

Chris Fox, CP24.com





The Gardiner Expressway will be shut down this weekend for annual maintenance and the demolition of the Dowling Avenue bridge.

The full closure of the roadway from Carlaw Avenue to Highway 427 will begin at 11 p.m. on Friday and remain in effect until 5 a.m. on Monday.

Some of the activities that will be completed during the closure include the resurfacing of 2.5 kilometres of road, the cleaning and repair of 600 catch basins as well as the repair of about 500 metres of guardrail and the inspection and chipping of 32 bridges and overpasses.

Crews will also demolish the Dowling Avenue bridge, which is approaching the end of its life span.

According to a news release from the City of Toronto, a temporary replacement bridge will be erected to accommodate pedestrian and cyclist traffic at Dowling Avenue but it will not open until July. The temporary bridge will remain in place while the city completes an environmental assessment on the design for a new permanent bridge that will eventually be built.

During the closure of the Gardiner Expressway, motorists are being urged to use Lake Shore Boulevard, the Queensway, King Street, Bloor Street and Evans Avenue as alternative routes.

The work schedule for a construction project on Lake Shore Boulevard between York Street and Rees Street has also been amended, so all westbound lanes will be open and available to accommodate displaced traffic.

The lane reductions currently in place on Lake Shore Boulevard will go back into effect at 5 a.m. Monday.