Item - 2016.PW11.1

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council approve Hybrid Alternative Design 3 set out in the report (February 17, 2016) from the Deputy City Manager, Cluster B, as the Preferred Design for the Gardiner East EA.

2.  City Council authorize staff to complete the Gardiner East EA and submit the final EA report to the Ontario Minister of the Environment and Climate Change for review and approval, and request the Minister to complete the review of the Gardiner East EA as expeditiously as possible.

3.  City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Cluster B, and Deputy City Manager & Chief Financial Officer and the appropriate officials to report to Budget Committee on implementation funding for the preferred EA alternative design following completion of Class C cost estimates.

4.  City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Cluster B, to report to Public Works and Infrastructure Committee by Q4 2016 with an implementation strategy for proposed Gardiner East EA public realm improvements.

5.  City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Cluster B, and Deputy City Manager & Chief Financial Officer and the appropriate officials to report as part of the 2017 Capital Budget process on funding for delivery of the implementation strategy for the proposed Gardiner East EA public realm improvements.

6.  City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director of City Planning (in partnership with Waterfront Toronto) to report to Toronto and East York Community Council after Gardiner East EA approval by the Ontario Minister of Environment and Climate Change on a process to review the Keating Channel Precinct Plan.

7.  City Council direct the General Manager of Transportation Services to undertake an in-depth safety review of the Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard intersection, and report to Public Works and Infrastructure Committee by Q4 of 2016 on improvements that can be made as part of detailed design and implementation of the Gardiner Strategic Plan, or through other projects and initiatives.

This report recommends "Hybrid" Alternative Design 3 to Toronto City Council as the "Preferred Design" for the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard East Reconfiguration Environmental Assessment and Integrated Urban Design Study (Gardiner East EA). The Gardiner East EA study area is a 2.4-kilometre segment of the elevated expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard, from approximately Lower Jarvis Street to Logan Avenue.

A final decision on the Gardiner East EA is imperative given the current condition of the elevated Gardiner East. Ongoing interim repairs are only intended to extend the service life of the structure to 2020. The City needs to incorporate the outcome of the EA into the approved Strategic Plan for the Rehabilitation of the F.G. Gardiner Expressway (Gardiner Strategic Plan) and advance the necessary planning, engineering design and procurement work for rehabilitation. Final direction from Toronto City Council on a Preferred Design will allow the project team to complete and submit the EA report to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) to facilitate detailed design and construction work within the required timeframes.

More than seven years since it began, the Gardiner East EA study is now nearing completion. The study's "Alternative Solutions" phase concluded in June 2015 with City Council endorsement of the Hybrid as the "Preferred Solution". Since June 2015, the project team has advanced three alternative versions of the Hybrid. The three Hybrid Alternative Designs are:

-  Hybrid 1: Revised Hybrid with tighter ramps in the Keating Channel Precinct;

-  Hybrid 2: New Hybrid with alignment further north; and

-  Hybrid 3: New Hybrid with alignment further north and rail bridge underpass widening.

Figure 1: Overlay of Hybrid Alternative Designs (Please see staff report.)

All three Hybrid Alternative Designs build upon the Hybrid Preferred Solution endorsed by Toronto City Council in June 2015. In particular, all three Hybrid designs include:

-  Preservation of continuous Gardiner-DVP freeway linkage, with nominal to zero impact on road capacity and travel times;

-  Removal of the existing Logan on/off ramps and a replacement of these access ramps with new ramps to be placed in the Keating Channel Precinct;

-  Re-alignment of Lake Shore Boulevard through the Keating Channel Precinct; and

-  Full compatibility with planned rehabilitation of the elevated Gardiner Expressway west of Cherry Street.

The project team identified and evaluated the key differences between each Hybrid Alternative Design using criteria consistent with the EA study Terms of Reference. These findings were presented at a number of Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) meetings, and at a January 19, 2016 Public Open House. Considering the evaluation results and stakeholder input, Hybrid 3 was received most favourably and emerged as best meeting project goals and objectives.  The project team is therefore recommending Hybrid 3 as the Preferred Design.

Hybrid 3 supports the city-building potential of the Keating Channel Precinct – a planned mixed-use waterfront community that will evolve as the gateway to a revitalized Port Lands and accessible Keating Channel. This would be accomplished by rebuilding the elevated portion of the Gardiner as far north from the Keating Channel as is feasible. Implementation of the design would provide unencumbered access to a planned waterfront promenade, better conditions for creating future high-quality park, open space and pedestrian-friendly environments and more valuable development blocks. By comparison, Hybrid 2 would achieve some but not all of the urban design benefits described above. Hybrid 1 would result in a neighbourhood flanked on both sides by rail and expressway infrastructure, bisected by Lake Shore Boulevard and separated from the water's edge by an elevated expressway with associated on/off ramps.

From an environmental perspective, Hybrid 3 would have the least physical and visual impact on the planned revitalization of the Don River. Implementation of this design would have the least impact on future sediment management activities, as well as the least amount of physical infrastructure, including structural piers, to be located within the river itself (with details to be confirmed at the detailed design stage). Hybrid 3 would create development patterns that would buffer the expressway's sensory impacts (noise, views, vibration, etc.) from the Keating Channel and related open space. This physical buffer – not possible in Hybrid 1 as the expressway would run along the northern edge of the channel – would improve the access, views and enjoyment of the waterfront promenades planned for both the Keating Channel Precinct and nearby Villiers Island. As with the Urban Design criteria, Hybrid 2 would achieve some but not all of the environmental benefits of Hybrid 3. In particular, Hybrid 2 is less preferred than Hybrid 3 with respect to the future operations of the Don River sediment management facility.

For the Transportation and Infrastructure criteria, Hybrids 2 and 3 rank the same or preferred relative to Hybrid 1 in most categories. The main exception is for construction impacts because Hybrid 1 would involve only two to three years of traffic detours. Hybrids 2 and 3 are closely ranked, although Hybrid 3 would allow for a greater amount of the new Gardiner-DVP ramps to be constructed while maintaining existing road traffic. Furthermore, the widening of the Metrolinx Don River rail bridge underpass associated with Hybrid 3 would provide additional opportunities for road detours that would reduce traffic disruption.

As part of the EA study's economic analysis, high-level infrastructure capital costs were estimated. These costs, reflected below in as spent dollars (inflated by 2.5% annually until the year of construction) were based on conceptual designs and are plus or minus a 20% margin of error. Hybrid 1 has the lowest estimated capital cost at $532 million. Hybrid 2 has the second lowest estimated capital cost at $664 million, $132 million higher than Hybrid 1. Hybrid 3 has the highest capital cost estimate at $718 million, $186 million higher than Hybrid 1, because of additional construction costs associated with widening the Metrolinx Don River rail bridge.

Notwithstanding the higher capital costs associated with Hybrid 3, the project team recommends Hybrid 3 in light of the many legacy waterfront improvements afforded by a more northern alignment of the Gardiner Expressway. Additionally, estimated public land value creation is maximized in Hybrid 3. While each of the Hybrid options would unlock new development land within the Keating Channel Precinct to varying degrees (the majority of which is within public ownership), the desirability, value, and total land area of new development blocks would be considerably higher in Hybrid 3 (approximately 7.5 acres valued at approximately $72-$83 million) when compared to Hybrid 1 (approximately 5 acres, valued at approximately $40-$50 million).

Figure 2: Bird's Eye Renderings of Hybrid Alternative Designs (Please see staff report.)

In addition to the three Hybrid Alternative Designs evaluated in this stage of the EA, two third-party proposals (the "Green Gardiner" and the "Viaduct") were presented by independent design/engineering teams. These proposals were evaluated by the project team. Though no further study of either option is recommended within the scope of the

Gardiner East EA process, the project team credits these proposals for informing and

improving the Alternative Designs east of Cherry Street.

After due consideration of results from the evaluation framework, and feedback provided through the stakeholder engagement process, Hybrid 3 is recommended by the project team for identification as the Preferred Design within the final EA report that is to be submitted to MOECC for review and approval. Upon receipt of Council direction for a Preferred Design, a Draft EA Report is targeted for circulation and comment in April 2016, followed by submission of a Final EA Report to MOECC in June 2016. An EA approval decision is expected by early 2017.

Consistent with the October 2015 direction from City Council, the future outcome of the Gardiner East EA will be incorporated into the scope of work for the overall rehabilitation of the F.G. Gardiner Expressway, as documented in the previously approved Gardiner Strategic Plan. This scope consolidation offers efficiencies of scale which can be expected to decrease overall project construction costs, and should permit a coordinated construction mitigation strategy to significantly reduce the construction related traffic impacts and detours.

The 2016 to 2025 Capital Budget and Plan for Transportation Services includes $2.259 billion in funding for the Gardiner Strategic Plan, which reflects the portion of the estimated $2.6 billion in total construction costs required over a 10-year planning period.  The current $2.6 billion total project cost estimate includes $524 million in costs for the assumed "base case" design of the Hybrid EA Preferred Alternative.  It is estimated that additional capital funding of $194 million will be required to implement the Hybrid 3 Alternative Design, which brings the most current cost estimate to $718 million.

Cost estimates provided by the Gardiner East EA consultant are order-of-magnitude costs for comparative purposes.  The consultant has consistently advised of a potential variance of up to plus or minus 20%.   Staff will report back through Budget Committee on required budget adjustments to the Gardiner Strategic Plan following Council's approval of a Hybrid Preferred Design, as well as any adjustments to costs resulting from forthcoming Class C cost estimates.

This report also includes a recommendation for a report to Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on an implementation strategy for the proposed Gardiner East EA public realm improvements. An implementation strategy is needed to identify how proposed public realm improvements can best be coordinated among the Gardiner Strategic Plan and other area initiatives. The strategy would include an approach to phasing that integrates with other area planning processes, and explore opportunities for cost-sharing among the Gardiner Strategic Plan, area initiatives, other City programs, and private land owners/developers. City staff would report through the 2017 Capital Budget process on funding options related to the proposed Gardiner East EA public realm improvements.  It is important to note that the cost of public realm improvements is not included in the $2.6 billion Gardiner budget, nor are the costs included the Hybrid alternative 3 cost estimate of $718 million. 

In line with previous Council direction, this report includes a recommendation for the Chief Planner and Executive Director of City Planning, working with Waterfront Toronto, to undertake a review of the Keating Channel Precinct Plan once the Gardiner East EA has been approved by the MOECC.

In addition, this report includes a recommendation for the General Manager of Transportation Services to undertake an in-depth safety review of the Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard intersection, and report back on improvements that can be made as part of detailed design and implementation of the Gardiner Strategic Plan, or through other projects and initiatives.

Information about the Gardiner East EA, including summaries related to public consultation, can be found on the project web site at www.gardinereast.ca.