Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an Environmental Assessment?
Environmental Assessment or EA is a decision-making process used to promote good environmental planning by assessing the potential impacts of certain activities or projects on the environment before construction takes place. In Ontario, environmental impacts can include ecological, social, cultural or economic changes. This process is defined by the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act.
2. What are the Terms of Reference for an Environmental Assessment?
One of the features of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act is the requirement for the preparation, submission and approval of Terms of Reference before starting a full or individual EA. For this project, the Terms of Reference will be approved by the City of Toronto. As part of the formal submission and approval process, the Terms of Reference are submitted to the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) for public and government agency review. Once approved by the Minister of the Environment, the Terms of Reference set out a framework that will guide the preparation of the EA.
3. Why not take down the entire Gardiner Expressway?
This was one of the options explored by the City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto. In 2006, the cost of tearing down all the elevated portions of the Gardiner Expressway east of Spadina and replacing them with a grand “Waterfront Boulevard” was estimated to be $1.2 billion. Given the financial constraints of the City of Toronto, this cost was too high, and lower cost options were explored. The partial take-down approach was selected as a cost-effective incremental approach that does not rule out future removal of other portions of the elevated expressway.
4. How much will the project cost?
The cost of tearing down the portion of the Gardiner, from Jarvis Street to just east of the DVP and replacing it with a boulevard depends on the selected alternative scenario. The cost of each scenario will be explored as part of the EA and Integrated Urban Design Study. However, preliminary cost estimates are in the range of $300 million.
5. When will construction begin?
Before construction can begin, the EA must be completed and approved by the Minister of the Environment. The EA/Integrated Urban Design Study process is expected to take three to four years. Once the EA is approved, it’s estimated that construction will take a total of seven or eight years.
6. Will traffic be disrupted?
This will depend on the preferred scenario that will emerge from the EA and Integrated Urban Design Study. The impact on traffic will be analyzed as part of the EA. It is important to note that an objective of the project is to improve overall access to Toronto’s waterfront for all transportation modes, including motor vehicles, public transit, cyclists and pedestrians.
7. How much traffic is currently using the Gardiner Expressway?
The Gardiner Expressway moves traffic primarily to and from the downtown core rather than across the whole waterfront. The average daily volume of traffic is roughly 200,000 cars per day west of York street and 120,000 cars per day east of Lower Jarvis Street.
