-growing suburbs with its vibrant core. The Queen Elizabeth Way, Canada's first expressway, had been<br />
completed from Toronto to Niagara and was opened by the late King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on<br />
their visit to Canada in 1939. It was named after the Queen consort, and was a very picturesque four-lane<br />
parkway. A great stone monument was erected in August 1940 at the Toronto end of the Q.E.W. at the<br />
Humber River to commemorate the opening of the highway and to the first visit of a reigning sovereign to a<br />
dominion of the British Empire and Commonwealth. It used to stand in the median of the road, but was<br />
moved off to the side in the early 1970's when the Q.E.W. was widened. This monument to the opening of<br />
Canada's first superhighway still stands today at the mouth of the Humber River for tourists to enjoy. After<br />
the Second World War, the Province of Ontario was looking at building an east to west highway across the<br />
Province from Windsor to Cornwall and this would later take the shape of Highway 401 which would<br />
provide a much needed by-pass around the top of Toronto. The City was expanding so much that its growth<br />
was starting to spill over into its neighbouring municipalities. Thus, there was talk of some type of union of<br />
the City of Toronto with the surrounding twelve municipalities to create an urban metropolis that would<br />
control and administer this growth.<br />
This urban expansion would need an expressway system to link it all up. The Queen Elizabeth Way<br />
terminated at the Humber River at the City's western border and merged with Lake Shore Boulevard, the old<br />
Highway 2. In 1937, Kingston Road became a 50 mph four lane divided highway across Scarborough. This<br />
was later extended east to Ritson Road in Oshawa as Highway 2A. The lack of a link between the Q.E.W.<br />
and Kingston Road caused a severe bottleneck with terrible traffic congestion towards downtown Toronto.<br />
The Q.E.W. would have to be extended east along the Toronto waterfront to its eastern border to connect to<br />
Kingston Road (also Highway 2) to solve this problem. So plans were drawn up for a Lake Shore<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> as early as 1948. By 1952, it was proposed for this route to be a pay-as-you-go toll road, but the<br />
Province disallowed this, stating that roads were a municipal budget responsibility. The Province began<br />
construction of a Toronto by-pass (Highway 401), stretching from Highway 27 in the west to Highway 2A<br />
near the Rouge River. A widened Highway 27 connected it to the Queen Elizabeth Way in the west. This<br />
Toronto by-pass would ultimately stretch across the Province as Highway 401, absorbing most of Highway<br />
2A. A Barrie Highway was also built north-south to connect to Highway 401 in the northwest. The City<br />
therefore decided that the proposed Lake Shore <strong>Expressway</strong> would have to be connected to Highway 401<br />
and the Barrie Highway (later Highway 400). It was first proposed to construct a superhighway across<br />
Eglinton Avenue and a Don Valley <strong>Expressway</strong> was planned from the eastern end of the Lake Shore route<br />
to run up the Don River valley, to eventually connect to Highway 401. A northwest Superhighway would<br />
connect the Lake Shore with the Barrie Highway and a westerly arm of it would extend towards Hamilton.<br />
Finally, a northern extension of Spadina Road, approved in principle in the 1930's, was also included. One<br />
problem, however, was that expressways planned by the City of Toronto could only go as far as its borders.<br />
Approval would have to be gained by the surrounding municipalities to extend them to connect to the<br />
Provincial highways and this was not guaranteed. Provincial highways did not have this problem because<br />
they were built by a senior government and crossed municipal boundaries with little difficulty. Highways<br />
401 and 400 were completed in the early 1950's as four lane highways and Highway 27 was widened from<br />
the Queen Elizabeth Way to Highway 401 from two to four lanes.<br />
7
The Province purchased a right of way to extend Highway 400 south to Eglinton Avenue at the border of the<br />
City of Toronto so that the proposed Northwest Superhighway (Highway 400 Extension) could connect it<br />
directly with the proposed Lake Shore <strong>Expressway</strong>. In 1953, the Province approved the construction of the<br />
extension of Highway 400 south to Eglinton Avenue and Weston Road at a cost of $2 million. However, it<br />
was not carried out due to limited budgets and a priority being placed on other roads, such as Highway 401.<br />
The extension right of way would remain empty for another 25 years.<br />
Due to many reasons, the City of Toronto favoured complete amalgamation with its neighbours to form an<br />
urban metropolis. However, the surrounding communities vigorously opposed it because they did not want<br />
to be swallowed up by the City and opted to keep their independence. Therefore, it was decided to come to a<br />
compromise and create an urban federation instead. The City and the other municipalities, which were still<br />
mostly rural towns and townships at that time, would retain their own governments, while participating in a<br />
Metropolitan government, which would oversee them all. Major projects such as expressways, public<br />
transit, police, major parks and social housing would become the responsibilities of the Metropolitan<br />
federation. Fire departments, local streets, garbage collection and local parks would remain with the local<br />
municipalities. In 1953, the Province passed the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto Act, which brought<br />
the federation, commonly known as Metro, into being. It would have a Metro Council headed by a<br />
Chairman, while the municipalities within the federation would retain their councils headed by their<br />
Mayors. The Mayors and some Councillors from each member of the federation would also sit on the Metro<br />
council. Frederick G. Gardiner Q.C. became Metro's first chairman. The City of Toronto joined with the<br />
surrounding Townships of Etobicoke, North York, York, East York and Scarborough, the Towns of<br />
Leaside, Weston, Mimico, New Toronto, and the Villages of Forest Hill, Swansea and Long Branch to form<br />
the new federation of Metropolitan Toronto. This Act cleared the way for plans, which could now cross the<br />
municipal borders because they were the responsibility of the Metro federation. <strong>Expressway</strong>s could now be<br />
built across the entire Metropolitan area connecting to the Provincial highways and only required the<br />
approval of the one Metro Council. Metro planners set to work in 1954 on an official long term plan. A<br />
Metropolitan <strong>Expressway</strong> system would be a vital part of it. It was observed that more and more people<br />
were living in the expanding suburbs and working in the downtown area. They would mostly use their cars<br />
to get to work, so expressways were needed to keep them off local streets. The expressway system would be<br />
a grid network extending north, south, east and west across the Metropolitan area. It was planned to radiate<br />
in all directions from the downtown area to all corners of Metro. The Lake Shore <strong>Expressway</strong> would go<br />
across the lakefront as proposed, but would extend only as far east as Coxwell Avenue, where it would<br />
swing north and cross Queen Street East and terminate on Kingston Road near Dundas Street East. With the<br />
addition of the Don Valley Parkway, Kingston Road, which was a divided highway across Scarborough<br />
(Highway 2), was considered adequate to carry traffic further east. Complaints from east end politicians<br />
about this, who felt that the expressway should extend into Scarborough to avoid the dumping of traffic in<br />
the east Beach area, brought about plans for an eastern extension.<br />
The renewal of an old concept to extend the Lake Shore <strong>Expressway</strong> to Highland Creek along the base of<br />
the Scarborough Bluffs to connect to Highway 2A, now just a short divided highway which linked Kingston<br />
Road to Highway 401, emerged. This would provide a cross-town Lake Shore highway linking the west end<br />
to Highway 401 in the east. The road would be built on 300 feet of landfill placed along the bottom of the<br />
bluffs, and it would extend from the beaches area, in Toronto's east end, to join Highway 2A in eastern<br />
Scarborough. This idea was conceived in 1923 and was reconsidered by transportation expert Norman D.<br />
Wilson in 1954. Chairman Fred Gardiner, who brought it before Metro Council, endorsed it. However, it<br />
would be difficult to construct and access would be poor, so it was dropped in favour of an eastern extension<br />
further north. Between 1954 and 1956, Metro considered a route which would swing the extension northeasterly<br />
and cross Scarborough diagonally along either an abandoned C.N. railway line or a Hydro corridor<br />
8
north of Eglinton Avenue. This route was deemed to be too far north, so a route along the C.N.R. main<br />
railway line, parallel to Kingston Road, was recommended. The original proposal terminating the<br />
expressway on Kingston Road, east of Coxwell Avenue, would now be extended north to the main railway<br />
line near Gerrard Street East. It would then swing east alongside the tracks. Land acquisitions from the C.N.<br />
railway for the rou+te began in 1957 as lands became available. The extension became known as the<br />
Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>. It was first proposed to extend the expressway as far as Birchmount Road, where<br />
it would connect into Kingston Road, via the end of Danforth Avenue. Kingston Road was a wide divided<br />
highway easterly from this point. However, in 1958, it was finally decided to extend the expressway all the<br />
way to Highland Creek to join Highway 2A, which connected into Highway 401, by purchasing vacant C.N.<br />
lands. The expressway would be continued eastwards alongside the main railway line to just east of Manse<br />
Road, near Morningside Avenue, where it would swing north again and join Highway 2A at Highland<br />
Creek. Kingston Road would be downgraded to arterial road status.<br />
The Don Valley Parkway, as it was now to be called, would run up the Don River valley, on the east side of<br />
the river, to Steeles Avenue. The valley had become a dump site for people's refuse and many crooks would<br />
hide out in it. The construction of the Parkway would clean it up and turn it into a beautiful park for people<br />
to enjoy. The Lake Shore <strong>Expressway</strong> and the Don Valley Parkway would be Metro's first two expressways<br />
to be built. These would be followed by the Spadina Road Extension which would connect Spadina Road in<br />
the City's core with Highway 401 and Highway 7 north of Metro. Later, the Highway 400 Extension would<br />
extend south from the proposed Eglinton Avenue terminus of the Provincial highway to the Lake Shore<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong>. In 1954, consideration was given to proceeding with the Highway 400 Extension as far south<br />
as Davenport Road and then swinging it eastwards along a Hydro corridor to connect to Davenport Road<br />
where it crosses Dupont Street, just east of Spadina Avenue. However, this idea was put on hold as a low<br />
priority. An East-West <strong>Expressway</strong>, originally planned along Eglinton Avenue, would now be run parallel<br />
to Davenport Road, and would connect the Highway 400 Extension, the Spadina Road Extension to the Don<br />
Valley Parkway in the east. An eastern extension of the Province's proposed Toronto-Hamilton <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
(Highway 403) would run along Eglinton Avenue West to connect Highway 27 with the Highway 400<br />
Extension. A wide Eglinton Avenue East extension was constructed in 1957 across the Don Valley to<br />
ultimately serve the Don Valley Parkway. Metro council adopted the overall expressway plan in 1958,<br />
however, it did not become an official plan until 1966.<br />
It was decided to honour Metro's first Chairman by renaming the first Metropolitan expressway to be built<br />
after him. Construction of the Lake Shore <strong>Expressway</strong> began in 1955 as an eastern extension of the Queen<br />
Elizabeth Way. In 1957, Metro council decided to rename the Lake Shore <strong>Expressway</strong> as the Frederick G.<br />
Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, one year before the first section opened. Additionally, the Spadina Road Extension<br />
became known as the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong>, the East-West <strong>Expressway</strong> became the Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
and the Toronto-Hamilton <strong>Expressway</strong> extension became the Richview <strong>Expressway</strong>.<br />
As stated earlier, the system would have an inner ring and an outer ring. These routes were included in the<br />
Metro Official Plan which was finalized and approved in 1966. "To keep pace with our growing needs" was<br />
the stated transportation policy in the 1966 Plan. The creation of this plan was organized by Metro Planning<br />
Commissioner Wojciech Wronski (pronounced Voteck Vronski), who believed in a balanced system of<br />
roads and transit. Metro Roads Commissioners George Grant and Sam Cass also organized the planning of<br />
the expressway system, which was meant to carry traffic around neighbourhoods, acting as community<br />
bypasses. Metro's first two chairmen, Frederick Gardiner and William Allen provided the political will and<br />
fortitude to get the expressway planning and construction moving ahead. Both had Metro expressways<br />
named after them.<br />
9
1947 PLAN FOR LAKE SHORE (LATER GARDINER) EXPRESSWAY<br />
10
The Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong>, originally known as the East-West <strong>Expressway</strong>, was intended to connect the<br />
south end of the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> near Bloor Street to the Highway 400 Extension and the Don Valley<br />
Parkway. This would keep the traffic flowing through to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. An eastern extension of<br />
the Crosstown across the Don Valley and through Taylor Creek to merge with the Gardiner Extension<br />
(known as the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>) at Victoria Park Avenue and Danforth Avenue in Scarborough was<br />
considered in the late 1950's, but was later deemed unnecessary. The usefulness of the Crosstown<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> route was doubted at the time the plan was adopted. It would mean massive expropriation of<br />
property in the Annex and in Rosedale and was very much opposed by area residents. Planners noted that it<br />
was just a short feeder and distributor route for the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong>, and it could be deleted. This policy<br />
was included in plans up to 1966. However, the Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong> would have helped to relieve<br />
downtown streets such as Bloor Street, Davenport Road and Dupont Street.<br />
The Metro federation was to be reformed in the future. It was felt by some that it would eventually lead to<br />
full amalgamation. In 1966, a partial amalgamation took place when Metro’s thirteen constituent<br />
municipalities were merged into six. The Village of Long Branch and the Towns of New Toronto and<br />
Mimico joined with the Township of Etobicoke to become the Borough of Etobicoke. The Town of Weston<br />
joined with the Township of York to form the Borough of York. The Town of Leaside joined with the<br />
Township of East York to form the Borough of East York. The Villages of Swansea and Forest Hill joined<br />
the City of Toronto. The Townships of North York and Scarborough also became boroughs. Etobicoke,<br />
North York and Scarborough proclaimed themselves as cities in the 1980's. Only East York was to remain a<br />
borough. 72% of all municipal services were integrated at the Metro level, and full amalgamation was seen<br />
by some as an inevitable final step in Metro's development. The five cities and one borough and Metro were<br />
to last until 1998 when the Metro federation was completely amalgamated into one City of Toronto with a<br />
City council headed by a Mayor and six small community councils for the areas of the former constituent<br />
municipalities. The mid-1950's, when Metro was first formed, was a time of post-war economic growth in<br />
Canada and great consumer confidence. Toronto was a growing City which offered many opportunities, but<br />
needed new roads. Construction of Metro's first expressway would begin in 1955. People were generally<br />
enthusiastic about new roads and expressways at that time, and could not foresee the political trouble that<br />
would come within the next twenty years.<br />
11
12
13
3. THE AGE OF NEW EXPRESSWAYS 1954 - 1969<br />
THE GARDINER (LAKE SHORE) EXPRESSWAY<br />
The Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> was one of the first projects undertaken by the newly formed government of<br />
Metro Toronto. Plans for the highway, first named the Lake Shore <strong>Expressway</strong> were first developed in<br />
1943, prior to the formation of Metro Toronto. The route of the <strong>Expressway</strong> necessitated the paving over<br />
of parkland, demolition of a popular amusement park, residential demolition and a long elevated section<br />
to get through the downtown area. In July 1953, prior to Metro Toronto coming into being, the<br />
Metropolitan Executive Committee, chaired by Fred Gardiner ordered the planning of the Lake Shore<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> as a four or six-lane expressway from the Humber in the west to Woodbine Avenue in the<br />
east. The cost was estimated at $20 million dollars.<br />
Route planning was given to engineering firm Margison Babcock and Associates, which planned a route<br />
along the shoreline to east of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) grounds and an elevated route<br />
from there east, was delivered in April 1954. The roadway was to be constructed in the Sunnyside area<br />
and CNE areas to the south of the present Lake Shore Boulevard. In the CNE area, the route would be on<br />
lands created from infilling of the shoreline to the breakwaters and an interchange was proposed in front<br />
of the Prince's Gate. Interchanges were proposed for Jameson Avenue, Strachan Avenue, Spadina<br />
Avenue, York Street, Jarvis Street, Don Roadway, Carlaw, Keating (the present Lake Shore Boulevard<br />
East) and Coxwell, ending at Coxwell and Queen Street East. The cost was then estimated at $50 million.<br />
The plan also proposed extending Queen Street westwards through High Park to west of the Humber to<br />
connect with 'The Queensway' and extending Keating Avenue east to Woodbine Avenue.<br />
The shoreline route was opposed by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Harbour Commission and<br />
Margison was tasked with plotting a route north of the CNE grounds. This plan was delivered in July<br />
1954. The change to an inland route north of the CNE was estimated to cost another $11 million as the<br />
homes to the west of the CNE grounds would have to be purchased and demolished. This route moved the<br />
route from the Humber to the Ontario Hydro right-of-way next to the railway tracks, saving 11 acres of<br />
waterfront. The expressway was moved to the north of the Lake Shore Boulevard in the Sunnyside<br />
segment and the Jameson Avenue area.<br />
The inland route, while not opposed in the Sunnyside and Jameson areas, faced opposition in its proposed<br />
route in the CNE to downtown segment. Alternate route proposals emerged in 1954 from the Toronto<br />
Harbour Commission, which wanted the route moved further north and planner Edwin Kay, who<br />
proposed a tunnel through downtown. The decision was then made to proceed with the non-contentious<br />
parts of the original Margison plan, to build a new Humber bridge to connect with the QEW, the Queen<br />
Street extension, and the Humber River to Dowling section, demolishing Sunnyside Park and South<br />
Parkdale. Metro also approved the eastern section of the expressway from Sherbourne Street to the east,<br />
but the central, elevated section was left for further deliberation. Metro approved $31 million for the<br />
eastern and western sections in its 1955 budget, but omitted the Humber River bridge.<br />
The route to the north of the CNE followed a Hydro right-of-way beside the railway tracks to the north of<br />
the Exhibition, using approximately 10 acres of CNE land, the removal of the original Dufferin Gate, and<br />
the demolition of two other CNE buildings. To make up for the loss of lands, Metro infilled into Lake<br />
Ontario to the breakwater.<br />
14
East of the CNE, the inland route proposed to fly over Fort York with a westbound on-ramp from<br />
Bathurst Street directly over the fort. Opposition from historical societies and the City of Toronto, came<br />
to a head when the City refused to transfer the land to Metro Toronto. Gardiner himself and George O.<br />
Grant, the Metro Roads Commissioner, at first opposed the re-routing of the highway around the fort as it<br />
would mean a "greater than six-degree curve" in the highway, necessitating drivers to slow down.<br />
Gardiner rescinded his opposition to the change in March 1958 after visiting the site with a delegation<br />
from the City and historical societies. The westbound on-ramp from Bathurst Street was cancelled, and in<br />
the end no interchange was built in the area.<br />
In March 1955, Metro started construction on the first piece of its proposed expressway system which was<br />
meant to tie the Metropolitan region together and to rid the area of traffic congestion. Construction of the<br />
Lake Shore <strong>Expressway</strong> began at the eastern end of the Queen Elizabeth Way at the Humber River and<br />
continued at grade to the C.N.E. Grounds. A hydro right of way existed along the north side of Lake Shore<br />
Boulevard, and it was decided that this was a perfect place for the expressway. The right of way was<br />
purchased by Metro, cleared of hydro towers and provided a perfect road bed for the expressway, stretching<br />
from the Humber River around Humber Bay to Dufferin Street. Sunnyside Amusement Park, located at the<br />
foot of Parkside Drive at the Lake Shore, was closed and demolished to make way for the expressway and a<br />
widened Lake Shore Boulevard. In 1957, with this stretch nearing completion, Metro Council renamed the<br />
route as the Frederick G. Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, after the Metro Chairman. It was felt that he had done an<br />
admirable job of putting the Metro federation together and should be honoured in this way for his efforts.<br />
On August 8, 1958, the section from the Queen Elizabeth Way at the Humber River to Jameson Avenue<br />
near Dufferin Street opened. The first six lane piece of the Metropolitan expressway system was now open<br />
to traffic. This was to be the only section of the Gardiner built on ground level.<br />
Engineer R.T. Lyons proposed that the next section of the Gardiner east of Dufferin Street, past the<br />
Canadian National Exhibition grounds, be built in a tunnel, combined with a streetcar. However, Metro<br />
Chairman Fred Gardiner opposed the idea. Instead, it was proposed for the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> to continue<br />
east on an elevated structure to take it over Lake Shore Boulevard to approximately Coxwell Avenue, where<br />
it would later be extended on the surface further east into Scarborough. The Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> would<br />
follow the lakefront, which was mostly industrial, and parallel the main Lake Shore railway line. It would be<br />
built on 10 metre (30 foot) high bents of prestressed concrete box girders with the road deck of reinforced<br />
concrete connected by shear studs placed on top. The total cost of the expressway would be $103 million at<br />
$13 million per mile or about $8 million per kilometre. The Gardiner replaced Lake Shore Boulevard as part<br />
of Highway 2.<br />
The first sign of controversy came about 1960 when it was planned to run the next section of the Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> on an elevated structure over the Fort York Military Cemetery. Preservationists and historians<br />
fought hard to reroute the expressway around the Fort York grounds and were successful in convincing<br />
Metro of their argument. The expressway would be a little longer in its route but would arc around the<br />
grounds with no difficulty as it passed over everything. This was only a small controversy and was by no<br />
means anywhere as large as the battles that awaited Metro in the future. The elevated stretch from Jameson<br />
Avenue to York Street opened in 1962 and the section from York Street to the Don Valley Parkway opened<br />
on November 6, 1964. Space was provided along the Gardiner structure east of the C.N.E. grounds around<br />
Strachan Avenue for an eventual interchange with the future Highway 400 Extension. Construction of the<br />
final section from the Don Valley Parkway to Leslie Street began immediately and was completed by July<br />
6, 1966. Plans were already drawn up for the next section from Leslie Street to Birchmount Road, known as<br />
the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>. Approval was given for this extension by Metro Council in 1967 and<br />
15
GARDINER EXPRESSWAY UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN 1961<br />
GARDINER EXPRESSWAY LOOKING EAST AT SUNNYSIDE IN 1958 GARDINER EXPRESSWAY LOOKING EAST AT SUNNYSIDE IN 1969<br />
THE DON VALLEY PARKWAY<br />
The Don Valley Parkway was constructed simultaneously with the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. The middle<br />
section through the Don River valley from Bloor Street to Eglinton Avenue was built first. Construction of<br />
this six lane first section began in May 1958, just as the first section of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> was about<br />
to open. This stretch of the Parkway opened on August 31, 1961. Some channelling of the Don River was<br />
required and embankments along the valley were reinforced for the Parkway. The ramp from the Don<br />
Valley Parkway to join the Bayview Avenue Extension and Bloor Street was meant to eventually become<br />
part of the Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong>, stretching west across the City. The next section of the Parkway from<br />
Eglinton Avenue to Lawrence Avenue to join Woodbine Avenue going further north was opened in October<br />
1963. The southerly section along the Don River channel from Bloor Street south to the Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> opened on November 6, 1964, the same date as the opening of the central section of the<br />
Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. The old two lane Woodbine Avenue from Lawrence Avenue to Sheppard Avenue<br />
was removed and replaced by a northerly extension of the six lane Don Valley Parkway, opening from<br />
Lawrence Avenue to Highway 401 on November 17, 1966. The Province constructed the interchange with<br />
Highway 401 and retained control of it, including the section of the Parkway through the interchange. The<br />
last section of the Don Valley Parkway built by Metro from Highway 401 to Sheppard Avenue was opened<br />
in the Spring of 1967, continuing north as Woodbine Avenue. The total cost of construction of the Parkway<br />
was $46.5 million. Metro also secured the right-of-way along Woodbine Avenue to eventually extend the<br />
Parkway north from Sheppard Avenue to the northern Metropolitan boundary at Steeles Avenue.<br />
16
17
18
DON VALLEY PARKWAY UNDER<br />
CONSTRUCTION AT POTTERY ROAD IN 1959<br />
DON VALLEY PARKWAY SOUTH OF<br />
LAWRENCE AVENUE EAST IN 1964<br />
DON VALLEY LOOKING NORTH FROM<br />
LAWRENCE AVENUE EAST IN 1969<br />
DON VALLEY PARKWAY EXTENSION<br />
Metro intended to eventually extend the Don Valley Parkway north to Steeles Avenue, the northern<br />
Metropolitan boundary. It would then be extended further north to Newmarket as a new Provincial Highway<br />
404. However, these plans were considered not yet needed in 1967 and were put off for the future. Metro<br />
stated that the Parkway went far enough north for its needs for now, but continued to hold lands along<br />
Woodbine Avenue from Sheppard Avenue to Steeles Avenue to eventually extend the Parkway north. This<br />
extension would ultimately be taken over by the Province as it would form part of a new Provincial highway<br />
going north to Newmarket, however this was not constructed until 1977.<br />
THE SPADINA (ALLEN) EXPRESSWAY<br />
With the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and the Don Valley Parkway proceeding as planned in the early 1960's,<br />
Metro began to plan for its next expressway link. This would be the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> which would run<br />
from Wilson Avenue, north of Highway 401, south to join Spadina Avenue at Harbord Street south of Bloor<br />
Street in downtown Toronto. It was this expressway that would bring the first signs of major controversy.<br />
Unlike the Gardiner and Parkway, the Spadina would involve much land acquisition and the demolition of<br />
many homes. Only north of Lawrence Avenue could be built easily since that section would be through<br />
open space. Opposition to the expressway already existed at the south end of the proposed route from areas<br />
such as Forest Hill and the Annex. Rosedale residents were already organized to oppose the Crosstown<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> to eventually be built at the Spadina's south end. However, North York endorsed the Spadina<br />
and the builders of the Yorkdale Shopping Plaza insisted that the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> must go through or<br />
there would be no plaza built. Therefore, opponents and supporters of the Spadina were of equal numbers at<br />
opposite ends of the route. Metro felt that the Yorkdale Plaza was very much needed, so therefore, the<br />
expressway would have to be built. Much debate over the route engulfed Metro Council in 1961 and it was<br />
decided to compromise for the time being and just build the first section from Wilson Avenue to Lawrence<br />
Avenue in order to satisfy the builders of Yorkdale. The short 3 km (2 mile) first section was nicknamed<br />
"the Baby <strong>Expressway</strong>" due to its short length. By 1962, the expressway route was approved, only now it<br />
would also provide for a subway line to be built in the expressway's median. Construction began on the first<br />
phase from Wilson Heights Boulevard, north of Highway 401, south to Lawrence Avenue in January 1963.<br />
The Province would construct the interchange with Highway 401 which would also connect to Yorkdale.<br />
This would be built with the reconstruction of Highway 401 from a four lane to a twelve lane highway. Four<br />
lanes of the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> were opened to traffic from Lawrence Avenue to Yorkdale Road in 1964<br />
to provide access to the new Yorkdale Plaza which had just opened. The full six lane section from Wilson<br />
Heights Boulevard to Lawrence Avenue, including the Highway 401 interchange, opened in December<br />
1966. Allowance for a future subway was made in the expressway's median strip. The Province retained<br />
control of the 401-Spadina-Yorkdale interchange, including the piece of the Spadina through the<br />
interchange. In 1967, Metro gave approval for plans to be drawn up for the rest of the expressway from<br />
19
Lawrence Avenue south into downtown Toronto. The route would curve south-easterly through the<br />
Cedarvale Ravine and go south on Spadina Road to south of Bloor Street. Spadina Avenue would then be<br />
widened south to the Lake Shore. The route would tunnel under Cedarvale Ravine and Casa Loma north of<br />
Davenport Road. This would push up the cost of the expressway. The Spadina would also eventually be<br />
extended north through Downsview Airport to Dufferin Street at Sheppard Avenue. Dufferin Street would<br />
then be widened north to Highway 7. The completion date for the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> was set at 1975. This<br />
would be followed by construction of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> Extension after 1975.<br />
The next section of the expressway south from Lawrence Avenue to Eglinton Avenue was cleared of homes<br />
and a huge ditch was dug for the expressway structure. Overpasses were built and grading was done. By<br />
1969, this section was ready for pavement. Also in 1969, Metro decided to rename the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
as the William R. Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>, after Metro's second chairman, who was about to retire. In that year,<br />
Phillips Electronics offered to install new lighting on the existing section of the expressway as an<br />
experiment. Metro had used white fluorescent lamps on 10 metre (30 foot) poles on all of its expressways,<br />
but Phillips offered to install new yellow-orange low pressure sodium lamps, which were more efficient, on<br />
the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>. If Metro liked the new lights, they could purchase them and keep them permanently.<br />
The low pressure sodium lights were installed just on the expressway, not on the ramps where fluorescent<br />
lamps were retained, from Wilson Avenue to Lawrence Avenue. In 1970, Metro decided to purchase the<br />
new lights as they were happy with their performance. In 1975, Metro installed low pressure sodium lights<br />
on existing poles on the Don Valley, the Gardiner and the Allen ramps. The Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> was now<br />
to be known as the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> and the estimated cost of the expressway was $73 Million. However,<br />
by 1969, the cost of the expressway had escalated to $129 Million and Metro needed to borrow more funds<br />
to complete it. Most of the original funding had been spent on the first section to Lawrence Avenue and the<br />
construction work on the still incomplete section to Eglinton Avenue. Between Lawrence and Eglinton<br />
Avenues, many homes had been demolished, two whole streets had to be removed and a park split in two.<br />
The beautiful Cedarvale Ravine and Annex homes further south faced the oncoming expressway and this<br />
was not acceptable to many people. Opposition to the expressway began to get organized and the Allen<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> was made the main issue of the November 1969 municipal election. Municipal reformers, such<br />
as Colin Vaughan and John Sewell, who favoured public transit over expressways, were elected. The future<br />
of the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>, and even the whole proposed expressway system, was now in question. Metro<br />
responded to the concerns of the citizen groups by ordering a halt to further construction on the Allen in<br />
September 1969, before paving the section from Lawrence to Eglinton. The Ontario Municipal Board would
PLANS FOR THE SPADINA EXPRESSWAY SOUTH FROM LAWRENCE AVENUE WEST<br />
INTO DOWNTOWN TORONTO<br />
LAWRENCE AVE. W.<br />
EGLINTON AVE. W.<br />
THE COMPLETED SPADINA (ALLEN) EXPRESSWAY NORTH<br />
FROM LAWRENCE AVENUE WEST IN 1969<br />
BATHURST ST.<br />
ST. CLAIR AVE. W.<br />
SPADINA RD.<br />
DUPONT ST.<br />
CONSTRUCTION OF THE SPADINA EXPRESSWAY SOUTH<br />
FROM LAWRENCE AVENUE WEST IN 1965 AND 1968<br />
BLOOR ST. W.<br />
SPADINA AVE.<br />
COLLEGE ST.<br />
THE CEDARVALE RAVINE BETWEEN EGLINTON AND ST.<br />
CLAIR AVENUES. THE SPADINA EXPRESSWAY WAS<br />
PLANNED TO BE BUILT THROUGH IT<br />
21
THE SCARBOROUGH EXPRESSWAY (GARDINER EXTENSION)<br />
Functional plans for the six lane eastern extension of the F.G. Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> were completed in<br />
1965, and Metro Council approved the first section from Leslie Street to Birchmount Road in 1967. It was<br />
to be constructed simultaneously with the rest of the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> after 1969. However, after much<br />
debate, work on the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> was delayed due to budget restraints. It was now scheduled to<br />
begin in 1975 after completion of the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> was anticipated with a completion date set at 1985.<br />
The Scarborough route would continue east from the end of the Gardiner at Leslie Street on an elevated<br />
structure to Coxwell Avenue, where it would swing north and descend on to the surface. It would go north,<br />
on the east side of Coxwell Avenue, to the main C.N.R. railway line north of Gerrard Street East. The<br />
expressway would then turn east and follow the railway tracks to Birchmount Road, with the eastbound<br />
lanes on the south side of the tracks and the westbound lanes on the north side. In a second stage, it would<br />
continue east along the railway tracks to just east of Manse Road, near Morningside Avenue, where it would<br />
22
THE CROSSTOWN EXPRESSWAY<br />
The Crosstown, 400 Extension, Richview and Don Valley Extension routes were only in the initial planning<br />
stage as they were proposed for long term construction, to start at least by 1985. The six lane Crosstown<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> would form the north end of the proposed inner ring of expressways. The first piece was<br />
actually built from the Don Valley Parkway to Bayview Avenue as a ramp to Bloor Street. It was proposed<br />
to continue west through the Park Drive Reservation ravine in Rosedale and then parallel the C.N./C.P.<br />
railway line north of Davenport Road west to join the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> at Spadina Road and join the<br />
Highway 400 Extension west of Bathurst Street. Some preliminary plans were drawn up in 1961 and revised<br />
in 1968, but no lands were yet acquired for the route. Much opposition to the Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong>,<br />
particularly from Rosedale residents, existed, and some Metro planners even doubted the usefulness of the<br />
route because of its short length. In the final 1966 plan, a footnote stated the Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong>, along<br />
with the Queen Street Subway, may not be needed, since they were in close proximity to other existing<br />
major routes. The Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong> would be near the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and the Queen Street<br />
Subway would be near the Bloor-Danforth Subway line. Many people began to feel that the Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> and Highway 401 could deem the short Crosstown route unnecessary.<br />
THE BAYVIEW-BLOOR OFF-RAMPS FROM THE DON VALLEY<br />
PARKWAY. THESE WERE MEANT TO BE THE FIRST SECTION<br />
OF THE CROSSTOWN EXPRESSWAY<br />
23<br />
THE PARK DRIVE RESERVATION RAVINE IN ROSEDALE.<br />
THE CROSSTOWN EXPRESSWAY WOULD HAVE CONTINUED<br />
WEST THROUGH HERE
THE HIGHWAY 400 EXTENSION<br />
This six lane route would cut in from the northwest on an angle as the western leg of the inner ring road and<br />
was proposed in two parts. The section from Highway 401 to Eglinton Avenue would be a Provincial<br />
responsibility and from Eglinton Avenue south to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> would belong to Metro. By<br />
1966, the Province had actually constructed the first piece from Highway 401 swinging south-easterly to<br />
Jane Street and had acquired all the necessary lands from there south to Eglinton Avenue through the Black<br />
Creek valley. The Highway 400 Extension had been thought of in the late 1940's before Metro was created.<br />
It was then planned for the Province to build their section down to the City of Toronto boundary line south<br />
of Eglinton Avenue West. Therefore, after the creation of Metro in 1953, the Province had already secured<br />
the route down to Eglinton, since it was mostly open farmland and valley lands. The Provincial section was<br />
on the long term construction schedule and reflected property ownership rather than construction intent. The<br />
Metro section would continue south of Eglinton Avenue. It was proposed for the Metro section of the route<br />
to follow the main northwest C.N./C.P. railway line east of Keele Street to near Davenport Road and then<br />
swing east to near Bathurst Street to join the proposed Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong>. The final leg of the Highway<br />
400 Extension, known as the Christie-Clinton route, would continue south to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, west<br />
of Bathurst Street. where the Gardiner structure was prepared for an eventual interchange. The exact route<br />
of the Metro section of the extension was not yet determined, so no lands were yet acquired. Two other<br />
ideas were considered for the Metro section of the extension as less damaging alternatives. One was a much<br />
shorter route, known as the Parkside alignment, which would continue south on Keele Street and Parkside<br />
Drive directly south to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. The other, known as the Allendale alignment, would<br />
continue the route south along the C.N./C.P. railway line to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> west of Strachan<br />
Avenue near the C.N.E. grounds. Only preliminary plans were drawn up and no specific route was yet<br />
agreed upon. The original Christie-Clinton alignment was shown in the 1966 Metro Plan.<br />
HIGHWAY 400 TERMINUS<br />
AT HIGHWAY 401 IN 1953.<br />
THE HIGHWAY 400 EXTENSION BUILT<br />
SOUTHEASTERLY TO JANE STREET IN 1966<br />
WIDE LANES ON THE GARDINER EXPRESSWAY AT STRACHAN AVENUE<br />
PREPARED FOR RAMPS TO A FUTURE HIGHWAY 400 EXTENSION<br />
24
THE RICHVIEW EXPRESSWAY<br />
The last proposed Metro expressway was the Richview route and it was planned to run along Richview Side<br />
Road, later known as Eglinton Avenue, from the Highway 400 Extension, across Etobicoke, to join<br />
Highway 27 (later 427) and connect to a proposed eastern continuation of Highway 403 coming northeast<br />
from Hamilton. The route crossed open space and Metro acquired all of the lands necessary cheaply and<br />
secured an open corridor for the expressway. By 1969, the land acquisition was completed within Etobicoke<br />
and preliminary plans were prepared. It would be a ten lane route, including a four lane Eglinton Avenue<br />
and a six lane Richview <strong>Expressway</strong> combined together. However, being such a low priority, construction<br />
was at least twenty years off after 1970. The battle brewing against the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> began to be<br />
heard even on the Richview route as residents began to oppose the acquisition of the last pieces of land<br />
necessary for it. The anti-expressway fervour was sweeping the entire Metro area.<br />
RICHVIEW EXPRESSWAY LANDS LOOKING EAST<br />
AT MARTIN GROVE ROAD<br />
25<br />
RICHVIEW EXPRESSWAY LANDS LOOKING WEST<br />
AT KIPLING AVENUE
26
4. REVOLT AGAINST EXPRESSWAYS 1969 - 1975<br />
CANCELLATION OF SPADINA EXPRESSWAY CONSTRUCTION<br />
The cost of the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong>, (officially W.R. Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> as of October 1969), was estimated<br />
at $73 million, but most of this had been spent when construction got only as far as Eglinton Avenue. By<br />
1969, Metro needed to reassess the cost of the expressway and borrow more funds to complete it. Therefore,<br />
Metro would have to apply to the Ontario Municipal Board, a Provincial body which approved funding for<br />
Municipal projects, to get permission to borrow the funds needed to complete the project. At this point,<br />
opponents of the expressway who were still determined to stop the Spadina were getting organized. They<br />
were not happy about the number of homes to be taken for the route and the increasing cost of the<br />
expressway. They founded the ‘Stop Spadina And Save Our City’ group (SSSOC) to raise funds for their<br />
cause and to protest. This group was led by urban sociologist Jane Jacobs, author of "Death and Life of<br />
Great American Cities", and urban activists David and Nadine Nowlan. They believed a yet unproven<br />
notion that the centres of American cities had decayed due to the existence of expressways, and they did not<br />
want this to happen to Toronto. They were also caught up in the fervour of the anti-Vietnam war protests of<br />
the time. The Stop Spadina group decided to take this opportunity to force the Board to order a review of the<br />
route before allowing any more funding to be spent on it.<br />
In September 1969, Metro stopped all work on the expressway and conducted a review of the route. By<br />
then, the expressway was completed north from Lawrence Avenue and unfinished between Lawrence and<br />
Eglinton Avenues. In 1970, the results of the review recommended the completion of the expressway and<br />
the tunnel under the Cedarvale ravine. Metro then went to the Ontario Municipal Board to ask for the<br />
funding to complete the project. In a 2 to 1 decision, approval was then given. Stop Spadina people looked<br />
for another course of action to prevent this. Their lawyers advised them that Ontario Municipal Board<br />
decisions could be appealed to the Ontario Cabinet. However, Metro was eager to restart construction of the<br />
expressway, but agreed to wait until after this appeal and for the Cabinet to make a final decision. The<br />
expressway was now falling behind schedule and its completion date was set back from 1975 to 1977.<br />
Meanwhile, unemployed construction workers demonstrated at Toronto City Hall for construction of the<br />
expressway in order to get jobs. Metro also put land acquisitions for the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> on hold<br />
depending on the future of the Spadina. This was left to the Ontario Municipal Board to handle. In 1971,<br />
Ontario Premier John Robarts retired and William Davis took over the Premiership. He agreed to hear the<br />
appeal and would make a final decision on the matter that would settle it permanently before the Provincial<br />
election planned for October of that year. Both Metro and the Stop Spadina group could not anticipate how<br />
the decision would go.<br />
On June 2, 1971, Premier William Davis stood up in the Provincial Legislature and announced that he had<br />
reached a decision which would be final and could not be appealed. He agreed with the Stop Spadina group,<br />
so therefore the expressway would be stopped at Lawrence Avenue. His famous statement was that "Cities<br />
were built for people and not cars. If we were building a transportation system for the automobile, the<br />
Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> would be a good place to start, but if we are going to build a transportation system for<br />
people, the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> is a good place to stop". The Premier approved the construction of the<br />
Spadina subway line, which would be completed into downtown Toronto with 75% Provincial funding. It<br />
would have parking garages at Wilson, Yorkdale, Lawrence, Glencairn and Eglinton stations. <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
opponents had argued that the City should promote public transit instead of roads in order to reduce car use<br />
to save neighbourhoods and reduce pollution. The Spadina cancellation helped to elect David Crombie, one<br />
of these pro-transit urban reformers, as Mayor of the City of Toronto in 1972, along with a number of<br />
27
eformer Councillors elected in the downtown core. This provided the political strength to put these policies<br />
into practice.<br />
Metro was infuriated over the Provincial decision on Spadina. They felt that they had been betrayed and<br />
were even considering suing the Province for breach of the 1963 contract to build the expressway. However,<br />
this did not happen. Metro was now left with a partially-built expressway which went nowhere. A 3 km (2<br />
mile) completed section of the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> north from Lawrence Avenue which was so short that it<br />
did not serve a major purpose, and an incomplete 2 km (1 1/4 mile) section south from Lawrence to<br />
Eglinton that people nicknamed the "Spadina Ditch" or the "Davis Ditch" as a joke about the Premier who<br />
had stopped it. It was all prepared with overpasses and space for ramps, but it was not paved. Many<br />
suggestions were made as to what to do with this site. They included housing, an arterial street, a park or a<br />
parking garage for the subway. Urban designer Buckminster Fuller was commissioned to come up with a<br />
development for the ditch site. He prepared an elaborate plan for shops and residential units. However,<br />
nothing ever came of these plans and the ditch sat empty for several years, except for snow collected from<br />
streets, which was dumped there in the winters. In 1972, Metro carried out a study of feasible uses for the<br />
Spadina Ditch. In addition to the approved subway line, they included an arterial roadway to Eglinton<br />
Avenue, a parking garage, or possibly closing the completed Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> south of Highway 401. The<br />
idea of closing the expressway was rejected as not feasible from a traffic point of view and would reduce<br />
access to the Yorkdale Plaza. The report finally recommended that the Spadina Ditch be completed as a four<br />
lane arterial road from the south end of the completed expressway at Lawrence Avenue south to Eglinton<br />
Avenue. It also recommended that parking garages be built at the proposed Lawrence, Glencairn and<br />
Eglinton subway stations. Metro Council approved the arterial road recommendation only. Some councillors<br />
even wanted to call it Wilson Heights Boulevard, as it was directly south of the existing Wilson Heights<br />
Boulevard. However, the arterial recommendation was rejected by the Province, which saw it as a<br />
southward extension of the expressway, which they had prevented. All ideas for feasible uses of the Spadina<br />
Ditch were rejected as not workable, so the site would remain empty for now. The expressway was stopped<br />
from going south, but a northern extension was still possible, depending on the future of the Downsview<br />
Airport. Without the rest of the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> into downtown, Metro felt that the proposed Crosstown<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> would no longer be needed, so it was scrapped, eliminating the downtown portion of the<br />
proposed expressway system. In 1973, Metro considered reserving two lanes on all three of its expressways<br />
for express buses and car pools. It also considered paving two lanes along the Spadina Ditch also for this<br />
purpose. However, this plan went nowhere due to disagreement among Metro politicians.<br />
Supporters of the Spadina were not going to give up. They formed a group known as ‘Go Spadina’ and<br />
fought for completion of the route. Local resident Esther Shiner led them. They placed their emphasis on<br />
traffic congestion on their local streets caused by the abrupt end of the completed Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> at<br />
Lawrence Avenue. They knew that they had an uphill battle to convince Provincial politicians to change<br />
their minds, but they were determined to do it. The political situation had made it difficult for Metro to build<br />
other expressways in the same area as the Spadina, so Metro turned its attention to building an eastern<br />
extension of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. A Metropolitan Toronto Transportation Plan Review was set up in<br />
1972 to draw up a new Metro transportation plan in the wake of the Spadina cancellation. Construction of<br />
the Spadina subway in the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>'s median began in 1974.<br />
With the cancellation of the rest of the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> south of Lawrence Avenue, Metro planners<br />
decided to continue on with the rest of the proposed municipal expressway system by proceeding with the<br />
Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> or F.G. Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> Extension to the east, which was brought forward<br />
in 1972. However, this was to face similar public disapproval. The Province continued to hold on to lands<br />
for an extension of Highway 400 south to Eglinton Avenue.<br />
28
REALIGNMENT OF THE SCARBOROUGH EXPRESSWAY<br />
The Frederick G. Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> extension, commonly known as the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>, was<br />
scheduled to be built after the completion of the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> some time in the late 1970's. However,<br />
with the cancellation of the construction of the rest of the Allen, the Scarborough route was brought forward<br />
in 1971. Even though the Ontario Municipal Board had halted all further land acquisitions along the route,<br />
pending the outcome of the Spadina situation, they also stated that Metro had the right to appeal and to<br />
reopen the Gardiner extension issue at any time. Metro was ready to proceed with the extension in 1972,<br />
when it announced construction of the elevated first section from Leslie Street to Coxwell Avenue, which<br />
would be aided by Federal Government funding. The next section would immediately follow this to<br />
Woodbine Avenue and then the stretch to Birchmount Road in Scarborough. However, Metro was to face<br />
fierce opposition again, as Beach area residents, in the City's east end, began to organize to oppose this route<br />
because 1,200 homes would have to be demolished and the route would take out a ravine. Most of the<br />
homes required were for the interchanges, and not for the road itself. Metro was about to face another major<br />
expressway battle like Spadina, so it ordered a review of the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>, delaying<br />
construction until 1974. It would be completed to Birchmount Road by 1981 and to Highway 401 by 1985.<br />
In 1973, engineers came up with a new design, which was very environmentally sound. It realigned the<br />
whole extension in a deep ditch entirely along the south side of the C.N.R. railway tracks, keeping it away<br />
from neighbourhoods. New parks would then be decked over the route. Interchanges would be stacked over<br />
the expressway, looking like standard intersections, requiring very few properties for ramps. A great deal of<br />
landscaping would be done and bicycle paths would be included. The extension would now swing off the<br />
existing Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, just east of the Don Valley Parkway, and continue east alongside the railway<br />
line, completely below grade. This meant that the elevated section of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> from the<br />
Don Valley Parkway to Leslie Street would not be used as part of the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>. This new<br />
route would keep the extension within the railway corridor and eliminate the north to south section of the<br />
original plan east of Coxwell Avenue, which would have taken out the most number of homes. This new<br />
plan would hopefully answer the concerns of the Beach area residents by rerouting the extension around<br />
their neighbourhoods in an existing transportation corridor. East of Markham Road, two alternate routes<br />
were offered. The Kingston Road alignment proceeded east under Kingston Road to Highway 2A, which<br />
would be more direct and would not require any homes, so it was the preferred choice. The Manse Road<br />
alignment followed the originally planned route to east of Morningside Avenue swinging north to Highway<br />
2A. The new alignment only required 650 homes, while the old one took out 1,200. Metro Chairman Paul<br />
Godfrey wanted to start construction of the first half of the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> to Birchmount Road<br />
by March 1974. If the new alignment was approved, Metro would then appeal to the Ontario Municipal<br />
Board to acquire the remaining lands needed and start construction. However, despite these improvements<br />
to the expressway design as an attempt by Metro to not repeat the Spadina experience and to accommodate<br />
residential concerns, Beach area residents were not impressed and formed a group called ForWard 9, led by<br />
then City councillor Dorothy Thomas, to push their opposition to the expressway. They even threatened to<br />
go to Premier Davis and ask him to cancel the route as he had done with the Spadina. However, a survey of<br />
residents along the route showed that they were quite willing to sell their properties to make way for the<br />
expressway. Metro insisted that the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> was still needed, to link downtown with a<br />
proposed airport in Pickering, east of Metro, and to a proposed new Provincial highway, the East Metro<br />
Freeway, extending north in north-eastern Scarborough.<br />
Other ideas for rerouting the expressway in order to minimize and possibly eliminate demolition of houses<br />
and neighbourhood disruption were looked at. One idea would be to run the expressway entirely under<br />
Kingston Road in a two-tiered tunnel. This would be very expensive and would be difficult for ramps and<br />
30
ventilation. Another idea would be to route the expressway west of Victoria Park Avenue under Taylor<br />
Creek in East York and down the Don Valley Parkway by either widening the Parkway or by decking over<br />
it, thus bypassing the Beach area by swinging around it to the north. This would eliminate all demolition<br />
requirements within the City of Toronto. The route under Taylor Creek could also connect to a Crosstown<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> going west from the Don Valley Parkway, as was considered in the 1950's, since the<br />
Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> would be a logical eastern extension of a Crosstown route. However, Metro was<br />
not going to proceed with any Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong> since the cancellation of the Spadina in 1971. The<br />
Scarborough route was meant to be an eastern extension of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> adjacent to the Lake<br />
Shore. The Taylor Creek option would result in a longer route and would be very expensive.<br />
Neighbourhoods clearly would not appreciate disruption of the beautiful Taylor Creek ravine during<br />
construction. While looked at, these other options were deemed impractical and were not seriously<br />
considered. Metro preferred the proposed route along the railway.<br />
Another option would be to build a lakefront causeway. This would take the expressway away from<br />
neighbourhoods completely and result in no disruption at all. Norman D. Wilson proposed the first idea for<br />
a lake route in 1954. Originally conceived in 1923, the plan would construct a road along 100 metres (300<br />
feet) of landfill placed along the base of the Scarborough Bluffs from the end of Queen Street in the Beach<br />
area to Highland Creek. This idea was rejected in 1957 in favour of the proposed Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
along the C.N.R. railway line due to difficult lake construction and dangerous bluffs erosion. More recent<br />
ideas included a landfill causeway which would stretch around the Toronto waterfront from Highway 427 in<br />
the west to Highway 401 in the east. This has been the concept of a gentleman named Abel Van Wyk, who<br />
lives in eastern Scarborough. He had been promoting his idea since 1959; he wanted to convince Metro to<br />
build it instead of the Gardiner and Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>s. Mr. Van Wyk actively campaigned against<br />
the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> in the early 1970's in order to promote his causeway proposal as an alternative.<br />
His plan would be paid for by the construction of a new City on landfill off the Scarborough Bluffs, known<br />
as "Bluffs City". This would be sold and the profits would pay for the road project. The route would be<br />
tunnelled through Toronto harbour, but for the rest of it, the route would be a surface road surrounded by<br />
new waterfront marine parks reclaimed from the lake. This idea would involve the use of considerable<br />
landfill either dumped in the lake from subway excavation or from lake-dredging. Metro officials never took<br />
the concept seriously, but Mr. Van Wyk persisted in promoting it. Another idea, promoted by two engineers,<br />
John Kipping and Edward Perkins, in the early 1970's, was to build a smaller landfill causeway, about 1<br />
mile (1.5 km) offshore which would contain some bridges and some floating sections. It would only stretch<br />
around Scarborough, joining the east end of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> with Highway 401. However, Metro<br />
officials scoffed at this plan because they insisted that it did not provide the access to local roads that the<br />
proposed Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> would have. Metro did not pursue this idea because it was considered to<br />
be just a through route with very little access. It would be very expensive, had severe environmental impacts<br />
and did not have much public support.<br />
The six month review of the proposed Scarborough route carried out by the Metropolitan Toronto<br />
Transportation Plan Review, a review set up after the Spadina cancellation to revise the Official Plan, would<br />
hold public meetings and would present its recommendations on the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> by March<br />
1974, when construction was expected to start on the route.<br />
31
32
33
SHELVING OF THE SCARBOROUGH EXPRESSWAY<br />
In 1973, the new design for the Gardiner Extension was now completely ready and Metro ordered a six<br />
month detailed study by the Transportation Plan Review group to determine the need for the Scarborough<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> in response to the neighbourhood opposition to the route. The study would be reported to Metro<br />
Council by March 1974. Public meetings were held along the entire Scarborough route from Riverdale to<br />
West Hill. Finally in March 1974, the transportation plan review presented its findings on the Scarborough<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong>. It stated that there was little need for the expressway and that public transit alternatives should<br />
be looked at. The report also mentioned that the Don Valley Parkway and 401 east route could handle the<br />
through traffic. However, the report stated that if transit alternatives to the expressway were not pursued,<br />
34
then a road would be needed in the future. The proposed Pickering Airport was shelved in 1974, so that<br />
reduced the need for an expressway link from downtown Toronto to the east. Scarborough, however,<br />
endorsed construction of the Gardiner Extension and passed a resolution asking Metro to build it, along the<br />
new recommended alignment. Lands along the originally-approved 1967 route would be sold off. Metro<br />
accepted the Plan Review study report and did not proceed with the Gardiner Extension, shelving it instead.<br />
However, it agreed to continue to hold on to lands along the 1973 route as an undefined transportation<br />
corridor for future transportation needs. A rapid transit line was built across Scarborough from the east end<br />
of the Bloor-Danforth subway north of the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> route, but a transit line in the<br />
expressway route itself, as the plan review had recommended, did not materialize. The expressway corridor<br />
would remain vacant for another twenty years, and would also remain a source of controversy.<br />
THE DON VALLEY PARKWAY EXTENSION GOES TO THE PROVINCE<br />
Metro had acquired all of the lands necessary to extend the Don Valley Parkway north from Sheppard<br />
Avenue to Steeles Avenue, where it would then be extended further north to Newmarket by the Province as<br />
a new Highway 404. This had been a low priority on Metro's expressway construction agenda, but was<br />
reconsidered in 1973, as the Province wanted to construct Highway 404. In 1973, the Province announced<br />
that they would take over the entire Don Valley extension and construct it as a four lane arterial highway to<br />
Steeles Avenue and then as a two lane arterial highway north to Newmarket. Immediately, opponents of the<br />
Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> who had successfully stopped that route, argued against the Don Valley extension.<br />
They suggested express bus lanes instead as they warned that the extension would just bring more cars<br />
downtown. The Province already owned the 401-Don Valley Parkway interchange, so they were determined<br />
to connect the future 404 to it. They requested that Metro transfer the north end of the Parkway from 401 to<br />
Sheppard Avenue to the Province and that Metro sell their Don Valley lands north of Sheppard Avenue to<br />
the Province also. Thus, the new Highway 404 could connect to Highway 401, keeping the Provincial<br />
highways as a consistent system. In 1974, Metro agreed to the Province's request and the lands were sold for<br />
a nominal sum. This also rid Metro of any protests against the route as it would become a Provincial<br />
responsibility. Metro also transferred the completed part of the Don Valley Parkway from Highway 401 to<br />
Sheppard Avenue to the Province to become part of Highway 404. Once the transfer of lands was<br />
completed, the Province announced that they had rethought the Highway 404 proposal and it would now be<br />
a six lane expressway from Highway 401 to Steeles Avenue and a four lane highway from Steeles Avenue<br />
north to Newmarket. Construction of Highway 404 started in 1974 and the first section opened in 1977.<br />
THE HIGHWAY 400 EXTENSION UNDER CONSIDERATION<br />
The remainder of the proposed Metropolitan expressway system had contained three routes in the northwest.<br />
These were the Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong>, the Highway 400 Extension and the Richview <strong>Expressway</strong>. After<br />
the cancellation of construction of the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>, these routes went into abeyance and were<br />
reviewed, along with the Scarborough route, by the Transportation Plan Review group in 1973 and 1974.<br />
Metro Council scrapped the Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong> as it would pass through the area where the Spadina<br />
would have been built and where opposition to expressways was the highest. The Richview <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
was not considered very necessary and was redesignated as an undefined Eglinton Transportation Corridor<br />
for any possible future transportation purposes. Only the Highway 400 Extension was still seriously<br />
considered by Metro as a possibility, which could still be built. This would become an issue when the final<br />
plan review report was published in 1975. The Province still intended to eventually extend Highway 400<br />
south to Eglinton Avenue. This and the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> were considered to be the only new<br />
expressways to be built south of Highway 401 after 1973. Metro then began to consider possibly building<br />
35
the 400 Extension to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, and by 1975, it was the only proposed Metro expressway in<br />
which no decision had been taken, after the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> had been shelved the year before.<br />
After the cancellation of construction of the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> in 1971, then Metro Chairman Albert<br />
Campbell predicted that Metro Toronto would never build another expressway. History was to prove him to<br />
be correct. From this point on, highways transferred from the Provincial Government to Metro Toronto<br />
would be the only subsequent additions to the municipal expressway system in Toronto, except for a short<br />
extension of the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>. Metro would now concentrate its efforts on expanding the public transit<br />
system with the construction of the Spadina Subway, extensions of the Bloor-Danforth Subway, a Sheppard<br />
Subway, Scarborough Rapid Transit, Harbourfront, Spadina and St. Clair Streetcar Light Rapid Transit<br />
Lines. A Queen Street Subway was shelved in 1974 as unnecessary, in favour of routes further north. An<br />
Eglinton Subway was started, but stopped in 1995 due to funding difficulties.<br />
36
5. A BRIEF REVIVAL OF EXPRESSWAYS 1975 – 1980<br />
THE ALLEN ROAD<br />
In 1972, Metro approved a plan to pave the Spadina Ditch as a four lane arterial roadway to Eglinton<br />
Avenue. However, it took another three years for the Province to agree. By then, the leader of the Go<br />
Spadina group, Esther Shiner, had been elected to North York Council and had gained the support of that<br />
Council for the completion of the expressway further south. By 1975, another Provincial election was<br />
called, and the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> would be made an issue again. In that year, the Transportation Plan<br />
Review group presented its final report, called "Choices For The Future", in which it published its<br />
recommendations. Seven alternate plans were offered. Five contained no new expressway development, one<br />
contained new expressways only in the northwest, and one retained the original system approved in 1966.<br />
The report stated that there was a severe deficiency of roads in Metro's northwest. It stated that if Metro<br />
wanted a new expressway in the northwest, the Highway 400 Extension to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, or at<br />
least to St. Clair Avenue (the only proposed Metro expressway where no decision had yet been taken)<br />
would do a better job than completion of the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> because it was further west and did not<br />
penetrate downtown Toronto. Therefore, the 400 Extension, possibly with the Richview <strong>Expressway</strong> as a<br />
westerly arm of it, could be given serious consideration. The report recommended that Metro do a detailed<br />
study of the 400 Extension. However, the report also stated that it was not necessarily the best option and<br />
that northwest traffic was not downtown oriented. Due to opposition to expressways, particularly in the<br />
northwest, the report also recommended, as an alternative, that serious consideration should be given to<br />
paving the Spadina Ditch as a four lane arterial road from Lawrence Avenue to Eglinton Avenue, with<br />
single lane ramps at Eglinton. Additionally, Highway 400 could also be extended as a four lane arterial road<br />
south along the Provincially-protected right of way and further to St. Clair Avenue, where existing streets<br />
would connect it to the Lake Shore. It also suggested extending the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> north to the proposed<br />
Highway 407, north of Metro, making use of the Allen as a northern route. Dr. Richard Soberman, head of<br />
the plan review group, stated that while he understood the environmental concerns of the anti-expressway<br />
groups, he also believed that traffic congestion on expressways proved for some people that expressways<br />
work better than other forms of transportation. This is because the expressway is being heavily used and<br />
drivers tolerate that congestion. Even though Dr. Soberman's report recommended more road improvements<br />
in Metro's northwest, it also confirmed its 1974 recommendation against construction of the Scarborough<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> in the east, which was seen as unnecessary at that time.<br />
Both sides of the Spadina battle lined up to debate these recommendations. However, this time, the City of<br />
Toronto sided with the anti-expressway forces against any road improvements as sympathizers of this<br />
opinion had been elected to Toronto City Council. Nevertheless, Metro, which was considering the 400<br />
Extension at that time, but reluctant to face another northwest expressway battle, eagerly passed the Spadina<br />
and 400 Extension arterial roads recommendation which it saw as a good compromise, as in 1972. Dr.<br />
Soberman, however, was less enthusiastic about the proposal. He stated that he wanted Metro to choose a<br />
transportation system and policies before proceeding with any specific plans. He felt that Metro was just<br />
lifting a suggested option out of his report without choosing policies first. However, Metro had chosen Plan<br />
Number One, which eliminated the proposed Metro expressways south of Highway 401 and included new<br />
cross-town transit lines. This plan was not inconsistent with the recommended road improvements in the<br />
northwest. Metro wanted to proceed with the new arterials because it agreed that roads were needed in the<br />
northwest and that to pursue a 400 Extension as an expressway would be futile due to massive opposition<br />
that would occur, similar to the Spadina battle. The Go Spadina group also argued strongly for the new<br />
roadways. Anti-road activists saw this plan as a betrayal of the 1971 agreement to stop the Spadina and<br />
appealed to Premier Davis to stick to his 1971 statement that the expressway would not go through.<br />
37
However, the Premier was convinced that this was to be an arterial road and not an expressway, so to the<br />
delight of Go Spadina, he approved the plan. The Premier had great respect for Dr. Soberman and accepted<br />
his suggestions openly. The Premier was not allowing the extension of the expressway, but allowing the<br />
construction of a new and smaller road, something different. The Premier also promised to keep to his<br />
earlier conviction that the Spadina would not be extended into the downtown area. Dufferin Street, north of<br />
Sheppard Avenue, would be widened and connected to the north end of the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>, as a northern<br />
arterial extension of the Allen. This would be done instead of extending the expressway north to the future<br />
407 because land acquisition for it would be difficult north of Sheppard Avenue. Construction of the new<br />
arterial roads would be very easy since no land expropriation had to take place. They would be built across<br />
open space rights-of-way that already existed and were in public ownership. The Spadina Ditch was an<br />
existing grade-separated expressway structure, with provision for ramps at both Lawrence and Eglinton. The<br />
northern extension would be built across the Downsview Airport, requiring only the shortening of a runway.<br />
The 400 Extension would be constructed in an open right-of-way already owned by the Province. There<br />
should be no major opposition to these projects in their immediate vicinities and costs would be low due to<br />
no land having to be acquired. This was much easier than the expropriation Metro had had to carry out<br />
previously for the Spadina and Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>s.<br />
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In July 1976, the Allen arterial road was opened from Lawrence Avenue to Eglinton Avenue after paving<br />
the existing structure. The new arterial road was constructed in the original expressway structure, so it<br />
was completely grade-separated. It included double lane ramps which came to a T-junction at Eglinton<br />
Avenue. No lighting had been installed on this new road because Metro could not decide whether it<br />
qualified for expressway lighting or just regular street lighting. In 1978, the speed limit on this section<br />
was raised to the same as that on the six lane expressway section north of Lawrence Avenue, and low<br />
pressure sodium expressway lighting, the same as that on the expressway, was installed. This was the<br />
only initial installment of low pressure sodium lighting that had not been converted from fluorescent<br />
lighting. Also in 1978, the Spadina Subway line opened in the route's median, but there were no parking<br />
garages constructed south of Yorkdale Plaza, as had been previously recommended.<br />
In 1980, the new arterial road south of Lawrence Avenue was officially named as the William R. Allen<br />
Road, so the Spadina route was now officially the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> north from Lawrence Avenue and<br />
the Allen Road south from Lawrence to Eglinton Avenue. Also in 1980, construction began on the<br />
northern arterial extension, from Wilson Heights Boulevard to join Dufferin Street near Finch Avenue, to<br />
be built as a six lane arterial road with reserved bus lanes. This extension opened in 1982 and was also<br />
named as the William R. Allen Road. In that year, signs on Highway 401 were changed to show the<br />
existence of the new arterial extensions. A new Official Plan adopted by Metro in 1980 deleted all of the<br />
unbuilt expressways and showed the permanently truncated status of the Allen, which was now just a<br />
short local highway instead of a proposed through route.<br />
BLACK CREEK DRIVE<br />
Pro expressway groups such as Go Spadina were elated at the paving of the Spadina Ditch in 1976 as they<br />
saw it as a revival of expressway construction. This equally angered expressway opponents who saw it as a<br />
betrayal. The Provincial government owned the right of way to extend Highway 400 south to Eglinton<br />
Avenue and agreed to construct it as a four lane arterial road. For the time being, it was to be known as the<br />
Northwest Arterial Road, though it was still officially the 400 Extension. Metro agreed to build a further<br />
extension south to St. Clair Avenue. Anti-Spadina groups fought hard against the 400 Extension roadway<br />
and tried to stop it along with the Spadina paving. People who lived further south in Parkdale believed that a<br />
400 Extension as an expressway was coming through their neighbourhoods, so they joined in the opposition.<br />
The pro-Spadina group, which had become influential during the 1975 debate supported building the<br />
Northwest Arterial Road and were able to convince Parkdale residents that it would not affect them. They<br />
were also successful in convincing both Metro and the Province to endorse the new arterial roads. After the<br />
completion of the Allen Road to Eglinton in 1976, the Province began work on the Northwest Arterial Road.<br />
The City of Toronto objected to the roadway being constructed as far south as St. Clair Avenue. Due to the<br />
City's objections and due to the costs of hastily acquiring a right of way, Metro decided to compromise and<br />
terminate the new roadway on Weston Road just south of Eglinton Avenue. Weston Road would then be<br />
widened south to St. Clair Avenue. Thus, an existing road would be used and the controversy surrounding<br />
building a new one would be avoided. The Province constructed the extension south to Weston Road, and<br />
Metro widened Weston Road to St. Clair Avenue which connects to Keele Street and Parkside Drive which<br />
go directly south to the Lake Shore. Thus, a continuous arterial roadway would now exist from Highway<br />
400 south to the Lake Shore. After its completion in 1982, the Northwest Arterial Road from Jane Street to<br />
Weston Road was transferred to Metro. Council decided to rename the extension to reflect its status as an<br />
arterial road, rather than call it a 400 Extension. The roadway was built beside Black Creek, so Black Creek<br />
Parkway was suggested. However, this name sounded like an expressway, so Metro agreed on Black Creek<br />
Drive. The new road was built as a four lane divided high capacity roadway, but with at-grade signalized<br />
39
intersections. Space existed so that a full expressway could be put in later. The space provided for a 400<br />
Extension interchange along the Gardiner would be used for a future Front Street interchange. In 1982,<br />
Metro Council designated the Allen Road and Black Creek Drive as controlled access roads, thus<br />
maintaining them as parts of the Metro expressway system and not as parts of the street system.<br />
UNDEFINED TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS<br />
The former Richview <strong>Expressway</strong> route, designated as an Eglinton Transportation Corridor since 1973, in<br />
which Metro owned all of the lands, was retained. Eglinton Avenue existed alongside the corridor, so it was<br />
decided that the lands would be used for a future widening of Eglinton Avenue and a possible Eglinton rapid<br />
transit line which could fit along the corridor lands. However, attempts by Metro to widen Eglinton Avenue<br />
to six lanes met with fierce opposition from residents along the route who saw it as a back-door approach by<br />
Metro to turn the existing Eglinton Avenue into a Richview <strong>Expressway</strong>. Therefore, the corridor sat empty<br />
for the next twenty years. An Eglinton West subway line was approved and construction was commenced in<br />
the early 1990's, but due to funding shortages, construction of it was halted.<br />
The former Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> was changed into an undefined Scarborough Transportation Corridor<br />
in 1976. At first, Metro intended to acquire and hold lands along the entire former expressway route from<br />
the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> along the C.N.R. railway line to Highway 2A for possible future transportation<br />
needs such as an arterial road and/or rapid transit. Scarborough supported the retention of the former<br />
expressway route as a transportation corridor and allowed Metro to continue to buy land within its<br />
boundaries east of Victoria Park Avenue. However, the City of Toronto strongly objected and the route<br />
could not penetrate its boundaries. Therefore, the section from Leslie Street to Victoria Park Avenue was<br />
deleted. Metro retained the corridor only from Victoria Park Avenue to Highway 2A, within Scarborough,<br />
hoping that the Toronto section could be acquired later. The construction of the Allen Road extensions and<br />
Black Creek Drive and the protection of the Eglinton and Scarborough Transportation Corridors were seen<br />
by some as future new Metro expressways.<br />
ADVANCES AND ARGUMENTS OF EXPRESSWAY LIGHTING<br />
In the 1960's, the Province used blue mercury lighting, with cobra-shaped luminaires on 15 metre (50 foot)<br />
poles, on each of its highways and Metro used white fluorescent lighting, with tube-shaped luminaires, on<br />
10 metre (30 foot) poles on each of its expressways. On sections of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>,<br />
lighting was built into the railings along the side.<br />
In 1969, Phillips Electronics offered to install yellow-orange low pressure sodium lighting with tube-shaped<br />
luminaires on the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>. This is a type of lighting used in Europe and is particularly popular in<br />
Britain. They were installed on the Allen on a trial run from Wilson Avenue to Lawrence Avenue on the<br />
expressway, but not on the ramps. Metro liked these lights and purchased the system in 1970. DelCan<br />
Corporation recommended mercury lighting on 12 metre (40 foot) poles for the proposed Scarborough<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong>. When the proposed route was redesigned in 1973, this was changed to flush fluorescent<br />
luminaires in the expressway walls. However, this never came to be as the Scarborough route never<br />
materialized. If the expressway had been built, it is most likely that the flush luminaires would have been<br />
installed as low pressure sodium.<br />
By 1975, it was shown that low pressure sodium was most efficient for preventing night time accidents.<br />
Some people did not like the yellow-orange colour of these lamps, but the benefits of low pressure sodium<br />
lighting, especially in inclement weather, outweighed this. Metro Roads officials pushed for a complete<br />
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conversion of all the remaining fluorescent lighting on all the Metro expressways to low pressure sodium.<br />
Some Metro councillors opposed this and preferred the golden coloured high pressure sodium lighting<br />
installed on Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue in 1968 and on Kingston Road after it was widened in 1974.<br />
However, Metro staff pointed out that this would mean installing new poles which would push up the cost<br />
of conversion. They argued that low pressure sodium was a more efficient light and could be installed very<br />
inexpensively because the existing poles and equipment could be used. Conversion to low pressure sodium<br />
lamps using existing poles on the Don Valley Parkway would cost $750,000, while conversion to high<br />
pressure sodium would mean the installation of new higher poles, because of the glare from high pressure<br />
sodium lamps, and this would cost closer to $2 million. Nevertheless, councillors were unconvinced and<br />
sent the recommendation back for further review. Metro staff took another look at it and came back to<br />
recommend low pressure sodium again because of its efficiency and the low cost of conversion. After some<br />
tough convincing, the conversion from fluorescent to yellow-orange low pressure sodium lighting, with its<br />
tube-shaped luminaires, was approved by Metro council.<br />
In 1975, Metro Toronto decided to replace the fluorescent lighting systems on the Don Valley Parkway<br />
and Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> with the same yellow-orange low pressure sodium lighting system which<br />
existed on the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>. After much debate and controversy over this plan, due to many people<br />
disliking the colour of these lamps, the recommendation was approved and the installation was carried out<br />
utilizing existing poles. Metro was responsible for lighting on only its three expressways. Lighting on<br />
arterial roads and streets were the responsibility of the individual municipalities within Metro, until<br />
amalgamation in 1998. After that, Metropolitan Toronto and its six constituent municipalities were<br />
amalgamated into the single City of Toronto and lighting on all expressways, arterial roads and streets were<br />
under the jurisdiction of the new City. Lighting on Provincial freeways remained under the jurisdiction of<br />
the Government of Ontario.<br />
Low pressure sodium was installed along all of the rest of the Metro expressways between 1975 and<br />
1980. This included the Don Valley Parkway, the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> ramps.<br />
The existing 10 metre (30 foot) poles were used and new poles replaced Gardiner rail lights. Aluminum<br />
poles which do less damage to cars in collisions replaced original cement poles. Low pressure sodium<br />
lighting would only be used on grade-separated expressways because Metro Police officials stated that<br />
these yellow lamps would obscure traffic signals at intersections when they were changing at yellow. In<br />
1978, low pressure sodium was installed on the grade-separated Allen Road between Lawrence and<br />
Eglinton Avenues. However, standard street lighting was installed on the northern arterial extension of<br />
the Allen Road and on Black Creek Drive because they were built as arterial roads with signalized<br />
intersections. The Province opted for bright golden-coloured high pressure sodium lamps to replace the<br />
blue mercury lights on the existing poles on its highways. Mercury lighting on Metro's suburban arterial<br />
and local roads was also converted to high pressure sodium.<br />
METRIC SPEED LIMITS<br />
In September 1977, in keeping with Canada’s conversion to the metric system of measurement, speed<br />
limits were changed from miles per hour (mph) to kilometres per hour (km/h). The posted speed limit on<br />
Provincial highways in the Toronto area had been 70 mph on freeways, which was dropped to 60 mph in<br />
1976, became 100 km/h in 1977. On smaller highways, a speed limit of 50 mph became 80 km/h. On<br />
municipal expressways, the speed limit of 55 mph on the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and Don Valley Parkway<br />
became 90 km/h and the 50 mph speed limit on the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> became 80 km/h. Black Creek<br />
Drive, built by 1982, would be the first Metro road in Toronto to be in metric from the start with a posted<br />
speed limit of 70 km/h. Highway 404, opened in 1977, was the first Provincial highway to start in metric.<br />
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6. ARTERIAL HIGHWAYS 1980 – 1998<br />
THE END OF THE PROPOSED METRO EXPRESSWAYS<br />
In 1980, Metropolitan Toronto adopted a new Official Plan to replace the one it had been using since 1966,<br />
which had proposed an extensive expressway system. This new plan was based on the recommendations of<br />
the transportation plan review group which had been set up in 1972, after the Spadina cancellation, which<br />
had presented its findings in 1975. When the new plan was officially adopted in 1980, all of the proposed<br />
Metropolitan expressways were deleted. Undefined transportation corridors replaced the Scarborough and<br />
Richview <strong>Expressway</strong>s, the 400 Extension had become an arterial road and the Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong> was<br />
taken out altogether. As expected, the rest of the former Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> route, south of Eglinton<br />
Avenue, also disappeared. The next twenty years was a period of the priority of public transit and almost no<br />
road development. The new plan contained a clause that stated that "the Metropolitan Corporation does not<br />
support the construction of any additional expressways, except for Highway 427 extension". North York<br />
council tried to get this clause amended to include a Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> extension also, but, as expected,<br />
they were unsuccessful. This clause now made the victory of the anti-expressway lobby an official Metro<br />
policy for the first time. In 1985, Metro adopted a big subway expansion plan called "Network 2011 ".<br />
In 1983, Premier William Davis announced his retirement and one of his last actions as premier was to<br />
keep his promise not to allow the Allen to go south of Eglinton Avenue. He announced that Metro would<br />
receive Black Creek Drive from the Province for free, if it transferred the Allen lands from Eglinton<br />
Avenue to Bloor Street to the Province which would lease the lands out for purposes other than for a road.<br />
A 1 metre (3 foot) strip of land south of Eglinton across the route would be given to the City of Toronto,<br />
thus barring any possible further extension. If Metro did not agree, the lands would be seized and Metro<br />
would be billed for half of the costs of the construction of Black Creek Drive. Metro reluctantly agreed.<br />
Metro believed that a new Ontario Premier might have a different opinion and would allow the<br />
expressway to be completed. Mr. Davis's successor, Frank Miller, even supported some idea of<br />
completion of the Allen in a tunnel. However, he was reminded that a promise had been made and the<br />
government could not go back on its word. Future governments also would honour the promise to not let<br />
the expressway be extended southwards.<br />
The Allen Road came to an abrupt end in a T-Junction with Eglinton Avenue. This caused traffic to back up<br />
on the Allen and to use local streets to go further south. A traffic management plan of no left and right turns<br />
was put in place at the request of residents restricting the use of local streets south of Eglinton by through<br />
traffic. However, Metro wanted a permanent solution. Additional ramps from the Allen to Eglinton were<br />
considered in 1983. Metro also looked at a southern extension of the Allen, along the original Spadina route.<br />
It could extend to Davenport Road, north of Bloor Street, to connect to Spadina Road which goes further<br />
south, along with an extension of Leslie Street south to Bayview Avenue. At the very least, Allen Road<br />
could connect to Bathurst Street, north of St. Clair Avenue, which also goes further south. Metro was even<br />
willing to build it just as a two lane local road in order to get it through and provide some relief for<br />
congested streets at the bottom of the expressway. However, Metro had to later abandon these plans due to<br />
the Spadina lands agreement with the Province. A stricter traffic management plan south of Eglinton was<br />
implemented, and it was hoped that increased use of Black Creek Drive and the Spadina Subway would<br />
alleviate much of the Allen traffic, but this was not becoming apparent. Also at this time, Esther Shiner, the<br />
leader of the Go Spadina group, died, so the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> issue was brought to an end, as nobody<br />
was willing to take over the leadership of the pro-expressway lobby. Meanwhile the anti-expressway lobby<br />
which had changed the course of Metro's transportation planning were firmly entrenched in the City of<br />
Toronto's Council and blocked Metro from planning any new roads. By 1990, it was determined that the<br />
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Spadina route would permanently end at Eglinton. Plans for grade separated interchanges at Eglinton and at<br />
Sheppard were shelved due to local opposition. The original six lane Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>, between Wilson<br />
Heights and Lawrence, is very short and is no longer considered a proper functioning expressway because it<br />
is not a major through route. The issue which had been so controversial for over a decade was now quiet. By<br />
the 1990's, the battle which had been one of the fiercest in Toronto's history and the main issue of the 1969<br />
municipal election, was almost forgotten.<br />
The Spadina battle represented the gradual maturing of Metro and the changing of attitudes. By the mid<br />
1970's, the City of Toronto's earlier enthusiasm of new expressways had gone. Pro-expressway politicians<br />
within the City had either retired or had been defeated by anti-expressway politicians. The City of Toronto<br />
became fiercely anti-road in its planning and policies. This caused a serious rift with the other municipalities<br />
within Metro, particularly North York, which had remained pro-expressway. Anti-Spadina forces were<br />
concentrated mainly at the south end of the route within the City of Toronto, while pro-expressway forces<br />
gathered at the north end within the City of North York. People at the north end wanted to get downtown to<br />
their jobs, while people at the south end of the route wanted to preserve neighbourhoods. The City of York,<br />
which existed in the middle, opposed extending the Spadina route when it stopped at Lawrence. However, it<br />
switched sides and favoured completion into downtown Toronto, when the arterial extension opened to<br />
Eglinton Avenue within York's boundaries. This now left the City of Toronto opposed to all of its<br />
neighbours when it came to issues like expressways. The Spadina had been stopped at Lawrence in 1971<br />
and at Eglinton in 1975. The name Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> became unfamiliar to young people in the 1990's<br />
who had got used to its newer names of Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> and Allen Road. Leaders of both the pro and anti<br />
expressway sides had become elected officials, but it was now believed by Metro that with the Spadina<br />
Subway located in the expressway's median, the Allen should not be extended south to compete with it.<br />
Since Metro was unsuccessful in its attempt to extend the Allen Road further south, attention was turned to<br />
the newly-completed Black Creek Drive, which Metro had acquired from the Province in 1982. Metro left<br />
open the possibility in the distant future of converting Black Creek Drive into an expressway as originally<br />
planned. Retaining lands alongside the roadway to eventually widen it to six lanes and build interchanges at<br />
Lawrence and at Eglinton at some point in the future provided this. In 1989, Metro did study the possibility<br />
of an extension of Black Creek Drive south to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> using the Allendale route, along the<br />
C.N./C.P. railway corridor. A southern extension of Black Creek Drive to the Lake Shore was considered<br />
because the Allen Road could not be extended further south. This would make Black Creek Drive a<br />
functional part of the expressway grid and would provide, for the first time, a completed northwest high<br />
capacity route into downtown Toronto. However, these were quietly dropped when it became apparent that<br />
the City of Toronto would strongly oppose the extension and the high cost of acquiring a right of way.<br />
Another suggestion was to widen Keele Street and Parkside Drive to connect Black Creek Drive directly<br />
south to the Lake Shore, but this would require demolishing properties along these streets, so this also<br />
proved to be difficult. This extension has been ruled out as there was no available route and optimal use of<br />
the existing street system south of Eglinton Avenue would have to be pursued instead.<br />
THE EGLINTON TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR<br />
Metro had acquired nearly all of the lands along the Richview <strong>Expressway</strong> route and continued to hold them<br />
as an undefined Eglinton Transportation Corridor into the 1990's. The Province decided to swing Highway<br />
403 northward at Highway 10 to terminate it on Highway 401 so there would now be no connection to the<br />
former Richview <strong>Expressway</strong> route. When Highway 27 was rebuilt as 427 in 1970, a Richview <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
connection was provided for, which is now used to get to Eglinton Avenue. Eventually, it was decided that<br />
since Eglinton Avenue (formerly Richview Side Road) already existed alongside the Richview lands, a high<br />
45
capacity arterial road could be provided by widening Eglinton Avenue. In 1994, Metro decided to widen<br />
Eglinton Avenue West to six lanes from Black Creek Drive to Highway 427, effectively creating a<br />
Richview route. However, when Metro held public meetings on the proposal, there was so much opposition<br />
from local residents, that the widening plan was quickly shelved. The Eglinton West Subway, which would<br />
run from the Spadina Subway, along Eglinton Avenue, making use of the transportation corridor, was<br />
approved by Metro in 1994, and construction was started. However, in 1995, the Provincial Government<br />
withdrew funding for the subway due to extremely tight budgets and construction of the subway was halted.<br />
The Eglinton Transportation Corridor remained open to some type of development and Metro still retained<br />
the idea of eventually widening Eglinton Avenue, making use of the corridor possibly for bus lanes.<br />
THE SCARBOROUGH TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR<br />
Metro owned about 65% of the lands along the Scarborough Transportation Corridor, the former Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> easterly extension. The City of Toronto opposed the existence of the corridor within its<br />
boundaries because the City saw it as an attempt by Metro to try to keep the expressway alive. Metro<br />
insisted that this was just a corridor for future transportation uses, but would respect Toronto's wishes.<br />
Meanwhile, Scarborough strongly supported the corridor and endorsed Metro holding the lands. Therefore,<br />
Metro deleted the section from the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> to Victoria Park Avenue and only held on to lands<br />
east of Victoria Park Avenue, within Scarborough. Metro hoped that by retaining the section within<br />
Scarborough, the Toronto section could be acquired later. None of the properties in Toronto's east end,<br />
which had previously been acquired for the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>, were sold off. Metro hung on to them<br />
for a possible extension of the corridor west to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. Metro made several attempts to go<br />
before the Ontario Municipal Board to purchase the lands using funds from the sale of surplus properties<br />
elsewhere. However, opposition from the City of Toronto blocked almost every attempt, except for a few<br />
small properties which were privately sold to Metro. The Board also did not want to give Metro approval to<br />
buy land for an undefined corridor which they would not say what it would be used for.<br />
Opponents of the route continued to remain adamant because they saw this land acquisition as a secret<br />
agenda to build an expressway without public awareness. Metro insisted that this was not the case, and that<br />
they were acquiring the lands to keep all future options open. In 1981, Scarborough asked Metro to extend<br />
the corridor west to join the end of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> at Leslie Street. While Metro agreed with this,<br />
they decided not to do it at that time due to the strong opposition of the City of Toronto to the corridor.<br />
Metro looked at building an arterial road along the Scarborough Transportation Corridor, swinging off<br />
Gerrard Street East at Victoria Park Avenue and extending east across Scarborough, along the expressway<br />
route paralleling the C.N.R. railway line, to join Highway 2A and Highway 401. However, without a<br />
connection to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, Beach area residents feared traffic would be dumped on to their<br />
local streets trying to get to the Gardiner. They opposed the idea, but it was actively pursued by Metro.<br />
Scarborough considered a shorter arterial road, coming from Highway 2A in the east and terminating at<br />
Midland Avenue, to be carried west by St. Clair Avenue, avoiding the Beach area. Metro did not want this,<br />
as they supported retaining the entire corridor to Victoria Park Avenue and Gerrard Street. Residents living<br />
near the corridor were concerned about the uncertainty over the future of the route, especially how it could<br />
affect the values of their properties. Community residential associations pressured the Metro and<br />
Scarborough governments for a clearer definition of the Scarborough Transportation Corridor and to at least<br />
outline the alternate transportation system to be considered for the route. In 1983, in response to this public<br />
pressure, Scarborough decided to study the future of the corridor and to determine what was needed along<br />
the route. The study concluded that there was still no need for a major road and that local roads and GO<br />
Transit improvements were all that was necessary. It was recommended that the corridor be designated as a<br />
"Special Study Area" to determine the exact needs along the route. Scarborough Council was bitterly<br />
46
divided over this report, but eventually accepted it. Scarborough now joined Toronto in opposing the<br />
retention of an undefined corridor. Metro remained adamant that the corridor was still necessary for future<br />
transportation options and voted to retain it, though now it would be alone in its support. Since Metro was a<br />
higher government than Scarborough, the corridor remained in the plan. Metro Councillor Ken Morrish,<br />
who represented the far eastern end of Scarborough, continued to highly endorse the corridor, since he saw<br />
it as the only answer to traffic congestion on Highway 401 and Kingston Road. This stalemate over the<br />
future of the Scarborough Transportation Corridor was unresolved as Kingston Road traffic was growing.<br />
In 1974, when the transportation plan review group had recommended against construction of the<br />
Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> due to little need, the Don Valley Parkway ended just north of Highway 401.<br />
Eastbound traffic could then be carried by the Parkway and Highway 401 east. Also, Kingston Road was<br />
being widened at that time from four to six lanes across Scarborough. However, after the construction of<br />
Highway 404 north into York Region, the Don Valley Parkway now had a much bigger north to south<br />
traffic flow and could not take eastbound traffic also, which was causing heavy congestion. Durham Region,<br />
to the east of Metro, was mostly rural in 1974, but by the 1990's, it was considerably built up, which added<br />
more traffic to the existing roads in eastern Metro. For this reason, Metro insisted on retaining the<br />
Scarborough Transportation Corridor and keeping arterial road options for the corridor open. Private sales of<br />
properties were made to Metro, so that 80% of the lands for the Scarborough Transportation Corridor were<br />
acquired east of Victoria Park Avenue by 1990.<br />
In the 1990's, Metro carried out another plan review leading to the adoption of a new Official Plan in 1994.<br />
The "no expressways" clause from the 1980 plan would be deleted from the new 1994 plan, because Metro<br />
officials stated that it was redundant. Metro would now adopt a basic plan and any new routes would have to<br />
be added only after approval. However, this process had become so politically difficult, that it was unlikely<br />
that new potential expressways would be added. Metro staff pointed out that due to traffic growth, the City<br />
could not rule out new expressways for the future, and that they should leave open the possibility of them<br />
having to be considered with future traffic studies. Definitions of different types of roads were suggested. It<br />
was stated that an expressway was "a road carrying traffic at high speed over medium to long distances with<br />
access only by means of grade-separated interchanges". Only the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and the Don Valley<br />
Parkway fit this definition. The expressway part of the Allen Road, between Wilson Heights and Eglinton<br />
Avenue, did not fit this definition of an expressway because of its short length. Arterial roads were defined<br />
as "roads which carry traffic at medium speeds over short to medium distances". All regular arterial streets<br />
belonging to Metro fit into this definition. However, the arterial highways were identified as being of a<br />
higher standard than regular streets, but not quite carrying out the fully intended function of expressways.<br />
They carried traffic at moderate to high speeds, were often grade-separated, but extended only over short to<br />
medium distances. A new category of "primary arterial road" was recommended for these. This primary<br />
arterial category, created for the first time, was a recognition that certain stretches of road had a unique high<br />
capacity function that existed between arterial streets and expressways. The road segments identified would<br />
be the Allen Road, Black Creek Drive, a future Leslie Street Extension and a future Scarborough<br />
Transportation Corridor roadway. However, when the province reviewed the final draft of the plan, they<br />
stated that it was confusing and asked Metro to go back to just two categories for roads. These would be<br />
expressways and arterial roads. The recommended primary arterials were therefore included with the arterial<br />
roads, leaving only the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and the Don Valley Parkway defined as proper expressways.<br />
The plan would only reflect the official definitions of these roads, but in reality, Metro continued to<br />
recognize the arterial highways, such as Allen Road and Black Creek Drive, as being of a higher standard<br />
than regular streets and that they were extensions of the expressway system. Allen and Black Creek were<br />
recognized as controlled access highways by municipal bylaw.<br />
47
During the review for the new plan, a special study, known as the East Metro Waterfront Corridor<br />
Transportation Study, looked at the Scarborough Transportation Corridor again, which had been retained in<br />
the draft of the new plan. The City of Toronto stuck to its conviction that it did not want the route to<br />
penetrate its boundaries. The report stated that a route coming from the east and stopping at Midland<br />
Avenue or at Victoria Park Avenue, without a connection to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> was of no use to<br />
Metro. The report recommended that the Scarborough Transportation Corridor be deleted from the plan, and<br />
that Kingston Road be extended from where it ends near Coxwell Avenue to join Lake Shore Boulevard and<br />
the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, providing a continuous arterial route to the east. It also recommended that<br />
Danforth Road, which runs parallel to Kingston Road across Scarborough, be connected to Gerrard Street<br />
East, also providing a continuous arterial road. Improving GO Transit rail service along the C.N.R. railway<br />
line was also recommended. Metro Council hotly debated these recommendations in May 1994. Councillor<br />
Ken Morrish still believed that the expressway route was necessary, so he introduced a motion to support<br />
retention of the corridor, however, it lost by seven votes. On June 1, 1994, Metro adopted the new Official<br />
Plan, which was to be its last, and the Eglinton and Scarborough Transportation Corridors were deleted. The<br />
forty year uncertainty over these issues finally came to an end. The Province also deleted the proposed East<br />
Metro Freeway, planned near the Rouge River in north-eastern Scarborough, due to objections from Rouge<br />
Valley naturalists. The lack of a Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> also made the East Metro route less necessary.<br />
Lands within the City of Toronto acquired for the former Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> would be sold off and<br />
the City of Scarborough could now pass its plan amendment declaring the former Transportation Corridor as<br />
a "Special Study Area", as it had recommended in 1983. Planners would decide what parts of the corridor<br />
they wanted for arterial roads or other public uses, such as bicycle paths, parks or housing. Any sections that<br />
they did not want were to be declared surplus and sold off. New uses for some of the lands were<br />
recommended by the summer of 1996 and approved by plan amendment. Vacant lands owned by the C.N.R.<br />
along parts of the former Scarborough Transportation Corridor were sold and developed into housing. The<br />
Metro-owned lands along the Scarborough route remained vacant, but planners continued to design specific<br />
uses for them, such as streets, housing and parks, which would be subject to lengthy approvals, however<br />
nothing came of these plans. Lands along the former Eglinton Transportation Corridor were kept open for<br />
possible transit uses and a future widening of Eglinton Avenue West. Continuous bicycle paths along the<br />
routes of both former corridors were approved immediately. In 1996, Metro began to sell off the surplus<br />
lands along the former Scarborough Transportation Corridor. Also in that year, Metro passed its last act on<br />
the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> route south of Eglinton Avenue by putting houses it had acquired along the route<br />
up for sale. The rest of the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> south of Eglinton and the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> were<br />
now as dead as the Crosstown <strong>Expressway</strong>. The policy of Metro's new 1994 plan was to discourage<br />
automobile use and to promote other forms of transportation such as public transit, bicycling and walking.<br />
Toronto’s policy regarding the ultimate length of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> had changed. It had been<br />
assumed that the expressway would eventually stretch from the Queen Elizabeth Way in the west to<br />
Highway 401 in the east, even with a gap between Leslie Street and Victoria Park Avenue in the short term<br />
as this was a heavily built-up area. However, after 1994, when any idea of an eastern extension was<br />
dropped, it then became policy that the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> would only stretch from the Queen Elizabeth<br />
Way to the Don Valley Parkway. The acquired lands to the east would be put to other uses and the future of<br />
the existing elevated eastern section from the Don Valley Parkway to Leslie Street was now in doubt.<br />
BURYING THE GARDINER EXPRESSWAY<br />
In the 1980's and 1990's, as the proposed Metro expressways were being deleted, major repairs were being<br />
carried out on the existing ones. A controversy that was to arise at this time was the future of the elevated<br />
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Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. Metro started making major repairs to the structure in 1978. This involved patching<br />
and recovering the concrete pillars and waterproofing the road deck. In 1985, Metro began to study the<br />
future of the expressway and what they should do about it. Some local downtown politicians, who were<br />
mostly anti-expressway in their thinking, suggested that the expressway was a barrier to the lake and should<br />
be taken out or at least buried underground. They said that it was ugly and would cost too much to maintain.<br />
Former Toronto Mayor David Crombie, head of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, was a strong proponent<br />
of dismantling or burying the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. Crombie proposed two options to Metro: Firstly,<br />
demolish the expressway and bury it underground. Some type of watertight tunnel or open ditch could be<br />
built along its present alignment or under the lake. Bill Teron, an engineer who had tunnelled parts of the<br />
Boulevard Peripherique in Paris, France, came up with an idea for a cut and cover tunnel along the shore<br />
with development of the existing lands that the expressway stands on to pay for it. Another variation would<br />
be to build an underwater expressway across the Toronto Harbour. Secondly, demolish the expressway and<br />
not replace it. Lake Shore Boulevard would be expanded into a highway and lakefront transit improved.<br />
These options, plus the option to rehabilitate the expressway, were studied in detail. Cost and practical<br />
construction were the key factors. Removing the expressway and doing nothing was dismissed as<br />
impractical because it carried over 230,000 vehicles per day. The Gardiner is the backbone of the City and<br />
carried a great amount of traffic, so Metro could not do without it. Lake Shore Boulevard would have to be<br />
widened to 18 lanes if the Gardiner was eliminated in order to handle the traffic and that would create the<br />
biggest barrier to the lake of all. A proposal to bury the expressway from Bathurst Street to the Don Valley<br />
Parkway in a watertight tunnel along the shore was put forward in 1985. Metro engineers stated that<br />
rebuilding the expressway underground would cost $2.3 Billion because the structure would have to be<br />
watertight, as the expressway stands on landfill. Twenty years of rehabilitation of the existing structure<br />
would cost $400 million. It was finally recommended to keep the expressway as it is and do repairs with a<br />
special maintenance budget. Former Mayor John Sewell stated that it would be cheaper to just dismantle the<br />
expressway between Bathurst and Jarvis Streets, but this idea was rejected as impractical.<br />
A Gardiner/Lake Shore Task Force, set up by the City of Toronto, suggested that the section east of the Don<br />
Valley Parkway to Leslie Street could be demolished because it did not carry the traffic volumes that the<br />
rest of the expressway had and no extension across Scarborough would now ever be built. Relocating the<br />
Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>/Don Valley Parkway interchange further north beside the C.N.R. railway line could<br />
eliminate the Gardiner/Don Valley “sweep”, where the Gardiner curves over Cherry Street to join the<br />
Parkway at the Don River. The Parkway could go straight into the Gardiner near Eastern Avenue and new<br />
ramps to Lake Shore Boulevard east would be constructed near Cherry Street. The eastern Gardiner to<br />
Leslie Street would then be torn down. In 1973, relocating the interchange to the north had been suggested<br />
to accommodate the proposed Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>. However, this idea would cost too much, so it was<br />
decided to leave the Gardiner/Don Valley interchange as it was.<br />
REPAIRING THE GARDINER EXPRESSWAY<br />
Officially, the decision on the future of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> had been made and a budget of<br />
repairs would be set up every few years. However, unofficially, a debate over the future of the expressway<br />
would go on. A growing number of Metro citizens, mainly anti-car proponents, argued that the existing<br />
Gardiner was an eyesore and that it is a waste of money to keep repairing it. People will continue to call for<br />
its burial in a tunnel or an open ditch at some point in the future. Repairs may become so expensive that<br />
Toronto may be forced to choose this option. However, new technology of waterproofing and cement<br />
protection may make the Gardiner stand forever. A 1983 traffic study recommended that the western section<br />
of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> from the Humber River to Strachan Avenue be widened from six to eight lanes<br />
49
due to heavy traffic congestion. The old Humber River bridges would be replaced and a new interchange<br />
with Front Street would be constructed utilizing the space intended for a 400 Extension interchange near<br />
Bathurst Street. Replacement of the Humber River bridges began in 1991 and would be completed by 2001,<br />
but the widening and the new interchange had not yet occurred by 2001.<br />
Since the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> apparently was to stay, a group of engineers and planners were asked in<br />
1987 by Metro and the City of Toronto to look at ways it could be beautified or made to fit in with the City.<br />
The project was called "A Charrette In The City" and the team divided the route into three parts. The<br />
western, central and eastern sections. Each section was carefully analyzed and a plan was drawn up for each<br />
to make the Gardiner more acceptable. Since it would be too expensive to rebuild it, the expressway could<br />
possibly be hidden. For the western section, which is on the surface, it was suggested that a grand gate be<br />
built across the route at the Humber River and that parks and housing be decked over the route. For the<br />
elevated central section, a switch with Lake Shore Boulevard was suggested. The existing tunnel-like Lake<br />
Shore Boulevard under the expressway would become the Gardiner and the arterial Lake Shore Boulevard<br />
would run along the top, where the expressway is now. It would also be lined with trees. It was suggested<br />
that buildings, such as stores and apartments, be placed alongside the route which would hide the<br />
expressway columns. The roadway could also be decorated with modern art, and lighting under the structure<br />
should be improved. For the eastern section, the Charrette agreed that the expressway should be removed<br />
east of the Don Valley Parkway. However, only the road deck would be removed. The columns would<br />
remain as art and be decorated. The plan was not taken seriously in its entirety, but parts of it, such as<br />
improving lighting under the expressway, cleaning and painting the structure and removing the east end<br />
were eventually approved.<br />
In 1995, Metro adopted a twenty year plan of repairs for the Gardiner structure which would strengthen it to<br />
make it stand for a long time. However, many people saw this as more of a short term solution. A long term<br />
permanent solution will still have to be faced by the City in the future. There was little doubt that there most<br />
likely would always be a Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> because it is such a vital route to the City. However, the<br />
shape it might take, elevated, surface or underground, would be a subject of debate for many years to come.<br />
The deciding factor would be finances and public opinion. A minority of transit enthusiasts would continue<br />
to push for the removal of the expressway, but this was totally impractical as other roads such as Lake Shore<br />
Boulevard would not be able to handle the traffic the Gardiner carries. Some type of Gardiner rebuilding<br />
was possible. At the time of the Charrette in the late 1980's, the City of Toronto had set up a Gardiner/Lake<br />
Shore Task Force, chaired by Councillor Jack Layton. Its purpose was to try to find ways to develop and<br />
beautify the City lakefront in order to reconnect the City with the waterfront. The trend in the past had been<br />
to build a heavily-used transportation corridor along the waterfront because it was a natural route. This<br />
resulted in the construction of the railway lines, Lake Shore Boulevard and the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. Some<br />
people in the downtown area felt that the City had been cut off from the lake, as the transportation corridor<br />
along the lakefront was seen as a barrier. With the construction of the C.N. Tower and the Skydome<br />
stadium, now called the Rogers Centre, around the foot of Spadina Avenue, development of the Lake Shore<br />
area became a concern to City politicians. A plan to develop the railway lands into new housing and a park<br />
were drawn up. This would certainly add more traffic to the waterfront. The 1987 Charrette was an attempt<br />
to work around the existing Gardiner structure. The Gardiner/Lake Shore switch would mean that the City<br />
could be built up to the top of the structure and the expressway would be relocated underneath. However,<br />
these ideas were promoted by the City of Toronto, but the Gardiner belonged to Metro, which was only<br />
interested in repairing the expressway and paid little attention to ideas to make it look ‘nicer’. By 1990,<br />
most of Metro's expressway battles were now in the past and the situation had quietened down. Metro would<br />
now concentrate on maintaining the road system it already had in existence. Only the decision over<br />
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demolishing the eastern section of the Gardiner from the Don River to Leslie Street would remain yet to be<br />
dealt with.<br />
NEW TECHNOLOGIES<br />
Since there were to be no new Metropolitan expressways built, priority would now be placed on keeping the<br />
existing system well maintained, updated and in good repair. Limited budgets would also keep the emphasis<br />
on this. As time passed, new technologies for expressways came about requiring the system to be kept<br />
updated. Often it required replacement of equipment. By the 1990's, much of the expressway system had<br />
been repaved, signs were replaced, new lighting, and new concrete median barriers shaped to reduce<br />
collisions with cars, were installed. Lights on signs for night-time display were replaced by lettering with<br />
luminous, reflective paint so that they could be seen clearly at night without the fear of burned out<br />
illumination of signs. However, the newest technology is the Freeway Traffic Management <strong>System</strong>,<br />
involving the installation of cameras and electronic signs which display warning messages to motorists.<br />
Many of these advances were implemented on the Provincial freeway system and then were adapted by<br />
Metro soon after. Cameras placed along each of the expressways kept the Metro Transportation Department<br />
informed of trouble spots. They could then warn motorists by a phone-in line and messages displayed on<br />
electronic signs. Information such as traffic congestion, accidents and closures is displayed on the electronic<br />
signs along with regular ramp and exit information. The camera system installed on the Provincial highway<br />
system is known as COMPASS and the cameras installed on the municipal expressways in Toronto is<br />
known as RESCU. These cameras and new signs were installed along the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and the Don<br />
Valley Parkway in 1994 and later on the Allen Road between Highway 401 and Eglinton Avenue in 2009.<br />
Most of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> structure has been rehabilitated, strengthened and made to look<br />
new again, except for the section east of the Don River. The Don Valley Parkway and Allen Road have also<br />
been repaired. An idea introduced onto many Metro arterial roads in the 1990's is High Occupancy Vehicle<br />
(HOV) lanes. These are lanes reserved on roads for buses, taxis and cars with three or more passengers. It<br />
was hoped that this would help to speed up the flow of traffic and reduce congestion. The first introduction<br />
of these lanes on major roads was on the northern arterial continuation of the Allen Road.<br />
REPLACEMENT OF EXPRESSWAY LIGHTING<br />
By the late 1980’s, lighting equipment on Toronto’s expressway system was getting old and was<br />
consistently burning out. Cables were rotted and wearing out and certain parts were no longer available.<br />
After a review, a decision was made to update the whole system with a complete replacement. In 1975,<br />
Metro Council approved the remodelling of its existing fluorescent lighting system on its expressways into<br />
yellow-orange low pressure sodium lighting using the existing poles and equipment for an inexpensive<br />
conversion. This was done to provide a more efficient lighting system which would reduce night-time<br />
accidents. Low pressure sodium had been tried out on a trial basis on the then Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> since 1969,<br />
and was very successful, so it was installed on the rest of the Metro expressways. By 1990, the lighting<br />
equipment on the Metro expressways was now thirty years old and needed major repairs. Metro officials<br />
announced that they were going to do a major repair to expressway lighting, and the Don Valley Parkway<br />
was given top priority. Metro Councillor Howard Moscoe, representing the area that the Allen Road passed<br />
through, noted that 60% of the lights on the Allen had burnt out, so he pushed for a complete replacement<br />
instead of just repairs. He also urged that the Allen should be done first due to the urgency of the bad state<br />
of its lighting. He even took staff on a tour of the expressway to show them how bad it really was. Metro<br />
staff agreed, and looked at a complete replacement, with the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> being done before the Don<br />
Valley Parkway. A detailed lighting study was then carried out and it recommended that high pressure<br />
sodium was now the best long-lasting system. For the first time, lighting on the Provincial freeways and on<br />
51
the Metro expressways would be the same, except for different types of poles used. Fenco Engineering, a<br />
company which designed lighting for the Provincial highways, was retained to also design new lighting for<br />
the Metro expressways. Metro would replace the entire lighting system on all of its expressways for a cost<br />
of ten million dollars and the replacement would take five years to complete. However, since Metro wanted<br />
to widen the west end of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> from six to eight lanes, replacement of lighting on the<br />
Gardiner would be deferred until after the widening was done. Therefore, approval was only given for new<br />
lighting on the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> and on the Don Valley Parkway. The existing low pressure sodium system<br />
would be maintained on the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> for a while longer. Elsewhere, low pressure sodium<br />
would be replaced by high pressure sodium.<br />
On the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>, the existing 10 metre (30 foot) poles would be used. The low pressure sodium<br />
lamps would be replaced by new shaded cobra-shaped high pressure sodium luminaires designed so as not<br />
to obstruct the subway signals. Installation of new lights on the Allen began in 1991 and was completed<br />
along the entire length of the expressway from Eglinton Avenue to Wilson Heights Boulevard by 1993.<br />
Most of the poles were replaced because they were in poor condition.<br />
On the Don Valley Parkway, due to its winding nature, Metro was having to replace four poles per week.<br />
Therefore, in order to solve this situation and to give drivers a better view of the Don River valley parkland,<br />
Metro decided to use a new technology known as high mast lighting. This consisted of tall 30 metre (100<br />
foot) poles with a cluster of powerful high pressure sodium lights on the top. One of these poles would<br />
replace seven conventional poles on each side. The cluster of lights at the top could be brought down the<br />
pole mechanically to repair crews on the ground and then sent back up again. The Province was starting to<br />
use high mast lighting on its highways and planned to eventually convert all of the Provincial freeways to<br />
this technology. The Provincial Government had installed high mast lighting on sections of Highway 401<br />
and was receiving complaints from nearby residents that these powerful lamps were giving off too much<br />
light, disturbing neighbourhoods. Metro councillors argued this point, but engineers came up with a<br />
solution. High mast lights would be uniquely designed for Metro which would be different from Provincial<br />
high mast lighting. Metro would use state-of-the-art technology with shaded clusters of lamps which could<br />
be focused. The poles would also be painted black so they would blend in with surrounding parkland. High<br />
mast lamps would be installed on most of the Parkway on the east side, except for two sections which were<br />
alongside the Don River channel south of Bloor Street and under Hydro Towers south of Eglinton Avenue<br />
and on some of the ramps. A new type of 10 metre (30 foot) low mast pole, similar to conventional poles,<br />
also painted black, would be used on these sections. They would contain new round luminaires, rather than<br />
traditional cobra-shaped ones.<br />
In 1991, Metro council approved the plan to install a combination of high and low mast lighting on the Don<br />
Valley Parkway in several stages. It was scheduled to be completed from the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> to Bloor<br />
Street by 1995, to Eglinton Avenue by 1996 and to Highway 401 by 1997. Due to limited budgets, the<br />
scheduled replacement went on for much longer and would take several more years to complete. The<br />
replacement proved to be very expensive and was finally completed to Highway 401 by 2001.<br />
In 1996, another new lighting system known as metal halide appeared. This was a white light with round<br />
luminaires. The City of Toronto needed to replace its obsolete incandescent lighting, which dated from the<br />
1930's. City council did not want high pressure sodium, because they complained that these lights<br />
discoloured the community. They decided to convert their lighting to these new metal halide lights. Toronto<br />
streets were now unique in Metro in that they would have a different type of lighting from the rest of Metro,<br />
which now used high pressure sodium.<br />
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In 1997, Metro decided that it was time to go ahead and replace the lighting on the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>.<br />
The system to be used would be designed to accommodate the proposed widening of the western end of<br />
the expressway, which had not yet occurred. A detailed lighting study was done and both high pressure<br />
sodium and metal halide were looked at. It was decided that metal halide was not bright enough for<br />
expressway use and that high pressure sodium was still the best system. Using the existing poles with new<br />
cobra-shaped luminaires, as had been done on Eastern Avenue at the Don Valley Parkway and on the<br />
Allen Road, was studied, but was ruled out, because the existing poles had deteriorated. Fenco<br />
Engineering was retained and the same new lighting system being installed on the Don Valley Parkway<br />
would be used on the Gardiner. It would be a combination of the shaded high mast and low mast high<br />
pressure sodium lighting, with poles also painted black. High mast lighting would be installed along the<br />
south side of only the surface section of the expressway around Humber Bay in the west end from the<br />
Humber River to Dufferin Street, with low mast on some of the ramps. High mast poles could<br />
accommodate any widening of the Gardiner. They could not be installed on the elevated section of the<br />
expressway, so low mast poles would be used on this section from Dufferin Street to Leslie Street in<br />
existing davits. The Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> were now to have the same style<br />
of new lighting. The replacement of lighting on the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> would be done in three phases.<br />
Firstly from the Humber River to Dufferin Street, secondly to Yonge Street, and finally to the<br />
expressway's east end. Work was scheduled to begin on the first phase at the west end, in the summer of<br />
1998. A 1997 proposal to turn off some of the lighting and only leave them on at interchanges, due to<br />
severely tight budgets, was dropped due to safety concerns. Metro was planning to demolish the east end<br />
of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> from the Don River to Leslie Street, so the plan for the new lighting would<br />
now only stretch from the Humber River to just east of the Don Valley Parkway interchange. Opposition<br />
to these new lights existed, and some appeals against them were heard. Some people complained that they<br />
would be too bright and that the existing low pressure sodium was sufficient. Nevertheless, the first phase<br />
of lighting replacement for the Gardiner, around Humber Bay, was approved and carried out in 2000 with<br />
a combination of high and low mast high pressure sodium lighting. New high pressure sodium lights on<br />
black low mast poles were also installed on the new ramps at the new east end of the expressway at<br />
Bouchette Street after the section to Leslie Street was demolished. The remainder of the elevated<br />
expressway from Dufferin Street to the Don River continued to have low pressure sodium lighting, as the<br />
replacement was put on hold in 2002 due to the discussion of the possibility of burying the expressway.<br />
It was also decided in 2002 to install new shaded high mast high pressure sodium lighting on the section<br />
of the Gardiner across Etobicoke which had been transferred from the Province, formerly part of the<br />
Queen Elizabeth Way. This work was started throughout 2003. However, due to a problem with the<br />
manufacture of parts for these new lights, completion of this work was delayed until 2005.<br />
By 2004, no final decision had been made over the future of the elevated central Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>.<br />
Plans were still being discussed on whether to bury it or to leave it as it is and spruce it up and beautify it.<br />
However, in the meantime, maintenance on this section of the expressway would continue. During<br />
maintenance, the Toronto Transportation Department found that they could not get any more low pressure<br />
sodium lamps; so high pressure sodium lamps were installed into the existing poles between Dufferin<br />
Street and Strachan Avenue and at the Don Valley Parkway. When new low pressure sodium lamps<br />
became available again, the remaining low pressure sodium lighting on the elevated Gardiner between<br />
Strachan Avenue and the Don Valley Parkway would be maintained until a final decision on the future of<br />
this section of the expressway is made.<br />
Black Creek Drive and Highway 27 are controlled access arterial roads, so they are lit with regular high<br />
pressure sodium street lighting and Highway 2A has no lighting, as it is a rural expressway. Therefore,<br />
upgrading expressway lighting was only required on the Allen, Don Valley and Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>s.<br />
53
By 2005, uncertainty over the future of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> continued, so low pressure<br />
sodium lighting was retained for now on this section of the municipal expressway system. The total<br />
replacement of lighting on the rest of the three Municipal expressways would finally take over twelve<br />
years to complete due to budget constraints.<br />
The City of Toronto’s budget did not adequately cover all basic services, so the City had to come up with<br />
ideas to raise extra funds. This included a controversial plan to sell its street lights to help pay for basic<br />
services such as police and parks The deal would sell an undisclosed number of street lights and the poles<br />
they hang from to Toronto Hydro Street Lighting Inc., a subsidiary of Toronto Hydro Corporation, which<br />
is wholly owned by the City of Toronto. There are 160,000 lights on City streets in Toronto, half of which<br />
shine from City-owned poles. The other half hangs from Toronto Hydro poles supplying electricity to the<br />
City. On average, it costs $3,000 to erect each pole, plus $800 for the light, but they devalue over their<br />
40-year lifespan. The deal would also include the lights on the Don Valley Parkway, Gardiner
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PROVINCIAL TRANSFERS<br />
Although no new construction took place in the 1990's, the Metro roads system was expanded in a different<br />
way. This has been through the transfer of certain Provincial highways to Metropolitan Toronto's<br />
responsibility. This began with the Highway 400 Extension. The Provincial Government decided that within<br />
the boundaries of Metropolitan Toronto, it would only retain its 400-series freeways. Any stretches of<br />
smaller highways, constructed as arterial roads, would go to Metro. The Province constructed an arterial<br />
from the end of Highway 400 at Jane Street extending south to join Weston Road north of St. Clair Avenue,<br />
instead of extending Highway 400 as an expressway. This roadway was completed in 1982. In that year,<br />
Provincial Order-In-Council transferred the road to the Metropolitan Toronto street system and Metro<br />
renamed it as Black Creek Drive. With this, Metro gained control of the lands alongside Black Creek Drive,<br />
which were originally acquired by the Province for the 400 Extension as an expressway to Eglinton Avenue,<br />
as well as the valley itself. This means that Metro could build interchanges and turn Black Creek Drive into<br />
a full Metro expressway at some point in the future. Certain other Provincial arterial highways within Metro<br />
were originally planned to become freeways. However, these plans were abandoned so these roads were<br />
declared surplus and transferred to Metro. Highway 27 originally stretched from the Lake Shore north to<br />
beyond Steeles Avenue. In 1970, the Province reconstructed the section from the Queen Elizabeth Way to<br />
Highway 401 as Highway 427, a multi-laned freeway. North of Highway 401, the plans were changed.<br />
Originally, Highway 427 would have extended north along Highway 27, but due to property requirements, it<br />
was realigned to jog west and continue north in place of the Airport <strong>Expressway</strong> and Indian Line along the<br />
Etobicoke-Mississauga boundary line. Thus, the arterial Highway 27 was declared surplus.<br />
In the east of Metro, the arterial Highway 2, and Highway 2A which is a very short expressway extending<br />
west from Highway 401 to join Kingston Road at Highland Creek, were also declared surplus. Highway 2A<br />
would have been used to connect the east end of the now-shelved Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> to Highway<br />
401. The other stretch of freeway that the Province decided was surplus to their needs was the last stretch of<br />
the Queen Elizabeth Way from Highway 427 east to join the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> at the Humber River.<br />
This section was more suited to Metro's needs as part of the Gardiner than as a major Provincial highway.<br />
On January 1, 1996, the Province announced the transfer of Highway 27, Highway 2, Highway 2A and the<br />
Queen Elizabeth Way east of Highway 427 to Metropolitan Toronto. These transfers gave Metro an arterial<br />
highway in the far northwest; a short stretch of expressway in the east and the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> was<br />
lengthened by 6 km (4 miles) to the west. The Queen Elizabeth Way was added to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
and Highways 27 and 2A became municipal expressways. These highways needed repairs and some of the<br />
bridges, which date back to the 1950's, needed rehabilitation.<br />
Metro discovered that these highways were in very poor condition, so they asked the Province to delay the<br />
transfers and carry out necessary repairs to bring them up to standard. The Provincial Government agreed,<br />
and carried out the work. They also gave Metro 10 million dollars towards further repairs on these roads.<br />
The Province then officially transferred these highways to Metro on April 1, 1997. The province would now<br />
only keep its 400-series freeways within Metro's boundaries. Metro decided to rename some sections of<br />
these highways to make them fit in more with the Metro roads system. The Queen Elizabeth Way became<br />
part of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> because it was just a western extension of the expressway. The transferred<br />
part of Highway 2, in Metro's extreme eastern end, became part of Kingston Road. It was proposed to<br />
rename Highway 27 as Etobicoke Drive, but this was not carried out because Metro wanted to give it<br />
expressway status. The roads given to Metro by the Province would prove to be a strain on Metro's budget<br />
for many years to come.<br />
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DISMANTLING THE EAST END OF THE GARDINER EXPRESSWAY<br />
In 1971, four expressways in the Metro area came to abrupt and incomplete ends, prepared for extensions.<br />
These included the north end of the Don Valley Parkway, the east end of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, both<br />
ends of the then Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> and the south end of Highway 400. By 1997, all but one of these had<br />
been extended and finished off to some degree, though maybe not as originally planned. The exception was<br />
the east end of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, which, to that date, was still unresolved. By the mid 1990's,<br />
rehabilitation of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> was completed from the west end to the Don Valley<br />
Parkway. Metro was committed to repairing the last section of the Gardiner east from the Don Valley<br />
Parkway to the end at Leslie Street. This section was completed by 1966 to carry traffic over existing<br />
railway lines and was intended to connect to the proposed Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>, which would have<br />
continued to Highway 401. With the deletion of the Scarborough Transportation Corridor in 1994, Metro<br />
dropped its interest in extending the Gardiner further east. At that time, the Gardiner Extension still came to<br />
an incomplete end at Leslie Street, prepared for a further extension, with an unfinished structure. This<br />
temporary situation had become a permanent one.<br />
In 1996, Metro's budget was cut back to the bare essentials allegedly due to funding cutbacks from the<br />
Province, so Metro wanted to take a look at ways to save money. Metro's Transportation Department took a<br />
look at the east end of the Gardiner and decided it was time to replace the unfinished structure at Leslie<br />
Street with a permanent terminus. They were still committed to rehabilitation of this final section of the<br />
Gardiner and considered building new ramps at the end of it at Leslie Street in order to finish the<br />
expressway off into Lake Shore Boulevard and get rid of a traffic queue lining up to get on to it via a<br />
single-lane ramp. Jack Layton, Councillor for the area which this eastern piece of the expressway passed<br />
through, believed that since this section carried lower traffic volumes as the downtown section, it should be<br />
torn down as had been recommended by his Gardiner/Lake Shore task force a decade earlier. He felt that<br />
Lake Shore Boulevard could handle the traffic and that the boulevard could be transformed into something<br />
beautiful. He became Chairman of Metro's Transportation Committee and asked for a study on this section.<br />
A 1993 study stated that it cost $20 million more to dismantle the eastern portion of the expressway than to<br />
rehabilitate it if the costs were amortized over twenty years. The policy of council was to proceed with<br />
rehabilitation. Some repair work was done just east of the Don River. However, in 1996 when Metro was<br />
about to proceed with the next stretch of rehabilitation on the eastern Gardiner, Councillor Layton asked for<br />
a new study on whether it would be cheaper to dismantle it in the long run.<br />
The existing elevated structure in the east was deteriorating rapidly and needed attention urgently. A new<br />
study was initiated in 1996 and, this time, the cost figures would be amortized over fifty years. Four options<br />
were open to Metro. 1) They could retain and rehabilitate the existing structure, with possible improvements<br />
to the Leslie Street interchange to provide a proper expressway terminus, such as a new single lane on-ramp<br />
from Lake Shore Boulevard between Leslie Street and Coxwell Avenue. 2) Metro could demolish the<br />
elevated extension of the expressway from the Don River to Leslie Street and replace it with new double<br />
lane ramps descending into the middle of Lake Shore Boulevard, either east of the Don Valley Parkway<br />
near Carlaw Avenue or (3) west of it, near Cherry Street. Lake Shore Boulevard would then be widened and<br />
improved to the east to provide similar traffic capacity as the Gardiner Extension had carried. Finally, 4)<br />
Metro could demolish the Gardiner structure and provide no new ramps, requiring traffic to come on and off<br />
the expressway at Jarvis Street, further west. Demolishing the expressway and providing no new ramps was<br />
ruled out as unworkable. Placing the new ramps west of the Don Valley Parkway would be too dangerous<br />
due to the merging traffic from the Parkway. Therefore, it was decided that with the dismantling option, the<br />
new ramps would have to be east of the Don River, in the proximity of Bouchette Street, two blocks east of<br />
the river. After studying the situation, Metro officials decided that the most cost-efficient option was to<br />
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dismantle the expressway and build new double lane ramps rather than rehabilitate the expressway. It<br />
allegedly would cost $34 million to demolish and $48 million to rehabilitate, if these costs were amortized<br />
over fifty years. The rehabilitation cost would come to $54 million if the new ramps were to be added at the<br />
end of the expressway at Leslie Street. The recommendation was therefore to proceed with constructing a<br />
new eastern terminus for the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> with double lane ramps, but it would be located east of<br />
the Don River rather than at the end of the existing expressway structure at Leslie Street. The rest of the<br />
expressway from Bouchette Street, near the Don River, east to Leslie Street would be demolished. Lake<br />
Shore Boulevard, which ran beneath and beside the expressway, would be improved to accommodate<br />
additional traffic and it would also be landscaped. Rail spurs crossing Lake Shore would remain, but level<br />
crossing gates would be installed. It was generally felt that the lower traffic volumes on this section of the<br />
Gardiner did not warrant further rehabilitation costs, which would eventually include road deck<br />
replacement. It was agreed that an improved surface boulevard could handle the traffic, saving Metro further<br />
repair costs, and would supposedly open up green landscaping possibilities. Traffic flow would improve<br />
with double lane access and egress to and from the Gardiner instead of the existing single lane ramps at<br />
Leslie Street.<br />
Every ridiculous available argument was put forward as fact in support of demolition and it was even<br />
referred to as ‘dismantling’ which applies an ability to reconstruct, while the real agenda was to demolish it<br />
at all costs.<br />
Councillor Layton endorsed the ‘dismantling’ plan and even offered to have the demolition filmed.<br />
However, Metro Councillor Paul Christie and City Councillor Tom Jakobek, representing the Beach area<br />
further east, were far less enthusiastic about the idea. They were very concerned about traffic flow and its<br />
effect on the already-congested Beach area streets. Councillor Jakobek questioned how the study was done<br />
and where the cost figures came from. He wanted a more detailed study and more open discussion of the<br />
plan. The proposal would include traffic detours for Lake Shore Boulevard but would keep access and<br />
egress to and from the Gardiner open at all times. The new ramps would be built first and would merge with<br />
Lake Shore Boulevard just west of Carlaw Avenue. A widened and beautified Lake Shore Boulevard would<br />
then become the main thoroughfare to the east. 1.28 km (slightly less than 1 mile) of elevated expressway<br />
would be removed and the rebuilt Gardiner would slope down into Lake Shore Boulevard between the Don<br />
River and Logan Avenue. Metro Council approved the plan in 1997 and would complete it by 2003. It was<br />
delayed due to budget constraints until after Metro amalgamation in 1998. By no means was everyone<br />
happy with this proposal. Councillor Tom Jakobek, who became the new amalgamated City's first Budget<br />
Chief in 1998, was very opposed to the idea and was determined to stop it. He feared the possibility that<br />
more through traffic would infiltrate local streets after the expressway was removed. Public meetings were<br />
held and residents on both sides of the issue spoke up. The Gardiner East dismantling was meant to just<br />
provide a new permanent terminus for the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> at its east end because there was not going<br />
to be any Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>. It became a battleground for pro and anti expressway groups who saw it<br />
as a moral victory for either side. Work was due to begin in 1997, but was now delayed until late 1998 or<br />
1999. Opposition from angry residents, who believed that expressway traffic would use their local streets,<br />
was growing. This was the first time that residents had turned out to keep an expressway rather than<br />
preventing one. By spring 1998, the issue was still unresolved. The decision to tear down the eastern<br />
Gardiner was the last action on expressway development taken by the federated Metro council before the<br />
new amalgamated Toronto council took office on January 1, 1998. The new council would have to give the<br />
final approvals for the tenders for the dismantling project. Supporters of the project stated that approval had<br />
already been given, so therefore the new council was bound to rubber stamp it. However, opponents stressed<br />
that the old Metro council had approved it, and the new amalgamated council, which replaced Metro, could<br />
review the project, and even cancel it. Coincidentally, the City also planned to dismantle the Lawson Road<br />
58
idge over Highway 2A at the same time as dismantling the eastern Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. Toronto<br />
Transportation officials said that the bridge, which dated from the 1950's, was in poor shape and should be<br />
torn down and replaced with an at-grade intersection with traffic signals. It was the only grade separation<br />
over Highway 2A, located at its western end, near where it crossed Highland Creek. The timing of this<br />
proposal, to take place at the same time as the Gardiner East dismantling, was seen by road supporters as a<br />
deliberate plot to stop any possible revival of a possible future eastern expressway link by removing the two<br />
existing ends of the route where it could hook up to the completed highway network. This infuriated<br />
commuters and local residents more. Eventually, council voted to maintain and rehabilitate the Lawson<br />
Road bridge.<br />
The Metro Roads and Traffic Department, which had always produced an unbiased technical engineering<br />
standpoint, recommending road improvements as they saw a need, felt political pressure. This department<br />
came under intense attack as the "standard bearer for the automobile" from anti-road activists. In 1990, the<br />
name of the department was changed to Metro Transportation to make it sound more politically acceptable<br />
and to give the impression that roads were for cyclists and transit as well as for cars. The name became<br />
Toronto Transportation after the amalgamation of the Metro area in 1998. Engineers in this department<br />
highly endorsed the East Gardiner dismantling, stating that they wanted to "improve the urban character" of<br />
the area by ridding it of an old elevated structure and providing landscaping and bicycle and pedestrian<br />
paths, decorated with public art. This new politically acceptable attitude won favour with the<br />
anti-automobile and anti-road activists. However, it caused a backlash from commuters, trucking firms and<br />
pro-road groups, who saw it as a cave-in to a political minority. They had previously endorsed the work of<br />
the Transportation Department, but were now attacking the department for becoming too politically correct<br />
and accusing them of putting this above the long-term needs of the City. This caused pro-road activists to<br />
start to organize public opinion against the East Gardiner dismantling and to fight the issue at public<br />
meetings. They found themselves in the same position as their opponents against expressways had been in<br />
during the 1969 debate when they opposed the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> construction. The situation was now in<br />
reverse and the future of transportation planning in Toronto was again a controversial issue. A generation<br />
had passed since the anti-expressway revolt of the late 1960's and early 1970's and younger people were<br />
beginning to question the success of the transit priority in planning. Many people considered it to be a total<br />
failure because they saw rising traffic congestion, lower transit use, businesses fleeing the City and the<br />
existence of dangerous, overcrowded streets with impatient drivers. A bid by Toronto to get the Olympic<br />
Games in 1996 failed partly due to its inadequate roads. Some people began to talk of promoting another<br />
change of policy back to one of a balanced system of roads and transit, as had been the case in the early<br />
1960's. A compromise was even being put forward, which would provide new roads as by-passes to take<br />
through traffic out of neighbourhoods, so that local streets could accommodate more public transit and<br />
bicycle use. Former Toronto Mayor David Crombie, who headed Toronto's 2008 Olympic bid, strongly<br />
endorsed the east Gardiner dismantling plan. He wanted the proposed Olympic village to be located in the<br />
eastern Portlands, and he felt that a new landscaped boulevard replacing the elevated expressway would<br />
help to secure the Games for Toronto due to its beautifying the area. One of the biggest concerns with the<br />
dismantling project was the use of the railway lines crossing Lake Shore Boulevard. The proposal was to<br />
leave them in place. Metro staff stated that only two trains per week used them, so there would be little<br />
interruption of traffic. Councillor Tom Jakobek did not believe this, so he ordered an independent study<br />
done by the Toronto Harbour Commission. This study discovered that the Metro staff had insufficient data<br />
and that there were in fact over 20 trains using the crossings per week. The study also suggested a<br />
compromise plan to bring the expressway over the tracks by placing the new ramps east of Carlaw Avenue.<br />
Metro staff were embarrassed by the findings and promised further detailed study of the project. Any further<br />
decisions on this project were postponed until after amalgamation in 1998.<br />
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NEW HUMBER RIVER BRIDGES<br />
The bridges which carried the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and Lake Shore Boulevard over the mouth of the<br />
Humber River were obsolete and in need of replacement by the 1990's. The first of these bridges, which<br />
carried Lake Shore Boulevard and the eastbound Gardiner over the river, was constructed in 1935. At that<br />
time, it was built for traffic merging from the then soon to open Queen Elizabeth Way on to Lake Shore<br />
Boulevard. The Gardiner bridges, built beside it, were constructed in 1955 when work first began on<br />
building the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. At that time, these bridges were located at the end of the Province's<br />
Queen Elizabeth Way. However, in 1997, this section of the Provincial highway was transferred to Metro to<br />
become part of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, so no Provincial approval was now needed. Metro could proceed<br />
to rebuild or repair these bridges. The original bridge, built in 1935, was built on sediment, rather than solid<br />
bedrock, so the piles it stood on had sunk, producing a buckled roadway. This created a roller coaster-type<br />
of ride for the eastbound Gardiner traffic. This became known as the "Humber Hump", a huge bump in the<br />
middle of the roadway. Due to the age of these bridges and the buckled condition of one of them, Metro<br />
decided in the early 1990's to replace them entirely. Six new bridges at a cost of $30 million would be<br />
constructed by 2001, one at a time in order to keep the traffic flowing. The eastbound bridges would be<br />
replaced first, and then the westbound ones would be rebuilt afterwards. These were complimented by a<br />
new arch pedestrian bridge built at the mouth of the Humber River south of the Gardiner-Lake Shore<br />
bridges. On May 24, 1998, the new eastbound Gardiner bridge was opened and the old buckled one was<br />
demolished. The infamous "Humber Hump" was now history. The Humber Bridge replacement project for<br />
the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and Lake Shore Boulevard was completed by 2000.<br />
7. AMALGAMATION 1998 – 2006<br />
SIX MUNICIPALITIES BECOME ONE<br />
By the mid 1990's, Metro had come full circle. The federation had been created in 1953 because urban<br />
development of the City of Toronto was spilling over into the surrounding municipalities. At that time, there<br />
were thirteen municipalities in the Metro area. Frederick Gardiner, Metro's first chairman, was instrumental<br />
in getting these municipalities to work together and form a federation. Originally, full amalgamation was<br />
preferred and was desired by the City of Toronto, but the suburban communities objected, so a federation<br />
was formed as a compromise. Partial amalgamation occurred in 1966 when the thirteen municipalities<br />
within Metro were reduced to six. In 1974, the West Rouge area of Pickering, to the east, joined Metro as<br />
part of Scarborough in order to get better services. Twenty years later, most people were opposed to the<br />
continuation of a two-tiered municipal government. They felt over-governed and even voted in a<br />
referendum held by the City of Toronto to abolish Metro. By then, most of the Metro area was built up and<br />
development was spilling over into Metro's neighbours such as Mississauga, Markham and Pickering.<br />
However, a serious rift within Metro itself between the City of Toronto and the other parts of Metro was<br />
leading to Toronto considering leaving Metro. Duplication of services from both Metro and the local<br />
government was a concern. Complete amalgamation of Metro into one City might have prevented this rift,<br />
but the cities would not support this idea. Meanwhile, a provincial task force, led by Anne Golden, was set<br />
up to review the situation. This review recommended that Metro merge with its four neighbouring regional<br />
municipalities of Halton, Peel, York and Durham to form an enlarged federation called the Greater Toronto<br />
Area (GTA) in 1998. The proposed new federation would have its responsibilities altered to make it more<br />
acceptable. However, when the Progressive Conservatives returned to office in Ontario in 1995, municipal<br />
reform was one item on their agenda. They stated that a new system for Metro would be in place in time for<br />
municipal elections in 1997. They felt that a GTA government would be too big, so they dropped that idea.<br />
The government began to look at reforming Metro and leaving its boundaries intact. Two models were<br />
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offered. One would merge the Metro area completely into one City and the other kept a Metro federation,<br />
but with only four cities within it, absorbing York and East York into the larger cities.<br />
Former Toronto Mayor David Crombie headed a commission, which recommended complete amalgamation<br />
of Metro and the setting up of a board to oversee the whole of the Greater Toronto Area. Almost everyone<br />
wanted to rid the Metro area of duplication of services and high taxes. Many people wanted to retain the<br />
local councils, because they felt that they were good for neighbourhood issues. However, many others,<br />
including the Province and Metro, felt that the Metro area had been moving towards amalgamation into one<br />
government and that one set of services for the whole area was far more efficient. Therefore, the one City<br />
model was chosen. However, it was believed that a Greater Toronto Area Services Board to coordinate<br />
region-wide issues, including planning, was also necessary. Metro and the six local councils would be<br />
abolished and replaced by one City of Toronto, headed by a new Mayor. The surrounding regional<br />
municipalities of Halton, Peel, York and Durham could also be amalgamated into respective single cities<br />
eventually. The new unified Toronto and a Greater Toronto Services Board, headed by a chairperson, would<br />
oversee its surrounding regions. Metro expressways and all arterial and local roads would now be handled<br />
by a new City Works and Emergency Services Department. A new plan for the unified City would be drawn<br />
up which would replace the existing 1994 Metro plan.<br />
After much difficulty due to bad press from groups opposed to amalgamation, the Provincial Government<br />
passed the City of Toronto Act in 1997, which merged Metro and its consistent municipalities into one City<br />
of Toronto, headed, by a Mayor. The last Metro chairman, Alan Tonks, was appointed to head a transition<br />
team, which would lay out how the new government would work. In response to the opposition from some<br />
people to the amalgamated City, which opponents nicknamed "the Megacity", the Province agreed to set up<br />
community councils with the same boundaries as the six old cities to deal with very local issues. However,<br />
important region-wide issues such as transportation and planning would be dealt with by the new<br />
amalgamated City council. Elections were held in November 1997 and the new City was proclaimed on<br />
January 1, 1998. North York Mayor Mel Lastman was elected the first Mayor of the amalgamated City of<br />
Toronto. East York councillor Case Ootes became Deputy Mayor and East Toronto councillor Tom Jakobek<br />
became budget chief. The Council started with 56 members, but was reduced to 44 members in 2000. The<br />
number of Community Councils was also reduced from six to four.<br />
A NEW ROAD CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM<br />
By 1999, City of Toronto staff was putting together the Official Plans of the seven former municipalities of<br />
Metropolitan Toronto and creating a new Official Plan for the City of Toronto. It would be ready for<br />
adoption by 2001 and was meant to take a visionary long-term look at the City's future. With traffic<br />
congestion expected to double by 2021, transportation would be a major part of that Plan. Official policy to<br />
promote transit instead of roads was being upheld by some, and coming under attack by others. This would<br />
open up a whole new debate in transportation planning in Toronto by 2000, which will shape the City's<br />
future in the 21st Century.<br />
In 2000, a new classification system for the entire roads system for the amalgamated City was approved to<br />
be part of the new Official Plan to be adopted in 2001. It consisted of local, collector, minor arterial, major<br />
arterial roads and expressways. The Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, Don Valley Parkway, Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>/Road<br />
from Eglinton Avenue West to north of Wilson Avenue, and Highway 2A were recognized as municipal<br />
expressways because they were all grade-separated. Highway 27, Black Creek Drive and the northern Allen<br />
Road, from north of Wilson Avenue to where it joins Dufferin Street, were classified as major arterial roads<br />
because they had signalized intersections. These major arterial roads, however, are limited access highways<br />
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and are still considered parts of the municipal expressway system because of their high capacity function.<br />
Provincial 400 series highways are still referred to as freeways. The plan just confirmed situations which<br />
existed. The Allen Road had regained its expressway status, which was a reversal of previous policies.<br />
In 2001, the new City of Toronto draft Official Plan was available, which as far as transportation goes, stuck<br />
to the existing policies of providing no new roads and encouraging the use of public transit and other forms<br />
of transportation. It specifically recommended massive expansion of streetcar transit, involving taking away<br />
some road capacity from car drivers. After heated debate, Council adopted this plan in 2002. The old idea to<br />
extend Leslie Street south from Eglinton Avenue East to join the Bayview Avenue extension, which was in<br />
the previous 1994 plan, died because it was not included in the new Official Plan. The policies of the new<br />
Official Plan clashed directly with the trend of the public, which is towards more auto use, driving cars more<br />
and further. The Greater Toronto Services Board under its new chairman, Gordon Chong, a former City<br />
Councillor, was expected to ask the Province for more powers over the municipalities, including over<br />
transportation. Mr. Chong wished to tackle the problem of traffic congestion levels and wanted to see new<br />
road improvements. As traffic levels grow, problems, such as loss of business, road rage and accident levels<br />
also increase. This would only rekindle the debate over new roads and expressways. In July, 2001, Toronto<br />
lost the bid for the 2008 Olympic Games to Beijing, China, however the City pledged to continue the<br />
waterfront development plan with financial aid from the Federal and Provincial governments.<br />
A LAKE ONTARIO EXPRESSWAY<br />
In the early 1970's, two ideas had been put forward for a landfill causeway to be constructed about 1.5 km (1<br />
mile) offshore. One idea, put forward by Scarborough resident, Abel van Wyk, was for an in-filled landfill<br />
causeway stretching along the entire Toronto waterfront replacing the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and providing<br />
for an eastern connection. It would provide 50 square kilometres of new parkland and a new waterfront<br />
City. The other idea would just provide an eastern link by swinging around Scarborough only, coming off<br />
the east end of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. The plan would utilize mostly landfill, with some bridging and<br />
some floating sections. Constructing a causeway would involve traditional fill and some lake dredging. It<br />
would create a new waterfront which would carry an expressway around the City, keeping it away from<br />
neighbourhoods. It would also provide new waterfront parkland and would deflect the waves away from the<br />
Scarborough Bluffs, drastically reducing the erosion of the magnificent cliffs. However, this idea was not<br />
well received by environmentalists and would involve very high expense. This idea had been considered as<br />
an alternative to the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>, but was dismissed by Metro planners.<br />
In the 1990’s, then Toronto east-end City Councillor and Budget Chief Tom Jakobek was determined to try<br />
to find a solution to the severe traffic congestion in the east Beach area after complaints from his<br />
constituents about local streets becoming dangerous due to heavy through traffic.<br />
A Riverdale engineer, Kevin Walters, suggested, as early as 1985, that since the Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
was now defunct, a lake route was the only way to go. He stated that a landfill causeway and tunnelling was<br />
too expensive and disruptive, but a trestle-style bridge, similar to those built off the coast of Florida, could<br />
easily and inexpensively be built along the Toronto waterfront. He suggested using this bridging technology<br />
for almost the entire route. He would utilize the existing elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> through downtown<br />
because an inexpensive bridge could not be built across the harbour. His idea would construct a bridge<br />
across Humber Bay to eliminate the need to widen the western Gardiner, called the Humber Bayway, and to<br />
construct a bridge offshore from the Scarborough Bluffs to connect the eastern Gardiner with Highway 401,<br />
known as the Offshore <strong>Expressway</strong> or Offshore Extension. The route would have twin four lane bridges that<br />
would be 5 metres (15 feet) above the water level. Some sections could rise to 20 metres (60 feet) to allow<br />
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oats to pass. The route would be paid for by tolls and the sale of Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> lands.<br />
Councillor Jakobek and other Councillors liked the idea and wanted it studied in detail.<br />
CITIZENS' TRANSPORTATION ALLIANCE PLAN<br />
In 1998, Citizens for the Retention of the East Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> (C.R.E.G.E.), which was the grassroots<br />
citizens group fighting to retain the east end of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> which was scheduled for<br />
demolition, decided to come up with their own plan for Toronto. They began to merge with other transport<br />
lobby groups to form a coalition called the Citizens' Transportation Alliance (C.T.A.), in order to have a<br />
bigger voice. Engineers and planners within the group, which also included ordinary citizens, started to<br />
work on a transportation plan for the City which they felt would help to make Toronto's later-failed bid for<br />
the 2008 Olympics successful. Kevin Walters, the Riverdale engineer who had come up with the offshore<br />
bridge idea to extend the Gardiner, analyzed the entire City with the help of several other members of the<br />
group. Within six months, they had produced a plan which they felt would be politically acceptable. It was<br />
meant to be a compromise of both pro and anti expressway arguments. The plan showed expressway<br />
extensions only in existing vacant corridors along with arterial road extensions, an extensive subway<br />
network and a system of off-road bicycle trails. The transportation plan was renamed as ‘Get Toronto<br />
Moving’. This plan would not be taken seriously until the mayoral election of 2010.<br />
In 2003, Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman announced that he would retire from politics and not seek another<br />
term of office. The election of left-wing Councillor David Miller, endorsed by anti-Spadina activist Jane<br />
Jacobs, as the second Mayor of the amalgamated City of Toronto, and some new left-wing councillors, in<br />
November 2003, guaranteed that a pro-transit bias in Toronto’s planning, with no new road or expressway<br />
construction, would continue for the foreseeable future. The policy of transit priority on City streets would<br />
be pursued with road space being given over exclusively to transit. This also put the future of the elevated<br />
portion of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> in doubt.<br />
DON VALLEY PARKWAY CONGESTION<br />
In March 2001, Councillor Paul Sutherland, who represented the northern Don Valley area, put forward a<br />
proposal to widen the Don Valley Parkway by adding two new lanes in both directions. These would be toll<br />
express lanes. Drivers would pay $2.00 each way, but would have a quick route along the Parkway. This<br />
would, in effect, widen the Don Valley Parkway from six to ten lanes. It would cost about $200 million and<br />
could involve some major reconstruction of bridges and interchanges. The Ontario Municipal Employees<br />
Retirement Pension Fund would fund it. By 2001, the Don Valley Parkway was carrying 160,000 vehicles,<br />
when it was designed for only 60,000. Sutherland's plan represented the first new expressway expansion<br />
idea put forward by a municipal politician, since the stopping of expressway construction by Toronto in the<br />
mid-1970's. It met with expected opposition from anti-car downtown politicians, who wanted to improve<br />
only public transit and were worried about the effect a wider Don Valley Parkway would have on the Don<br />
River valley which it ran through. Motoring advocates, however, preferred the redirection of gasoline taxes<br />
by the Province into road building. However, there was general public support for Councillor Sutherland's<br />
plan because it represented a return to the direction of planning road improvements to handle increased<br />
traffic, rather than simply trying to encourage increased public transit use, which was not solving the traffic<br />
gridlock situation in the Toronto area. The Parkway plan would be controversial, but after thirty years, it reopened<br />
the issue of expressway building in Toronto, which would create a new transportation debate in the<br />
future. If approved, the Parkway widening plan could open the door for other new road proposals in the<br />
Toronto area. Councillor Sutherland's idea was soon followed by another suggestion by Councillor Chris<br />
Korwin-Kuczynski, from High Park in the west end. His idea was to place a $1.00 toll on the Gardiner<br />
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<strong>Expressway</strong> and the Don Valley Parkway and other major arterials during morning rush hour to get<br />
commuters to stagger the times of their travels in order to reduce rush hour congestion. It remains to be seen<br />
if these proposals would work and how acceptable introducing tolls on to existing municipal roads is to the<br />
general public. However, it will certainly prove to be a very controversial issue for municipal politicians.<br />
Meanwhile, the Province announced construction of new Provincial highways and widenings of existing<br />
ones around the Greater Toronto area as a way to tackle growing traffic gridlock.<br />
City staff and the transportation committee as being contrary to the City policy of encouraging public transit<br />
over cars quickly dismissed the Sutherland proposal for the Don Valley Parkway. The plan was even denied<br />
any type of City staff study. However, a private firm came forward and offered to do a detailed study on the<br />
Don Valley plan. Even this was narrowly rejected by City Council in a 20 to 16 vote. This has rekindled a<br />
new debate over expressways in Toronto. Paul Sutherland vowed to bring his Don Valley widening plan<br />
back because it did gain almost half of the Council’s support. Northwest-end councillor George Mammolitti<br />
also stated that residents in his area wanted to be able to drive downtown Toronto in twenty minutes. Thus,<br />
support for expressway building was becoming strong again as traffic congestion in the City got worse. A<br />
study called ‘Reducing Car Dependence’ released in 2001 as part of the new Official Plan, the first plan for<br />
the amalgamated City, recommended new transit initiatives to ease traffic, but no new roads. These<br />
developments only served to frustrate drivers who were seeking road improvements in the Toronto area to<br />
tackle the City’s growing traffic gridlock. Meanwhile an extension of Front Street west to join the Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> with a new interchange, located near Strachan Avenue, was approved as part of the waterfront<br />
development. This would be the only road improvement to be constructed for the time being.<br />
Reconstruction of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> into a surface and tunnelled road was recommended in<br />
the Official Plan, though a nearly $2 billion cost and anticipated disruption had made it highly unlikely.<br />
What did come of Paul Sutherland's Don Valley widening proposal was a study by the City of Toronto to<br />
look at various solutions to the growing traffic congestion on the Don Valley Parkway. The Don Valley<br />
Corridor Transportation Master Plan study was released in March 2005. However, true to City policy, it did<br />
not recommend any major road improvements. Instead, it recommended that express buses run along the<br />
shoulders of the Don Valley Parkway and along Don Mills Road, an arterial road which parallels the<br />
Parkway on the west side. It did include one small road extension, the Redway Road Extension, which<br />
would be a road for buses only. Councillor Jane Pitfield championed this plan, intended to reduce Don<br />
Valley Parkway congestion by enticing people out of their cars and on to express buses. It faced opposition<br />
from inner City neighbourhoods, whose residents saw new bus lanes and a road for buses only eventually<br />
being opened up to cars later and crowding at subway stations. It remains to be seen if a plan like this would<br />
have much effect. Councillor Michael Thompson, from Scarborough, introduced a new idea to have the City<br />
Transportation Department study possibly using the Canadian Pacific North Toronto Railway Line, which<br />
crossed the Don Valley Parkway north of Eglinton Avenue and went across north-east Scarborough, for<br />
transportation purposes, to include public transit, cycling, pedestrians and automobiles. This motion passed<br />
and opened up the opportunity for new road improvements in Toronto's northeast.<br />
TEARING DOWN THE ELEVATED GARDINER EXPRESSWAY<br />
One of the first actions of the new amalgamated Toronto council was to put in a bid to host the 2008<br />
Summer Olympic Games. David Crombie was appointed to head this bid. His plan included revamping the<br />
central portion of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> ostensibly in order to beautify the waterfront for the games.<br />
Since tunnelling the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> was too costly, Mr. Crombie proposed that the central portion of<br />
it be rebuilt as an eight-lane at-grade surface arterial, similar to University Avenue, which is a grand<br />
boulevard. However, this was not considered essential to the bid. Meanwhile, the Canadian Highways<br />
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International Corporation, which built the toll Highway 407, and the IBI Group, were preparing plans for<br />
rebuilding the Gardiner in an open trench between Dufferin and Jarvis Streets, paid for by tolls. Lake Shore<br />
Boulevard would be developed as a beautiful grand waterfront boulevard to run above it on the surface.<br />
Then Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman liked the idea and asked City staff to study it in October 1998. They<br />
noted that the Gardiner burial plan had many problems and questions, so a decision on it was deferred until<br />
May, 1999. The Province expressed an interest in reconstruction of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and this<br />
offended some local politicians. Councillor Howard Moscoe put forward a motion to give the Gardiner to<br />
the Province as a gift since they were interested in it. The motion passed City council, but was rejected by<br />
the Province. City Council also disliked the Gardiner burial proposals because the proposed tolls were<br />
unpopular and many drivers would switch to other streets to avoid the tolls, making it unlikely that the City<br />
would make any money from the plan. The Mayor went off the burial idea, which quietly died, for the time<br />
being, at least.<br />
On April 16, 1998, City of Toronto Council met to decide the fate of the eastern Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> from<br />
the Don River to Leslie Street. The proposal before them was to construct new two-lane off ramps,<br />
descending into Lake Shore Boulevard at Bouchette Street, half-way between the Don River and Carlaw<br />
Avenue. The rest of the elevated expressway structure east to Leslie Street would be demolished. A bicycle<br />
path, new pedestrian walkways and public art and landscaping would also be done. This was meant to create<br />
a beautiful boulevard which would be a pleasure to drive along, while going through a predominantly<br />
industrial area. The rail spurs, which crossed Lake Shore Boulevard, would be relocated from the median of<br />
the road to the north side. This plan, however, met with overwhelming opposition from South Riverdale,<br />
Beach and Scarborough residents led by a group called Citizens for Retention of the East Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> (C.R.E.G.E.). They feared that through traffic would infiltrate local streets and back up further<br />
east. The film industry, located in the corridor, also opposed the plan because they feared that the noise from<br />
demolition would disrupt their filming and that access to their area would be reduced, thus hurting their<br />
industry. Chlorine tankers on rail spurs crossing Lake Shore were also a worry. Dust from the demolition<br />
was also a serious health concern. C.R.E.G.E. came up with their own east Gardiner plan, which included<br />
full rehabilitation of the expressway, a new double on-ramp at Leslie Street, and all the greening and<br />
community improvements of the dismantling plan. The greening would be placed along the south side of the<br />
expressway structure, instead of along the north side as proposed. They felt that it would please everybody.<br />
However, City staff stuck to their ‘dismantling’ plan.<br />
The Council was divided on the issue. Therefore, Councillor Jack Layton, who represented the area which<br />
the eastern Gardiner went through, who was also feeling the heat of the opposition, decided to offer a<br />
compromise. He moved a motion to proceed with the plan, but to find a way for the traffic to by-pass the<br />
signal light at Carlaw Avenue. This might involve extending the new ramps further east over Carlaw<br />
Avenue, which was slightly more than half way between the Don River and Leslie Street. A revised design<br />
was drawn up, known as the "Alternative Plan" which included rehabilitating the expressway up to just west<br />
of Carlaw Avenue and then constructing the new double ramps over the Carlaw intersection to descend into<br />
Lake Shore Boulevard on the east side. Only the unfinished structure at the far east end of the expressway<br />
would come down. The urban character improvements, including the bicycle and pedestrian paths and the<br />
public art landscaping, would still be done. Meanwhile, $1.3 million worth of emergency repair work on this<br />
section of the Gardiner was carried out, as it could not wait any longer. The new compromise proposal<br />
pleased nobody other than a few politicians. Proponents of ‘dismantling’ still pushed for the original project,<br />
and opponents, who were in the clear majority, demanded the entire extension remain and that new ramps<br />
be built over Leslie Street at the expressway's existing east end. City staff insisted that the original plan with<br />
the ramps east of the Don River could be amended to mitigate the problems, so they dismissed the<br />
compromise plan. They also promised that noise and dust controls would be put in place. The local film<br />
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industry also opposed the compromise because it would have brought the ramps down in front of their<br />
studios, causing trucks to change gears, which would be very noisy. Their position was that the east<br />
Gardiner should either all stay up or all come down. The film industry tended to prefer that it all stay up to<br />
by-pass them.<br />
City staff came up with a "Community Improvement Plan" associated with the east Gardiner ‘dismantling’<br />
proposal, which would create a scenic area along the proposed new boulevard. Therefore, the issue was<br />
deferred until May 1999, so that it could be studied further. This would also coincide with a decision on the<br />
future of the entire Gardiner as a whole. Residential support for keeping the east Gardiner was signalling the<br />
end of the anti-expressway era in Toronto municipal politics, which had lasted since 1969. However, at its<br />
meeting on May 17, 1999, the City's Urban Environment Development Committee heard over sixty<br />
deputants on the east Gardiner issue, who were 2 to 1 in favour of demolition. Councillor Jack Layton, who<br />
called in as many anti-expressway activists as possible and packed the meeting, had arranged this. This gave<br />
the committee the false impression that the public had turned around and now supported the demolition.<br />
They wrapped up their involvement in the issue by voting 7 to 1 for the original plan of full demolition. The<br />
lone opposing vote came from Scarborough councillor Ron Moeser, who wanted new ramps at Leslie<br />
Street.<br />
At this point, the final decision rested with Council. Councillor Tom Jakobek, who was very disappointed,<br />
but not discouraged, continued to push for the compromise option. Supporters continued their campaign of<br />
telephoning the Mayor and Councillors and alerting drivers entering the Leslie Street ramp. The decision<br />
would be made at a meeting of Council held from June 9 - 11. Rumours went around that Council was split<br />
with downtown members being primarily pro-demolition and suburban members being prominently proretention.<br />
The prediction was that the decision would be very close. The issue which was meant to be very<br />
easy for anti-Gardiner activists, turned out to be extremely controversial due to the concern by commuters<br />
over traffic congestion in the City. On June 10, 1999, Council met to finally decide on the fate of the east<br />
Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> once and for all. A motion to retain the extension put forward by Scarborough<br />
Councillor Norm Kelly was defeated. Another motion to revive the compromise plan of ramps east of<br />
Carlaw Avenue was put forward by Beach Councillor Sandra Bussin and was also defeated. Council,<br />
pressured by Mayor Lastman’s staff, finally ended the issue by voting 44 to 8 to proceed with the original<br />
plan of demolition of the entire extension and building new double-lane ramps at Bouchette Street. A green<br />
boulevard would be created to the east, to replace the elevated extension. Sound barriers would be built to<br />
keep noise away from nearby film studios. Demolition work would begin in 2000 and the project would be<br />
completed by 2002. However, Beach Councillor and City Budget Chief Tom Jakobek vowed to continue to<br />
fight for retention of the expressway extension within the one year it had left of existence. As far as most<br />
councillors were concerned, Toronto had dealt with its last major expressway issue and would now<br />
concentrate on expanding public transit.<br />
John Sewell, who had been an anti Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> activist, urban reformer and Mayor of Toronto from<br />
1978 to 1980, put forward an idea to deck over the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> in the west end. The<br />
Gardiner/Lake Shore Task Force had originally looked at this idea in 1980. It would involve the stretch of<br />
the expressway in Parkdale, between Dowling Avenue and Dufferin Street, where the elevated section came<br />
down on to the surface to continue west around Humber Bay, at the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds.<br />
This stretch actually went below grade into a ditch and several streets, including westbound Lake Shore<br />
Boulevard and Jameson and Dunn Avenues, passed over it. The plan would involve decking over the<br />
expressway in this area, and the railway lines on the north side, to create a tunnel. Then a new residential<br />
area would be constructed on top. The developer would have the air rights to build over the expressway.<br />
This was also part of the original plan to bury the Gardiner put forward by engineer Bill Teron. It was meant<br />
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to reunite the Parkdale neighbourhoods with the waterfront. Local councillors Chris Korwin-Kuzcinski and<br />
David Miller also endorsed it. John Sewell urged that the idea be studied in detail by City transportation and<br />
planning staff. Council agreed to do so and approved the study along with the demolition of the eastern<br />
Gardiner. City Council was starting to act on a 15-year desire by downtown politicians to reshape the City's<br />
waterfront by revamping the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. The proposal to privatize the expressway by burying it<br />
as a toll road had been dropped, but discussion of it would go on in some circles. The new eastern terminus<br />
of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> at Bouchette Street opened in January 2001, and the demolition of the eastern<br />
leg of the expressway to Leslie Street was completed by June 2001. By the end of 2002, the new rebuilt and<br />
landscaped Lake Shore Boulevard East was completed. Some of the east Gardiner’s support columns near<br />
Leslie Street were retained and rehabilitated as ‘public art’, as the Gardiner/Lake Shore Charette had<br />
recommended years before. Councillor Jack Layton proudly proclaimed that Toronto was the first Canadian<br />
City to take down a major expressway.<br />
In November, 1999, then Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman had announced a major waterfront regeneration plan,<br />
with the backing of the Provincial and Federal Governments, which called for the gradual removal of the<br />
entire elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> from east to west. The benefits of such a plan seems extremely low, so<br />
it remains to be seen if these plans will ever be implemented. City staff, who backed taking down the east<br />
Gardiner opposed the removal of the rest of it. They stated that the projected figures of $1 billion to bury the<br />
central Gardiner and $1/4 billion to just take it down were very much underestimated, and that a road of the<br />
same capacity for over 200,000 vehicles would always be needed. After dismantling the section east of the<br />
Don River, the next section from the Don River west to Parliament Street could possibly be dropped to<br />
ground level, as the lower Don was redeveloped. In April, 2000, the final report of the Waterfront<br />
Revitalization Task Force, headed by Dr. Robert Fung, was issued. It recommended tearing down the entire<br />
elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and replacing it with a buried section past Fort York in the west end from<br />
Strachan Avenue to Spadina Avenue and a surface arterial road east from Spadina Avenue. This would<br />
involve two parallel one-way arterial roads connecting the proposed buried section with the new terminus<br />
east of the Don Valley Parkway. This would be paid for by private investment and would be a toll road.<br />
This proposal did not go down too well with commuters. A flood of opposition came in. Many people,<br />
particularly those who used the expressway, were furious at the prospect of losing it and the Mayor's office<br />
was swamped with angry telephone calls. The idea was eventually dropped as too costly and unpopular.<br />
Meanwhile, Toronto was preparing its bid for the 2008 Olympic Games. On April 14, 2000, major<br />
reconstruction began on parts of the central Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. Repair crews replaced the road deck on<br />
the central Gardiner between York and Jarvis Streets. A completely new road deck would last for another<br />
thirty years before any more repairs would be necessary. Planners said that the future of the elevated<br />
Gardiner was an issue which had to be resolved soon. In June, 2001, the Fung plan for the central Gardiner<br />
was revised by City staff to include a through tunnelled expressway from Strachan Avenue to Jarvis Street<br />
and a surface section from Jarvis Street to the new eastern terminus at Bouchette Street. This plan was to be<br />
entrenched in the new 2002 Official Plan. The estimated cost was put at $1.8 billion, without imposing tolls.<br />
In February 2003, City Council gave overwhelming approval to the Front Street Extension, which would<br />
now stretch from Bathurst Street to Dufferin Street, including a new interchange with the Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong>. It was expected that this extension would take some traffic off the congested Gardiner and<br />
from some of its off-ramps at Spadina Avenue and York Street. At the same time, Council rejected a plan to<br />
undertake the environmental assessment on burying the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. It also rejected a<br />
planned major study to look at all of the options for the future of the central Gardiner, including both<br />
burying it and keeping it up. Instead, Council decided to look at ways of prettying up the elevated<br />
expressway. After much opposition to these projects from the anti-expressway movement in Toronto,<br />
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Council still went ahead and voted to increase road capacity by maintaining the Gardiner and building the<br />
Front Street Extension. This was due to a strong collective suburban vote.<br />
Architects John van Nostrand and Calvin Brook came up with a plan to beautify the elevated Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> which would involve moving Lake Shore Boulevard out from under the Gardiner, getting rid of<br />
five of the thirteen on and off ramps and then the freed-up space would be turned into something quite<br />
grand. It could be used for restaurants, shops, open air markets, artist studios, pedestrian malls and public<br />
parks, with lights streaming down from the highway and ivy and other greenery reaching skyward, covering<br />
the supporting pillars. The entire project would cost $500 million. A detailed study of this plan was<br />
presented to Council for consideration before the November 2003 election.<br />
A modified Gardiner burial plan had been put forward in February 2003 by a University of Toronto study<br />
group, called Option 8A, which proposed putting the eastbound lanes of the elevated expressway<br />
underground from Bathurst Street to Rees Street, just west of Spadina Avenue. The eastbound Gardiner<br />
would end at Rees Street and join with eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard, which would be expanded to six<br />
lanes. East of Yonge Street, one or two lanes would branch off Lake Shore Boulevard on the left side to a<br />
natural embankment alongside the railway tracks, leading to the Don Valley Parkway. The westbound lanes<br />
of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> would remain elevated in the east end and would go underground at York Street<br />
and then re-emerge at Spadina Avenue, where they would run parallel to Lake Shore Boulevard.<br />
This option of burying sections of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> has been considered by the Toronto<br />
Waterfront Revitalization Corporation as the most viable plan for taking down the Gardiner while providing<br />
wide streets, green spaces, easy access to the waterfront and accommodating traffic volume. The study<br />
group claimed that this plan would slow the drive into Toronto on the Gardiner by only two minutes.<br />
However, currently traffic can get across the waterfront at 90 km/h on the existing expressway, and under<br />
this plan, it would be reduced to 70 km/h in the tunnelled sections and 50 km/h on Lake Shore Boulevard in<br />
the downtown core. The plan would cost $1.8 billion and take six to seven years to complete. The new<br />
council of Mayor David Miller, elected after November 2003, would now have to choose from three options<br />
for the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> – burying the entire downtown portion of the expressway as<br />
originally proposed, burying sections of it in Option 8A or keeping all the expressway up and beautifying it.<br />
DEMOLITION OF THE EASTERN GARDINER EXPRESSWAY IN 2001<br />
COLUMNS OF THE DEMOLISHED EASTERN GARDINER RETAINED AS PUBLIC ART<br />
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Meanwhile, the demolition of the eastern Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and the transformation of the eastern Lake<br />
Shore Boulevard into a landscaped urban boulevard with green space and a bicycle path were nearing<br />
completion. Council had been told in 1997 that the project would cost $34 million to demolish and<br />
landscape, but $48 million to rehabilitate the eastern portion of the expressway. However, the final bill<br />
was $10 million more, coming in at over $44 million for the demolition and landscaping. Toxic soil had<br />
to be removed which added even more to the bill. The promise of saving $14 million over 50 years by<br />
demolishing this section of the expressway simply did not come true. Also, the landscaped boulevard did<br />
not look as beautiful as the City had envisaged, instead it was just a surface highway, with few strolling<br />
pedestrians or cyclists nearby. A traffic study released in 2005 showed that tearing down the eastern leg<br />
of the Gardiner reduced traffic on Lake Shore Boulevard by 30 per cent because it diverted that traffic on<br />
to other local streets, including 26 per cent more traffic on nearby Eastern Avenue. Thus, removal of the<br />
two-kilometre end piece of the expressway put more traffic on to other local neighbourhood streets, just<br />
as opponents of the demolition had predicted.<br />
The Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> was slowly disappearing from the east. In 1994, the proposed extension across<br />
Scarborough was deleted from the City’s plans. Between 1999 and 2002, the City of Toronto had<br />
demolished the eastern leg of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> from the Don River to Leslie Street and<br />
replaced it with a new set of ramps and an upgraded Lake Shore Boulevard. By 2004, a similar plan for<br />
demolishing the next section of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> from the Don River to Jarvis Street was brought<br />
forward. Meanwhile, on June 9, 2004, the Canadian Automobile Association adopted the Citizens’<br />
Transportation Alliance plan and called it the ‘Mobility Express’. It was launched at a press release at City<br />
Hall. The CAA polled its members on the plan and support was very high, ranging form 60 to 80 per cent<br />
support for the individual proposals. However, it went nowhere with the Toronto politicians and was<br />
dropped by the CAA in August 2005. The Citizens Transportation Alliance, a private group of<br />
transportation professionals, continues to pursue it, but without the Offshore highway proposal which met<br />
with much public opposition.<br />
In November 2004, the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp. (TWRC) released its five-year<br />
development strategy/governance reform package and put the finishing touches on a proposal to tear down<br />
the now eastern portion of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, from the Don River to Jarvis Street, and replace it with<br />
an eight-lane surface boulevard. It's an idea on which Mayor David Miller campaigned during the 2003<br />
municipal election. Ramps built along the south side of the railway embankment south of Front Street would<br />
connect the thoroughfare with the Don Valley Parkway.<br />
Since 2002, the debate over the future of the Gardiner has seesawed between two starkly different, and<br />
intensely controversial, configurations. One was a complicated $1.8-billion proposal that involved<br />
demolishing the Gardiner from the CNE, in the west end, over to Cherry Street, near the port lands. The<br />
expressway would be replaced with a complex network of broad boulevards and buried sections, with ramps<br />
linking the surface and subsurface roads. The other option - devised by a pair of well-respected Toronto<br />
architects - left the elevated highway in place but aimed to "beautify" it. Various ideas for improving the<br />
appearance of the underside included removing several off-ramps, shifting Lake Shore Boulevard out from<br />
underneath the Gardiner and developing warehouse-style buildings below the expressway.<br />
Proponents of demolition believed that removing the crumbling structure would eliminate a huge<br />
psychological barrier and trigger waterfront redevelopment. In the spring of 2003, however, City council<br />
balked at approving the TWRC's $20-million request to conduct an environmental assessment on the<br />
demolition option, and instructed the agency to spend a year fine-tuning the alternative.<br />
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None of these ideas could see the light of day, however, until the City, the Province and the Federal<br />
Government completed their "governance review" of the TWRC, which nearly went bankrupt in 2004. The<br />
development corporation - jointly controlled by the three levels of government and armed with a mandate to<br />
redevelop large swaths of the City's waterfront - operated under highly restrictive provincial rules that<br />
prevented it from buying and selling land or issuing debentures to finance projects. The TWRC officially<br />
released its reform proposals, plus a $224-million menu of parks and housing projects, in November 2004.<br />
The formal review by the three levels of government was expected to be completed by the end of the year.<br />
Only then will detailed proposals for the Gardiner, and other major waterfront projects, be released.<br />
Meanwhile, City Transportation officials were ready to award contracts for major repairs to the elevated<br />
Gardiner. A final decision would have to be made some time in 2005.<br />
The plan to take down the elevated expressway included the construction of an extension of Front Street to<br />
connect to the expressway at the Canadian National Exhibition grounds in order to take some of the traffic<br />
off the Gardiner. The expressway would then be buried underground, but would be narrowed from six lanes<br />
to four and become just a through route. The traffic heading into downtown could use the Front Street<br />
Extension to access the City from the west. In January 2005, the City of Toronto Works Committee refused<br />
to support funding for the proposed Front Street Extension, effectively killing it for the time being. A report<br />
outlining the options for the elevated part of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> would be presented to Council later<br />
on in 2005 and, hopefully, a final decision on the future of this part of the expressway would be made.<br />
Downtown Councillor Joe Pantalone was determined to revive the Front Street Extension in order to<br />
encourage Council to support the burial of the expressway. However, this now looked doubtful with the<br />
Works Committee vote. The issue would have to wait until the Gardiner report was debated later in the year.<br />
In 2005, the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation would present various alternate proposals for<br />
the future of the elevated portion of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> to City Council for consideration. One of<br />
those proposals looked at keeping the western leg of the seven-kilometre (4.5 mile) structure intact, while<br />
tearing down the three-kilometre (two mile) segment east of Yonge St. Another proposal, put alongside two<br />
previous plans to tear down the entire raised roadway, would look at removing some of the Gardiner's<br />
downtown area ramps only, thus keeping the elevated expressway mostly as an express route only. The<br />
ramps start at grade and go up 40 or 50 feet (12 to 15 metres) high in a long slope. Some people believe that<br />
they present quite a barrier for a lengthy horizontal distance. Both of the partial demolition schemes would<br />
remove the need to bury large portions of the expressway. Given that all tunnelling plans put forward before<br />
had been linked specifically to the demolition of the roadway's busy western segment, between Dufferin<br />
Street and the downtown, a hugely expensive and disruptive dig would likely be avoided under the new<br />
plans. The huge volumes of traffic carried on the segment of Gardiner west of Yonge Street would have to<br />
be shifted, in part, underground because surface roads could not carry the entire load. The most expensive<br />
part of any proposals ever looked at was tunnelling in the western section.<br />
Most transportation experts agreed, however, that any plans to alter the Gardiner would not proceed if the<br />
City killed the proposed $255 million extension of Front St. Toronto's works committee voted<br />
unanimously in January, 2005 to oppose the two-kilometre extension, which would curve down from<br />
Front's current Bathurst St. terminus to link up with the Gardiner near Dufferin. A subsequent survey of<br />
45 of Toronto's 46 City councillors showed a majority would vote down the project, which had been<br />
planned for two decades, but had ballooned in cost by some $85 million between 2002 and 2005. The<br />
extension, which was approved as one of four projects meant to kick-start waterfront revitalization, was<br />
key to any Gardiner work. The only option looked at regarding the Gardiner that doesn't require the Front<br />
Street extension would be to do absolutely nothing to the expressway. Some of the inbound traffic from<br />
the west would have to be taken off in order to make any changes of substance to the Gardiner. The<br />
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Federal and Provincial Governments and the City agreed in 2001 to each pick up a third of the cost of the<br />
extension, which would bleed off downtown traffic that traditionally would have used the Gardiner.<br />
While the City had soured on Front Street as its costs skyrocketed, the extension was still considered to be<br />
necessary for any Gardiner demolition project. The <strong>Expressway</strong>, which had been at capacity since the<br />
1970s, carried some 200,000 cars a day by the 2000’s, with a large majority travelling to and from the<br />
western City and regions. And 80 per cent of those riding the roadway during rush periods were destined<br />
into or out of the downtown area. Thus, any project that would alter the Gardiner's carrying capacity<br />
would likely require another downtown route to be built. It was considered almost critical to have<br />
something like Front Street to be able to consider major alterations to the Gardiner in any other form.<br />
West of Bathurst Street, the area marked out for the Front Street extension was virtually the only space<br />
left available for a new downtown route. The one leading factor that Front Street had is that a lot of it<br />
would be built on unused and unusable space.<br />
Some eight plans to revamp the Gardiner were developed by various agencies in 2003, including<br />
proposals to beautify the structure with lighting or sub-span shops and galleries. But the next proposal the<br />
City would look at likely would involve tearing part of it down. Since 2000, two major dismantling plans<br />
had been tabled, both of which would take the entire roadway down and drive large segments<br />
underground. These proposals would cost between $1.2 billion and $1.8 billion. Important parts of those<br />
plans would have to be incorporated in any new demolition proposal. Any move to demolish the now 40-<br />
year-old elevated roadway's eastern segments would have to be accompanied by new or bulked-up<br />
connections to the Don Valley Parkway. The City likely would have to build a roadway running from<br />
downtown to the Don Valley Parkway along the top of the raised railway berm on the north side of Lake<br />
Shore Boulevard. As well, enhanced connections between the Parkway and Richmond and Adelaide<br />
Streets would have to be built, to bleed downtown traffic off the Don Valley Parkway that would<br />
normally have come down to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. In February 2005, Councillor Jane Pitfield<br />
introduced a motion to City Council to settle the elevated Gardiner issue by putting it to a public<br />
referendum. This motion was narrowly defeated by a 22-17 margin.<br />
In April 2005, Jose R. Gutierrez, a Chilean-born engineer living in Toronto, put together a different new<br />
and innovative proposal to replace the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. His proposal would build a stateof-the-art<br />
ten-lane cable-stayed bridge, known as the Toronto Waterfront Viaduct, above the railway lines<br />
just north of the existing Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> at a cost of approximately $1.65 Billion. It would involve<br />
an aesthetically pleasing modern bridge design used all over the world, with a bridge deck held up by<br />
single towers with cables in a Christmas tree design. There would be no columns like the existing<br />
elevated Gardiner. It could be built alongside the existing expressway, which would be demolished after<br />
the new one was completed. It would run from near Dufferin Street to the Don Valley Parkway and Lake<br />
Shore Boulevard East. It would also contain a similar number of access points to the existing old elevated<br />
expressway. This plan would involve no land acquisition and would combine two transportation corridors<br />
(the railway lines and the expressway) into one, thus allowing the land further south that the existing<br />
expressway stands on to be opened up for development. The new expressway would be almost double the<br />
capacity of the old one, thus eliminating the heavy traffic congestion that the existing expressway<br />
experienced. A share of the gasoline tax or a very modest toll of about one dollar could pay for the plan.<br />
This plan was eagerly endorsed by many candidates for Council in the 2006 municipal election.<br />
In October 2005, the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (T.W.R.C.) completed an initial<br />
report on the future of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. It recommended retention and beautification of<br />
the expressway west of Yonge Street and removal of the elevated expressway east from Yonge Street to<br />
the Don Valley Parkway to allow for redevelopment of the eastern waterfront. In this section, the<br />
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expressway would be replaced by an upgraded eight-lane Lake Shore Boulevard. The Don Valley<br />
Parkway would meet the new Lake Shore with traffic signals instead of ramps. The cost estimates put<br />
forward put retaining and rehabilitating the elevated structure at $125 million for the next decade;<br />
removal and upgrading Lake Shore Boulevard at $500 million; while burying the expressway would cost<br />
over $2 billion. Retired Toronto Roads Commissioner Sam Cass came out publicly and denounced the<br />
idea of removing part of the elevated expressway through the downtown and predicted that it would have<br />
to be put back up within a few years. Mayor David Miller asked the T.W.R.C. to do a detailed report on<br />
the cost estimates and business case for the various options for the future of the elevated Gardiner.<br />
In November 2005, Councillor Howard Moscoe asked the Province to take back their former portion of<br />
the Gardiner across Etobicoke (formerly part of the QEW), but the Provincial Minister refused, stating<br />
that the Province would give the City new powers to raise funds. By now, the City of Toronto was in<br />
debt; its scheduled road repairs were behind by $300 million by the end of 2005. Finding an extra $500<br />
million to demolish part of the elevated expressway and replace it with an upgraded boulevard would be<br />
very difficult for the City budget and the Provincial and Federal Governments would unlikely put money<br />
towards it. The idea was also very politically controversial. Even Mayor David Miller, who had<br />
championed the idea of removing this section of the expressway during the 2003 municipal election,<br />
stated that if a business case for it could not be made, then it should not happen. The extravagant cost of a<br />
project which would be very disruptive to traffic and would not bring transportation benefits at a time<br />
when the City budget was tighter than ever seemed to doom the project. It is now fairly evident that at<br />
least the western half of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> through Toronto’s downtown will remain a<br />
permanent fixture.<br />
In December 2005, City Council approved a plan in its capital budget to gradually clear up the backlog of<br />
road repairs in the city over a ten-year period. Thus, this issue was finally addressed after City staff<br />
warned that the backlog would grow to a staggering $700 million within ten years. Meanwhile, antiexpressway<br />
rhetoric continued in Toronto. On May 18, 2006, Mayor David Miller fired one of the canons<br />
at old historic Fort York towards the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, showing his commitment to tearing<br />
down the structure. He also planned to introduce tolls on the remaining existing municipal expressways in<br />
Toronto. On June 2, 2006, a party to celebrate the 35 th anniversary of the cancellation of construction of<br />
the Spadina (William R. Allen) <strong>Expressway</strong> in 1971 was held. The upcoming municipal election would<br />
offer two very different visions for the future of Toronto. One would be the continuation of opposition to<br />
expressways and a dominance of public transit led by Mayor David Miller and the other would be support<br />
for balanced transportation including new roads and transit led by Councillor and Mayoralty candidate<br />
Jane Pitfield. The Mayor also wanted to deliberately keep the TWRC final report on the future of the<br />
elevated Gardiner quiet until after the November 2006 municipal election due to its controversial nature.<br />
However, pressure from other politicians and the media eventually prevented this.<br />
8. EXPRESSWAYS TO BOULEVARDS 2006 – Present<br />
Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> Environmental Assessment and ‘The Great Street’<br />
In January 2006, Councillor Jane Pitfield announced that she would stand against David Miller for Mayor<br />
of Toronto in the November 2006 municipal election. Meanwhile, a decision on the Toronto Waterfront<br />
Revitalization Corporation’s recommendation on the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, thus on the future of the<br />
elevated section of the expressway, was delayed until the summer of that year due to the municipal<br />
election. City staff warned that a decision had to be made soon as they needed to carry out major deck<br />
repairs to the eastern half of the elevated structure within a year.<br />
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Traffic gridlock in Toronto continues to grow. The Ontario Progressive Conservative party, now in<br />
opposition, set up a task force on traffic gridlock and was expected to produce their final report in the<br />
Spring of 2006. ‘Get Toronto Moving’ plan authors made a presentation to this task force in December<br />
2005 and were very well received. It was recommended that the proposed Scarborough Highlands<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> along the Gatineau Hydro Corridor in Scarborough become a Provincial Highway 448<br />
extending eastwards to Highway 407 in northern Pickering and that Black Creek Drive be upgraded as<br />
part of the Province’s Highway 400, and be extended southeasterly to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> along a<br />
major CN/CP rail corridor known as the Allendale route. This plan was finalized in March 2008.<br />
Meanwhile, the governing Provincial Liberals announced the creation of the Greater Toronto<br />
Transportation Authority (G.T.T.A.) which would be responsible for the construction and maintenance of<br />
roads and transit in the Greater Toronto Area, perhaps removing this responsibility from municipalities.<br />
On April 25, 2006, anti-expressway activist Jane Jacobs, who started Toronto’s major revolt against<br />
expressway construction in 1969, died. Her passing may signal the start of a new age of transportation<br />
thinking in Toronto. Mayoral candidate Jane Pitfield, while fighting to maintain the elevated Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong>, committed herself to a balanced transportation system of new roads and transit. Councillor<br />
Pitfield even consulted the ‘Get Toronto Moving’ plan for ideas for her transportation platform for the<br />
election campaign. With new and younger politicians getting elected, rush hour extended into three hours,<br />
traffic grinding to a halt, expressways carrying three times the amount of traffic they were designed for,<br />
rising public transit fares, a revival of highway improvements in Toronto is becoming possible, though<br />
cost is a major problem.<br />
The long-awaited $1-million T.W.R.C. detailed report on what to do with the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> was<br />
finally made public on September 27, 2006. It recommended that the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> should come<br />
down east of Spadina Avenue and be replaced with a 10-lane street, known as ‘The Great Street’ at a cost<br />
of $758 million as part of Toronto’s grand plans to transform the waterfront. This was one of four options<br />
looked at by the Corporation study. The reported stated that the tear down would "improve the quality of<br />
place". No business case was offered and all options required the proposed Front Street Extension.<br />
There were three suggested methods to replacing the torn-down section. ‘The Great Street’ as a 10-lane<br />
surface street with wide sidewalks and a generous median between Spadina and Cherry was preferred. It<br />
would diverge into two five-lane, one-way streets in the section between Simcoe and Jarvis Streets. It<br />
would be eight lanes from Jarvis Street to the Don River. The report estimated the cost from $490 million<br />
to $758 million and it would slow traffic more than other options. It was recommended that this option go<br />
to an environmental assessment. It was unclear whether the cost estimates had increased since the report<br />
was written. The report had been gathering dust at City Hall since July 2004 but was never publicly<br />
released, even to councillors. Mayor David Miller had said there was no point in making the report public<br />
because there were no plans for how to pay for the proposed changes. Two variations to accommodate the<br />
demolition of the Gardiner east of Spadina were also offered. One included building an underground<br />
route west of Spadina, which would benefit Fort York, railway lands and Harbourfront neighbourhoods.<br />
At an estimated $1.15 billion, it was far more costly. The third variation recommended a continuous<br />
eight-lane Lake Shore Boulevard from Jameson Avenue to the Don River, similar to University Avenue.<br />
Street crossings for pedestrians would be shorter than the other variations and costs would be slightly less.<br />
The ‘Great Street’ plan offered three alternatives:<br />
- Retain the existing elevated expressway west of Spadina Avenue and demolish it east of Spadina<br />
Avenue and replace it with the signalized at-grade boulevard.<br />
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- Replace the elevated expressway from Dufferin Street to Spadina Avenue with a tunnelled expressway<br />
underground and replace it with a signalized boulevard east of Spadina Avenue.<br />
- Replace all of the elevated expressway east of Jameson Avenue, west of the CNE grounds, with a new<br />
and wider signalized at-grade boulevard along Lake Shore Boulevard.<br />
The first option of retaining the elevated expressway west of Spadina Avenue, where it had the heaviest<br />
traffic levels, and just replacing it with a signalized at-grade boulevard east of Spadina Avenue with new<br />
ramps to the Don Valley Parkway was the cheapest option and was the one recommended to go forward.<br />
The three other options for the elevated Gardiner included:<br />
Do nothing - continuing to maintain the elevated expressway as it is at a cost of about $10 to $12 million<br />
a year and “the expressway would be sealed in place” by development.<br />
Replacement - would be a four-lane express road running underground from east of the proposed Front<br />
Street interchange to the north of Fort York from Strachan to Spadina. And to the east of the central area,<br />
a four-lane express road running on the railway embankment between Jarvis and Cherry, with Lake Shore<br />
Boulevard running alongside it. For the section between Spadina and Jarvis, there would be two five-lane,<br />
one-way streets, eastbound on the surface and westbound partly on the surface, and partly below grade.<br />
The cost would be from $1.4 billion to $2 billion.<br />
Retain and Ameliorate - involved keeping the upper structure of Gardiner, but removing some ramps.<br />
Under this option, the upper structure of the Gardiner would be kept since it does not restrict pedestrian<br />
traffic but Lake Shore Boulevard would be relocated and building below would be encouraged. Shops and<br />
a pedestrian mall would be built under the Gardiner at a cost from $500 million to $730 million.<br />
The report basically stated that this was the last chance to take down the Gardiner. If it was not done now,<br />
the expressway would be hemmed in by development and could not be removed. Mayor David Miller<br />
favoured the recommended ‘Great Street’ plan, but was sceptical about the costs stating that there was no<br />
money and no business plan. The plan suggested using part of the gas tax and tolls on other Toronto area<br />
expressways such as 427 or Don Valley Parkway to pay for it. However, this measure is very unpopular.<br />
When the report was released, the numbers were said to be already out of date as the report sat behind<br />
closed doors for two years. Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong fought to get the report made public and was<br />
eager to see it before the election. When it was finally released, 22 pages were suspiciously missing from<br />
it. Councillor Jane Pitfield, a mayoral candidate, preferring to retain and ameliorate the existing elevated<br />
expressway, promised to keep the Gardiner up and to hold a referendum on its future.<br />
The re-election of Mayor David Miller in November 2006 ensured that Toronto’s anti-expressway<br />
policies would continue until 2010. David Miller asked for a business case to be looked into before any<br />
decision would be made on the future of the Gardiner. He also stated that the city did not have the money<br />
for these options. A debate on the future of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> will eventually take place.<br />
In 2006, the Provincial Government of Ontario passed a new City of Toronto Act giving the city more<br />
independence from the Province. It gave the City more taxing powers and created a powerful mayor that<br />
could appoint an Executive Committee, much like a parliamentary cabinet. A major reaction to the<br />
reelection of Mayor David Miller and his NDP supporters on Council after November 2006 was the<br />
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formation of an opposition civic party known as the Toronto Party by two prominent lawyers. The party<br />
soon set up a transportation committee and asked the Citizens Transportation Alliance to sit on this<br />
committee and the ‘Get Toronto Moving’ plan, with its balanced transportation plan of both new roads<br />
and new transit, including one new expressway to the northwest and one new expressway to the east was<br />
adopted as policy by the new party. Thus, starting in 2007, a balanced transportation plan with new<br />
expressways had become the policy of the opposition on City Council. They had another four years to<br />
build up enough support to challenge the City’s official plan.<br />
The Provincial Government declared that all open City-owned space could now not be developed and<br />
must be kept as a greenbelt to encourage the maintenance of public open space in built-up areas. This<br />
meant that the remaining corridor lands in Etobicoke and Scarborough for the former Richview and<br />
Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>s would now not be developed and would remain open and in public ownership,<br />
rather than being developed as the City had planned, thus leaving the door open for reviving<br />
transportation plans in these corridors in the future. All of the Richview corridor between Highway 427<br />
and Scarlett Road was still open as a greenbelt, and most of the Scarborough corridor east of Midland<br />
Avenue, across the eastern half of Scarborough, would remain as a greenbelt. Only stretches of land that<br />
was privately owned could be developed, and there were only a few pockets of these. One piece of the<br />
Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> lands at the far eastern end of the route was developed as a new 43 Division<br />
Toronto Police Station. A new social housing project proposed to the south of it met with fierce public<br />
opposition. In 2007, a bicycle path was constructed along the continuous vacant Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
lands east from Midland Avenue to McCowan Road with a plan to continue as far east as Morningside<br />
Avenue. The Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong> had finally materialized in part as a route for bicycles and<br />
pedestrians. In 2007, formerly Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist visited Toronto and urged the city to tear<br />
down the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>. He stated that traffic would find its own way on the city street<br />
system. He had championed the demolition of a short elevated expressway in Milwaukee, however, it was<br />
not a heavily-used major through route like the Gardiner. Toronto Mayor David Miller continued to insist<br />
that the City of Toronto did not have the money to remove the elevated portion of the Gardiner and that a<br />
business plan should be done first. Controversy over the future of the elevated expressway would<br />
continue into the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, the City of Toronto introduced some unpopular new<br />
taxes, including an additional vehicle registration tax, which would be used for transit and roads. The city<br />
had a $300 million backlog of road repairs. Reducing it would be the top priority for roads. However,<br />
there were no plans by the City of Toronto to construct any new roads.<br />
In September 2007, the Royal Canadian Legion lobbied Mayor David Miller of the City of Toronto to<br />
have the Don Valley Parkway renamed as the Veterans Memorial Parkway in honour of fallen<br />
Canadianservicemen in past wars. This would be seen as the natural extension of the Province’s Highway<br />
of Heroes, named for Canadian servicemen fallen in recent conflicts, which is the section of Highway 401<br />
east from the Don Valley Parkway to Trenton, Ontario. However, a Veterans Memorial Parkway already<br />
exists in London, Ontario. No decision on this proposed renaming has yet been made.<br />
In February 2008, a key recommendation from Mayor David Miller’s six-member fiscal review panel<br />
called for the City of Toronto to look at transferring ownership of the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> to the Provincial Government in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of<br />
annual toll revenue. Panel members said that tolling would make sense if charges were applied to a “ring<br />
road” — on the Don Valley, the Gardiner and on the provincially-owned Hwy. 427 and Hwy. 401. It<br />
would then be up to the Provincial Government to introduce the technology required to hit drivers with a<br />
fee for using the highways which were maintained with tax revenue. The panel concluded that tolls could<br />
be placed on these highways to fund public transit to give drivers an alternative such as building more<br />
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subways, more light-rail systems within the city of Toronto. Mayor David Miller supported these<br />
recommendations, which if implemented, would see the City’s major expressways absorbed into the<br />
Provincial freeway system. The Canadian Automobile Association expressed its opposition to any new<br />
tolling system stressing that drivers already paid for the highways through their taxes. Many suburban<br />
Toronto councilors were also opposed to this measure as it would be unpopular with the public, especially<br />
after the introduction of a new vehicle registration tax by the City of Toronto only a month before. The<br />
Provincial Government was not supportive of placing tolls on existing highways but was undecided about<br />
whether or not it would consider taking over the City’s expressways. Also in February 2008, the City of<br />
Toronto approved an art project which represented the first attempt at beautifying the existing western<br />
portion of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> structure. A project called ‘Watertable’ by Toronto artists<br />
Lisa Steele and Kim Tomczak celebrated the fact that Toronto’s original Lake Ontario shoreline existed<br />
where the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> runs today. Lands south of the expressway are all landfill installed over<br />
the past 150 years. The project featured an interactive display of lights and sounds creating an imagery of<br />
waves. Censors that react to the wind made the light glimmer and move as well as sounds that echo<br />
crashing waves. This display was installed under the surface of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> in the<br />
vicinity of Fort York near Strachan Avenue in the Autumn of 2008. The project would make the ageing<br />
structure look quite spectacular.<br />
In May 2008, Waterfront Toronto (the former Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation) came out<br />
with a recommendation to demolish a 2.9 km stretch of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> from Jarvis<br />
Street east to the Don Valley Parkway. Mayor Miller, who belongs to that corporation, supported the<br />
proposal and expected it to be approved by Toronto City Council in July 2008. This eastern elevated part<br />
of the expressway would be replaced by a widened 8-lane Lake Shore Boulevard at an estimated cost of<br />
$300 million. If approved, the environmental assessment would take five years to complete and<br />
construction would take another three years for a total of eight years for the project which would rely on<br />
Federal and Provincial waterfront funding. The proposals to tear down the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
were getting shorter as years passed by. In 2000, Robert Fung proposal tearing it all down back to the<br />
CNE grounds. In 2006, the then TWRC recommended tearing it down east of Spadina Avenue only. In<br />
2008, the proposal had shrunk to east of Jarvis Street only. This was mostly due to the increasing costs of<br />
the proposals and the growing traffic levels on the Gardiner. Mayor Miller said it was ‘now or never’. If<br />
this section did not come down now, none of it will. Depending on funding, even this may not happen.<br />
The Front Street Extension was also cancelled guaranteeing that the western Gardiner would stay up. On<br />
July 16, 2008, after rigorous and controversial debate which pitted suburban councilors against downtown<br />
councilors, Toronto City Council approved spending $11 million on an environmental assessment of the<br />
eastern Gardiner teardown proposal (east of Jarvis Street only) by a vote of 30 – 11. Many amendments<br />
were made to the proposed assessment including even retaining the expressway link. However, funds to<br />
do long-term repairs to the section east of Jarvis Street would be withheld pending the review,<br />
guaranteeing that this section would deteriorate even more. Councillor Doug Holyday from Etobicoke,<br />
who fought the proposal, stated that the intent was to tear down the entire elevated expressway<br />
incrementally, one piece at a time. First, back to Jarvis and then later to Spadina or maybe the Exhibition.<br />
However, the proposal depended on funding from both of the Provincial and Federal Governments, which<br />
did not give any commitment. Also, the cost could escalate during the five-year assessment. One major<br />
concern raised was that the Gardiner-Don Valley freeway link would be lost and the Toronto ring-road<br />
system would be broken. However, proponents of the proposal stated that it would only add two minutes<br />
to travel time, which was yet to be proven. When the environmental assessment of the eastern Gardiner<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> was started in March 2009, four options would be considered: doing nothing, fixing up the<br />
elevated expressway and ameliorating it, replacing it with a new expressway either above or below grade<br />
and removing this section of the expressway and replacing it with a surface boulevard as recommended<br />
78
y Waterfront Toronto. The preferred alternative would be recommended to City Council by 2011. In<br />
addition to the environmental assessment of removing the eastern leg of the Gardiner, Council also<br />
approved a plan to remove the loop off ramp from the eastbound Gardiner at York Street and replace it<br />
with a simpler ramp that dropped straight down to a signalized intersection. This would involve just a<br />
simple ramp reconfiguration. The Bay Street on-ramp to the eastbound Gardiner would be removed also.<br />
In June 2009, an architectural firm called Quadrangle Architects put forward an alternate private proposal<br />
to maintain the entire elevated section of the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, but to greenroof it with a second deck<br />
above the expressway deck, which would contain parkland and trees at a cost of about $500 million.<br />
Waterfront Toronto agreed to take a look at this proposal in its environmental assessment of the Gardiner.<br />
ALTERNATIVE FUTURES FOR THE ELEVATED GARDINER EXPRESSWAY<br />
DRAWINGS OF RETAINING THE ELEVATED GARDINER EXPRESSWAY WITH AMELIORATION AND BEAUTIFICATION UNDERNEATH<br />
DRAWINGS OF THE ELEVATED GARDINER EXPRESSWAY REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH THE ‘GREAT STREET’ BOULEVARD<br />
LOOKING WEST AT YORK STREET AND AT JARVIS STREET<br />
The election of Mayor Rob Ford in 2010 changed the situation with the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>.<br />
The new mayor vowed to maintain all of the expressway and the environmental assessment looking at<br />
removing the section east of Jarvis Street was stalled. The new council elected in 2010 voted to spend $15<br />
million per year to fix and maintain the elevated expressway. New bases for the light poles were also<br />
installed and broken poles were replaced. After chunks of concrete had repeatedly fallen from the<br />
structure, independent inspectors were brought in to do an assessment of the state of the structure in 2012<br />
and they found that the deterioration was worse than City inspectors had previously admitted. The budget<br />
for repairs was immediately increased from $15 million to $35 million per year to bring the structure up<br />
to standard. Renewed debate on tearing down the structure was expected but it failed to materialize.<br />
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A total of $500 million would be spent over many years to repair the elevated expressway in sections<br />
from Dufferin Street to Jarvis Street. The environmental assessment looking at options of maintain,<br />
improve, replace or removal for the section east of Jarvis Street only was restarted.<br />
In February 2014, Waterfront Toronto and the City staff released their report on their findings for the East<br />
Gardiner EA study. Their recommendation, as expected, was for removal of the elevated expressway and<br />
its replacement with a landscaped 8-lane boulevard east from Jarvis Street. This was met with great<br />
scepticism by the City Works Committee and Cit Council. The staff even admitted that this option would<br />
increase traffic congestion in the Lake Shore corridor, but it had other benefits, particularly the<br />
availability of land for development with the removal of the expressway. The issue was deferred for one<br />
year to the Spring of 2015 by the City Public Works Committee for further study including keeping an<br />
expressway link while being able to develop lands from the removal of the existing structure. No decision<br />
would be made for another year.<br />
John Tory, elected Mayor of Toronto in 2014, proposed rebuilding the eastern section of the elevated<br />
Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> and realigning it closer to the Lakeshore GO rail corridor east of Cherry Street,<br />
known as the 'hybrid' option. It would swing into the Don Valley Parkway further north, closer to Eastern<br />
Avenue, thus eliminating the southward Don River sweep of the Gardiner at the Don Valley interchange.<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> access to Lake Shore Boulevard going east would be maintained. Eventually, it was<br />
decided to use the existing Gardiner/DVP ramps for the hybrid option as moving them further<br />
north would make a too tight turn into the Don Valley Parkway. The ramps to Lake Shore<br />
Boulevard would be moved to west of the Don River. The removal option would also be studed further to<br />
see if the projected increased traffic congestion could be mitigated.<br />
On June 11, 2015, after heated debate, City Council voted separately on each option for the eastern<br />
elevated Gardiner. Maintaining it as it was was outrightly rejected by a margin of 44-1 with Councillor<br />
and former Mayor Rob Ford casting the lone vote in favour of this option. Tearing down the section east<br />
of Jarvis Street and replacing it with a surface boulevard was rejected by a 26-19 vote. The hybrid plan<br />
was narrowly approved by a 24-21 vote. Design work and a further environmental assessment of the<br />
hybrid plan would begin with construction work to start in 2019. This vote signalled a change in City<br />
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policy to one of improving traffic flow to ease gridlock. The Gardiner/Don Valley link would be<br />
maintained permanently. Though it was agreed to study options such as a tunnel and transferring the<br />
expressway to the Province or to a private company.<br />
Allen Road Environmental Assessment<br />
In October 2007, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) officials examined a proposal from Zeidler<br />
Partnership Architects to put a deck over the Allen Road and construct mid-rise buildings, ranging in<br />
size from 12 to 15 storeys, beside the covered roadway. Driven by a desire to increase the number of<br />
passengers travelling on the under-used Spadina subway line in the expressway’s centre median, the plan<br />
might one day be considered for implementation from Downsview Station, just south of Sheppard<br />
Avenue, to the subway stop at Eglinton Avenue West. However, material submitted by Zeidler to the<br />
TTC highlighted possibilities for the stretch of the Allen, between Lawrence and Eglinton Avenues (the<br />
original ‘Spadina Ditch’). Councillor Michael Thompson, head of the TTC's property management<br />
committee that tried to make use of the transit agency's dormant lands, described that stretch of the Allen<br />
as a "barren wasteland." There would be potential for builders to construct about 11,000 residential units<br />
along that section of decked highway, which would be transformed mainly into parkland, according to the<br />
plan. Councillor Thompson from Scarborough said that he was very committed to the concept. That strip<br />
of the Allen incorporated lanes for northbound and southbound traffic and the above-ground subway line.<br />
The area around the Allen was made up largely of communities of single-family homes, not the dense<br />
development needed to feed a subway line. Housing built alongside the expressway would look over<br />
green space created on the deck as the expressway would be underneath in a tunnelled format.<br />
Throughout 2008 and 2009, the City of Toronto undertook a study to reconnect the neighbourhoods on<br />
both sides of the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> north of Lawrence Avenue West to Highway 401 and find ways to<br />
make the expressway fit better into the surrounding residential community. A detailed environmental<br />
assessment on the future of the Allen began in 2009. In 2011, it was recommended that the ramps to and<br />
from Lawrence Avenue and the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> be widened from single lane to double lane to ease the<br />
backlog of traffic trying to get off the expressway at Lawrence Avenue and improve pedestrian crossings.<br />
The environmental assessment study was meant to overcome the impacts of the physical barrier created<br />
by the expressway corridor and try to connect the two halves of the Lawrence Heights neighbourhood<br />
across the Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> with new physical connections. Existing underpasses at Ranee and Yorkdale<br />
would be redesigned. Appropriate development along the corridor would be facilitated to create a positive<br />
physical relationship and create the opportunity for pedestrian and bicyclist movement along the Allen<br />
corridor. Specifically, regarding the Allen, the plan recommended four options:<br />
1) Do nothing – leave the expressway as it is.<br />
2) Reconfigure the ramps from the Allen north of Lawrence to operate more like standard intersections<br />
and remove the ramps to the Allen south of Lawrence as they were greatly<br />
underutilized. The retaining walls alongside the Allen would be replaced by landscaped grassy slopes<br />
with new pedestrian bridges.<br />
3) Replace the ramps at Lawrence with longer service roads that come off the expressway further north<br />
and meet Lawrence Avenue in standard intersections. Also, the expressway would be decked over for<br />
about 200 metres on the north side of Lawrence Avenue and parks placed on top.<br />
4) Bring the Allen up to grade by filling in the trench it runs in and rebuild it on the surface as a grand<br />
boulevard with a standard signalized intersection at Lawrence instead of an interchange.<br />
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The then Councillor for the area, Howard Moscoe, personally preferred the last option – the grand<br />
boulevard. These options would go through a lengthy environmental assessment starting in 2010.<br />
Additionally, north of Highway 401, a proposal to redevelop the former Downsview air base considered<br />
removal of the ramps from the Allen to Wilson Heights Boulevard. This was vigorously opposed by local<br />
residents and new councillors. In early 2011, City Council voted to retain the Wilson Heights ramps. In<br />
2012, the ramps at Lawrence Avenue were widened from one to two lanes to ease congestion. The Terms<br />
of Reference for the Allen study were ready by Spring 2013. Council accepted the report, but the<br />
assessment was put on hold waiting for further funding and Ontario Ministry approval to proceed. This<br />
could mean that the whole issue was shelve for a while. A request by Metrolinx to close the expressway<br />
between Lawrence and Eglinton Avenues northbound to store equipment for the construction of the<br />
Eglinton-Crosstown Light Rail Transit line was turned down by Council due to traffic congestion<br />
concerns.<br />
Ontario Government approval of the Terms of Reference for the Allen assessment was delayed for two<br />
years and the study was not expected to continue until late 2015.<br />
Traffic Congestion Crisis<br />
In November 2008, it was reported in the local Toronto media that traffic congestion in the Greater<br />
Toronto Area (GTA) – the City of Toronto and its surrounding municipalities – costs the region’s<br />
economy $6 billion per year. GTA commuters pay just over $1000 per traveller per year, compared to<br />
$917 per New York commuter and $912 per Chicago commuter per year because of traffic congestion.<br />
Industry in the GTA loses $4.7 billion in industrial revenue because of inefficiencies and there are 25,962<br />
fewer jobs than there should be in the region due to congestion. Meanwhile, Metrolinx, a Provincial body<br />
looking at ways to improve the traffic congestion situation in the GTA region, came up with a $50 billion<br />
25-year transportation plan which included 1,200 kilometres of new public transit lines and very few new<br />
roads, with a planned go-ahead for the first projects in 2009. This is just a continuation of current policies.<br />
There was even talk of tolling existing roads to pay for it, but this would be politically unacceptable to the<br />
public. It is clear that nearly 40 years of the current Jane Jacobs-inspired anti-car policies have failed and<br />
have resulted in creating this congestion crisis. This also shows that a balanced transportation plan of both<br />
new expressways, new highway ITS traffic management technologies and new subway lines is the right<br />
way to go. This evidence shows that it is needed even more now. However, without political will, there is<br />
little chance that this will come about. With the election of Rob Ford as mayor in October 2010, a<br />
turnaround in Toronto’s transportation policies was now possible, but remains to be seen. He pledged that<br />
the Gardiner and Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>s would remain intact, but had no plans for any new routes. The return<br />
of existing downtown councillors and fiscal restraints would also make any new major road construction<br />
unlikely.<br />
Former Transportation Corridors<br />
Lands acquired for the Richview and Scarborough <strong>Expressway</strong>s remained in public ownership until after<br />
2010, when they were declared surplus. Most of the Richview corridor was sold and developed into<br />
housing. Only small parcels of the Scarborough corridor were developed. A section east of Victoria Park<br />
Avenue, known as the Quarry Lands, and a section at Midland Avenue and St. Clair Avenue were<br />
developed into housing. A bicycle path was built on the section between Brimley Road and Bellamy Road<br />
and the new 43 Division police station was built in the lands at Lawrence Avenue East and Manse Road.<br />
These are only small parcels of land. Most of the Scarborough corridor lands remain as public open space.<br />
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The ‘Toronto Tunnel’<br />
During the 2010 municipal election, Mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi proposed extending the Allen<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> in a tunnel from its terminus at Eglinton Avenue West to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong>, called<br />
‘The Toronto Tunnel’ as a bold solution to Toronto’s traffic problems. Mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi<br />
faced ridicule and condemnation this week but continued to propose an underground expressway as a<br />
bold solution to Toronto's traffic problems. Some of his opponents called it a dangerous retreat to plans<br />
abandoned in 1971 when citizens groups stopped the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong>. But Rocco Rossi said he was<br />
convinced that new technology and private financing could complete that expressway as a toll highway in<br />
an eight-kilometre tunnel south from Eglinton Avenue to the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> without disrupting<br />
neighbourhoods above it. Rocco Rossi said that he would consult the best engineers and have the project<br />
started within four years. However, he said the tunnel might not have any entrances or exits before it<br />
reaches the Gardiner, and suggested the project may be dropped if engineers found merging the toll road's<br />
traffic with the Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> won't work. He estimated the cost at $110 million per kilometre.<br />
The project was quickly condemned by other candidates and by downtown councillors, particularly<br />
Councillor Adam Vaughan, whose father Colin Vaughan had fought the original expressway plan. Any<br />
revival of the Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong>, even underground, would be met with the ire of downtowners. Rocco<br />
Rossi later dropped out of the mayoral race so any plans for an extended Allen would not happen.<br />
Parkway of Least Resistance (PoLR) Plan<br />
In August 2012, a group known as PoLR (Parkway of Least Resistance) came forward with a plan to<br />
eliminate the Don Valley Parkway and replace it with a busway and bicycle paths. Their report stated:<br />
The Parkway of Least Resistance challenges current views and uses of the Don River valley by<br />
reconciling conflicts between the DVP highway and encompassing natural systems. Eliminating the DVP<br />
as we know it is the instigation for four dramatic proposals:<br />
1. Configuring new corridors to move goods and people<br />
2. Demarcating open recreational space in the Don Valley for Toronto's expanding population<br />
3. Remediating the river itself<br />
4. Strengthening public connection to the natural environment<br />
The Don Valley Parkway (DVP) was given that name because it was meant to be part park and part<br />
highway. It was designed to give drivers a moment to be in nature each day as part of their commute.<br />
Instead, drivers spend hours a day stuck in gridlock on the DVP. Ironically, this gridlock degrades the<br />
environment and wastes drivers' time, fuel and money, making it difficult for them to spend leisure time<br />
enjoying exercise, social time or a pause for reflection in nature. Natural elements, like water, always take<br />
the "path of least resistance". This expression means that a moving object will follow whichever route has<br />
the least friction and the fewest barriers. We believe that our master plan outlines the simplest way for<br />
people, goods and natural elements to flow through the Don Valley.<br />
The plan eliminates the bottleneck effect currently experienced on the DVP by offering travellers<br />
numerous alternatives:<br />
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• Car and truck traffic is redisbursed along underused routes: Don Mills Road and Victoria Park Avenue.<br />
• Drivers can also choose to park and ride from strategically located parking lots.<br />
• "The Portage", a new rapid busway, as well as safe bikeways are provided along the old traffic route.<br />
• Pedestrians access is improved by expanding the network of paths and bridges that connect the valley<br />
system to surrounding neighbourhood hubs.<br />
This transit plan makes room to restore ecological assets to the valley by planting much of the<br />
surface of the old DVP. We can also improve water quality and encourage a healthy ecosystem<br />
by creating settling ponds which biologically filter snow melt and roadway runoff before it<br />
reaches the Don River. The PoLR provides options for transit. The Portage guided busway gives people<br />
the option to park their car at the edge of the city and relax and enjoy the view while travelling through<br />
the valley at high speed. Bikeways and pedestrian paths allow active users to get exercise during their<br />
trip, without coming into conflict with vehicular traffic. Infrastructure is designed to serve nature as well.<br />
The old DVP carriage way would be planted with new green space. On the valley floor, salt marshes will<br />
filter water before it reaches the river, improving the integrity of the Don River ecosystem.<br />
The plan was a completely unrealistic dream which did not take into consideration that streets such as<br />
Don Mills Road and Victoria Park Avenue were already congested and could not handle the 100,000+<br />
cars and trucks from the Don Valley Parkway. This plan was yet another pipedream that was met with<br />
scepticism and would go nowhere.<br />
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Toronto <strong>Expressway</strong>s History Timeline<br />
1947 Lakeshore <strong>Expressway</strong> extension of QEW recommended<br />
1954 Construction begins on the Lakeshore (Gardiner) <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
1957 Lakeshore <strong>Expressway</strong> renamed as Frederick G. Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
1958 Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> opens QEW to Jameson Avenue<br />
Land acquisition for Scarborough and Richview <strong>Expressway</strong>s begins<br />
1959 Construction begins on the Don Valley Parkway<br />
Draft expressway network for official plan approved<br />
1960 Don Valley Parkway opens Bloor Street to Eglinton Avenue<br />
1962 Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> opens Jameson Avenue to York Street<br />
1963 Don Valley Parkway opens Eglinton Avenue to north of Lawrence Avenue<br />
Construction begins on Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
1964 Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> opens York Street to Don Valley Parkway<br />
Don Valley Parkway opens Bloor Street to Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
1966 Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> opens Don Valley Parkway to Leslie Street<br />
Don Valley Parkway opens Lawrence Avenue to Highway 401<br />
Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> opens Wilson Heights Boulevard to Lawrence Avenue<br />
<strong>Expressway</strong> network in official plan approved<br />
1967 Don Valley Parkway opens Highway 401 to Sheppard Avenue<br />
1969 Construction of Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> halted pending a review<br />
Spadina <strong>Expressway</strong> renamed as William R. Allen <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
Low pressure sodium lighting installed on Allen <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
1971 Construction of Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> south of Lawrence Avenue cancelled<br />
Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> from Lawrence Avenue to Eglinton Avenue left incomplete (‘Spadina Ditch’)<br />
Land acquisition for eastern extension of Gardiner (Scarborough) <strong>Expressway</strong> halted<br />
1972 Four-lane paving of Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> from Lawrence Avenue to Eglinton Avenue recommended<br />
1973 Eastern extension of Gardiner (Scarborough) <strong>Expressway</strong> redesigned<br />
1974 Eastern extension of Gardiner (Scarborough) <strong>Expressway</strong> shelved<br />
1975 Allen arterial road opens Lawrence Avenue to Eglinton Avenue, known as Allen Road<br />
Low pressure sodium lighting installed on Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
Northern extension of Don Valley Parkway constructed as Provincial Highway 404<br />
1976 Scarborough and Eglinton (Richview) routes become undefined transportation corridors<br />
1982 Black Creek Drive opens Jane Street to Weston Road<br />
1983 Extension of Allen Road from Eglinton Avenue to Davenport Road recommended but rejected<br />
1991 Conversion of expressway lighting to high pressure sodium begins<br />
1994 Scarborough and Eglinton (Richview) transportation corridors deleted<br />
1996 QEW, Highway 27 and Highway 2A transferred from the Province to the City<br />
QEW within Toronto renamed as part of the Frederick G. Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
2001 Elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> from the Don River to Leslie Street demolished<br />
Removal of all of elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> recommended by Waterfront Toronto<br />
2006 Conversion of expressway lighting to high pressure sodium completed<br />
2009 Environmental assessment of removal of Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> east of Jarvis Street begins<br />
Environmental assessment of changes to Allen <strong>Expressway</strong> begins<br />
2010 ‘Toronto Tunnel’ Allen extension plan proposed by mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi<br />
2011 Council votes to retain Wilson Heights ramps to Allen <strong>Expressway</strong>, dismissing removal proposal<br />
and to upgrade Lawrence ramps form single to double lane to ease congestion on them<br />
2012 Council votes to repair elevated Gardiner and resumes study of section east of Jarvis Street.<br />
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2013 Allen Environmental Assessment Terms of Reference are accepted and the rest of the study is<br />
put on hold waiting for funding and approvals<br />
2014 Waterfront Toronto recommends removal of the elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong> east of Jarvis<br />
Street and its replacement with an 8-lane boulevard. The plan is sent for further study for another<br />
year, with a new 'hybrid' option of realigning the eastern end of the expressway.<br />
2015 The City approved construction of the hybrid plan for the eastern elevated Gardiner <strong>Expressway</strong><br />
in June and rejected both maintaining the expressway as it was and tearing it down east of Jarvis<br />
Street. Construction of the hybrid plan wold begin in 2019.<br />
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