A major funnel to downtown Toronto will be out of bounds for eight months starting this spring.
Demolition of the York-Bay-Yonge off-ramp from the eastbound Gardiner is set to begin on April 17th.
The aging ramp will be torn down and replaced with a new design - a shorter ramp that will spill highway traffic onto a widened Harbour St, just west of lower Simcoe St.
Mayor John Tory admits the shutdown will create frustration, but he says the new ramp will improve traffic flow off the Gardiner in the long run.
Construction will last until January 2018, from 7 am to 7 pm Monday to Saturday.
In the meantime, the 10,000 cars that use the York-Bay-Yonge ramp during the morning rush will instead have to spill on to the Jameson, Spadina or Jarvis exits. Mayor Tory says much of the traffic will probably end up at the Spadina exit, which deals with about 2,500 cars during those peak hours.
The city will try to ease the congestion created by construction by changing the timing of traffic signals in the area. Traffic getting off at Spadina Ave will be allowed to flow onto eastbound Lake Shore Blvd, as the city will lift the gate at that off-ramp that is usually lowered.
Reporter @JustineLewkowic explains the changes coming as demolition of the York/Bay off-ramp begins in April pic.twitter.com/3X1QvVw3k8
— NEWSTALK1010 (@NEWSTALK1010) February 8, 2017
The re-design of the ramp also gives the city the chance to improve access to the lakefront for pedestrians and cyclists.
When the old ramp is removed, a new park will be constructed at the southeast corner of York and Harbour Sts.
Trees will be added on Harbour St, and the sidewalks and multi-use trails in the area will be improved.
For more information on the construction and changes, go to the city's website.
(with files from Siobhan Morris)