Item - 2015.PW7.2

This progress report provides an update on the Hybrid alternative design concepts that are being considered in the Alternative Designs stage of the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard East Reconfiguration Environmental Assessment (EA) and Integrated Urban Design Study (Gardiner East EA). Based on the preferred Hybrid EA alternative solution endorsed by City Council at its meeting of June 10-12, 2015, (PW4.1 http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewPublishedReport.do?function=getCouncilMinutesReport&meetingId=9692), the three alternative design concepts proposed for further analysis are:

- Concept 1: Revised Hybrid with “tighter” ramps;
- Concept 2: New Hybrid, further north; and
- Concept 3: New Hybrid, further north with rail bridge widening.

Development of these design concepts has been informed by proposals from community members and landowners, as well as by meetings with the project Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC), agencies, academics, developers and other stakeholders. 

Timely decision-making related to the Gardiner Expressway East is critical as interim repairs will only extend the service life of the Gardiner's eastern deck to 2020. More than seven years since it began, the Gardiner East EA study is nearing completion. Without further delay in the study, the EA Report will be completed and Council's endorsement of a preferred Hybrid alternative design will be sought in early 2016. Review of the completed EA by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) will then lead to the completion of engineering/design and construction tender documents, and procurement of the necessary contractors. Implementation of the preferred Hybrid could then begin as early as 2019, depending on MOECC approval timeframes.

Three Hybrid alternative design concepts have been developed in consideration of the EA Terms of Reference and study goals to: revitalize the waterfront; reconnect the city with the lake; balance modes of travel; and achieve sustainability and create value. Several key issues and constraints in the project area have also shaped the concepts, including: impacts on the Keating Precinct, private property and travel times; and road safety, constructability and cost. The three proposed concepts were selected from a broader list of alternative concepts, which are appended to this report. The three concepts best address community and stakeholder input to date, and will be subject to a thorough evaluation using a comprehensive set of evaluation criteria.

Please see the Staff Report in the Background below for Figure 1 -  Don River and Keating Channel Looking West Under Three Alternative Hybrid Design Concepts.

Key features of the three Hybrid design concepts are described below, along with an outline of additional work to be undertaken to complete the evaluation of alternatives. Comments from potential deputants and debate during the September 22, 2015 meeting of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) will be considered as part of the development and evaluation of the design concepts. Through further EA study consultation and analysis, other Hybrid design concepts, or variations on these concepts, could emerge and would be assessed accordingly.

The three Hybrid design concepts under development and evaluation improve upon the Hybrid concept presented to Council this past June. All three design concepts would have minimal impact on private property and would facilitate development of the First Gulf site, as well as other developments proposed for the Keating, Port Lands and South of Eastern precincts. In addition, all three would complement planned initiatives such as the multi-use trail on the north side of Lake Shore, the Broadview Avenue road and transit extension, the Munition Street extension and the Don Mouth naturalization and Port Lands flood protection project.

Hybrid Design Concept 1 would involve a new realigned eastbound off-ramp connecting to Lake Shore Boulevard that would run close to the Gardiner without impacting adjacent development lands. Design Concepts 2 and 3 would involve the reconstruction of the elevated Gardiner–DVP link between Cherry Street and the Don Valley Parkway (DVP), along more northerly alignments through the Keating Precinct. This would provide for additional, higher-quality redevelopment land and open space with direct proximity to the Keating Channel. The Keating Precinct would be a strong transition and link between the city and the Port Lands. These two design concepts would involve higher capital costs that would be offset in part by increased land sales revenue.

In addition, public realm strategies are being prepared for the three distinct sections of the Gardiner East:

- East of the Don River, where the Logan ramps will be removed and Lake Shore Boulevard will be reconstructed;
- West of Cherry Street to Jarvis Street; and
- Between Cherry Street and the Don River, where the preferred design will be implemented.

The public realm strategies would lead to corridor intersection and streetscape improvements that would benefit pedestrian and cycling safety and reinforce EA and waterfront revitalization goals.

The Hybrid alternative design concepts presented in this report are undergoing a comprehensive evaluation by the EA study team, led by Dillon Consulting. The evaluation will be based on the EA Terms of Reference, as well as the objectives of the City's Official Plan and Central Waterfront Secondary Plan. The draft results of this evaluation will be presented at a planned Public Information Centre (PIC) in November 2015 as part of the EA process. The draft alternative designs will also be presented to SAC, stakeholders and landowners in advance of the public meeting. A preferred recommended alternative design will then be submitted to Committee and Council early in 2016. Following City Council’s consideration, the draft EA report will be released for public and agency review, including review by the MOECC. A final EA report will be submitted to the MOECC in 2016 for review and an approval decision.

All work and schedule and cost estimates presented in this report should be considered preliminary. The alternative design concepts will be developed in more detail and further changes to these concepts are possible. Additional analysis is underway related to a number of matters, including potential land sales revenue, compatibility with Lower Don flood protection plans and public realm improvements. More detailed information will be available at public meetings this fall and in the draft EA report that is to be submitted to Committee and Council in early 2016.