Toronto councillors push to bury the Gardiner Expressway

Four city councillors pushed to explore tunnelling of the Gardiner Expressway at council Friday, but the motion was quickly shot down due to high costs.

Known to Torontonians simply as the Gardiner, the highway has been widely-considered a city eyesore. Not only is it falling apart, it's expensive to fix.

With so much money being thrown at repairs, some councillors are pushing to bury the Gardiner underground. 

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Ward 25 Coun. Jaye Robinson said that would be ideal, but unrealistic. Robinson described the costs to bury the expressway as "prohibitive."

"It would be great if we could tunnel but what we have been told consistently is that ship has sailed ... like decades ago," Robinson said.

Ward 8 Coun. Anthony Peruzza said despite the huge price tag, the city should put serious thought putting one of Toronto's most important and frequently-used arteries underground.

"We continue to look at a variety of ideas ... except tunnelling, which is very, very odd," Peruzza said. He added the idea was shot down two to three decades ago, but residents continue to push politicians to consider the idea.

"We should know that we are sinking a billion into the Gardiner," he continued. 

Tunnel under the lake?

For Peruzza, where there is a will, there's most certainly a way. 

"Could you tunnel it under the lake and allow traffic to continue to flow?" he asked, adding that idea would allow motorists to continue using the expressway without a 10-year traffic disruption due to construction. 

Is it possible? Yes. Is it something councillors are interested in pursuing? Not right now.

The proposal didn't get much traction at council. Politicians appear poised to move forward with the expensive rehab of the 18-kilometre highway, which began construction in the 1950s. 

"This is long-term plan for the Gardiner and hopefully it will be up much longer this time," Robinson said of the massive overhaul. 

Council is now looking for a private firm to conduct the extensive reconstruction project.