Coulda, woulda, shoulda. The Toronto City Council sided with Mayor John Tory this week to rebuild an elevated freeway in downtown rather than tearing it down.
"In a 24-21 vote yesterday, the Council opted to rebuild the aging Gardiner with some minor modifications instead of pursuing the “boulevard” option that would have removed a 1.7-kilometer segment of the highway," according to an article Tanya Snyder.
"Replacing the elevated road with a surface street would have cost $137 million less upfront (in Canadian dollars) than rebuilding it, and nearly $500 million less in total costs over the next 100 years," according to Snyder.
Earlier in the week, Jennifer Pagliaro reported that the debate over the fate of the Gardiner Expressway had caused a rift between Mayor John Tory and Toronto chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat (the latter supported removal of the elevated highway). Mayor Tory publically questioned the lengths to which public servants should go in debating elected officials over policy issues. Supporters of Keesmaat launched a #ThankYouJen hashtag to express support for her actions.
Read the full story: Gardiner East will be a hybrid solution, council votes
Toronto Chief Planner Supports Gardiner Expressway Removal
Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat has broken rank from Mayor John Tory on the issue of whether to replace or remove an elevated highway along the city's waterfront. The cost to replace the expressway, $919 million, is more than removing it.
Report Assesses Expressway Removal Options for the Toronto Waterfront
A recently released report makes the case for removing, in part or in full, an elevated span of roadway along the Toronto Waterfront.
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Opponents of two new planned highways in greater Toronto argue the construction of new roads is 'short-sighted at best' and would threaten the region's greenbelt areas.
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