Decisions

This report seeks a Council decision related to the preferred alternative for the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard East Reconfiguration Environmental Assessment (EA) 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 decision on the Gardiner East EA is urgent. The elevated Gardiner structure was constructed in sections between 1955 and 1966. The deck and concrete barriers are in poor condition and considered to be at the end of their service life. Since 2012, incidents of falling concrete have occurred along the corridor, including the area east of Jarvis Street. In advance of Council’s 2013 decision to reallocate funding for the Gardiner East EA, a phased approach had been planned for the replacement of the deck and parapet (concrete barrier) walls from Jarvis Street to the Don Roadway for the period 2013 to 2018. Recognizing that work to implement a preferred EA option would not likely commence until 2020, Council authorized a series of interim repairs to make the structure safe and extend its service life to 2020. These repairs consisted of: temporary timber bracing under the deck; localized concrete deck repairs; and repair and replacement of severely deteriorated parapet walls. An estimated $9 million has already been spent on emergency and interim repairs for this section of the Gardiner, and an additional estimated $5 million will be required to complete the interim repairs.

Given the current condition of the Gardiner East, a final decision on the Gardiner East EA is now imperative, particularly given that the interim repairs were only intended to extend the service life to 2020, and considering the timelines required to complete the Environmental Assessment process, including approval from the Ontario Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC), undertake the engineering design, prepare construction tender documents and procure the necessary construction contractor(s).

Further, given Council support of the accelerated approach for the implementation of the Strategic Rehabilitation Plan for the Gardiner Expressway, there is tremendous value in including the preferred Gardiner East EA alternative solution within the scope of work for the implementation of the Plan. There are efficiencies of scale which can be expected to decrease overall costs and, as presented in the Plan, if undertaken as one large construction project across the at-grade and elevated sections combined, should result in significant traffic impact reductions during construction.

This report presents "Remove" and "Hybrid" as two viable EA alternatives for Council consideration. Maintain remains the EA base case.

Figure 1 – Don River and Keating Channel Looking West under Existing Conditions, Remove and Hybrid

Please see the Report from the Deputy City Manager, Cluster B in the Background Attachments below to view "Figure 1 - Don River and Keating Channel Looking West under Existing Conditions, Remove and Hybrid".

The Remove alternative, optimized, comprises:

-  Removal of 1.7 kilometres of elevated expressway east of Jarvis Street and replacement with an at-grade eight-lane tree-lined Lake Shore Blvd;

-  Realignment of Lake Shore Blvd. from Cherry Street to Don River;

-  Removal of about 750 metres (eastbound lanes) and 850 metres (westbound lanes) of the existing Gardiner on/off ramps west of Logan Avenue;

-  Removal of all road infrastructure along Keating Channel;

-  Construction of a new Lake Shore-Don Valley Parkway ramp connection;

-  Construction of new three-lane on/off ramps at Jarvis Street; and

-  Construction of a new multi-use pathway, as well as pedestrian and intersection improvements.

The Hybrid alternative retains continuous expressway linkage to the DVP as well as:

-  Re-decking of the existing elevated expressway east of Jarvis Street;

-  Re-decking of existing Gardiner-Don Valley Parkway ramps;

-  Removal of about 750 m (eastbound lanes) and 850 m (westbound lanes) of the existing Gardiner on/off ramps west of Logan Avenue;

-  Addition of two new ramps (two lanes each) in the Keating precinct:

-  about 470 metres of new westbound on-ramp; and

-  about 425 metres of new eastbound off-ramp;

-  Realignment of Lake Shore Blvd. from Cherry Street to Don River; and

-  Construction of a new multi-use pathway, as well as some pedestrian and intersection improvements.

There are key differences in the benefits related to the two alternatives:

-  Remove would feature significantly lower lifecycle costs, higher forecasted revenues from public land sales and lower greenhouse gas emissions. It would create an animated Lake Shore Boulevard, additional public realm space and amenities, as well as new linkage to the DVP and better connections to the waterfront; and

-  Hybrid would retain a continuous expressway linkage between the Gardiner and the DVP. It would have lower auto and goods movement travel times, and result in less construction disruption.

Both alternatives would facilitate the significant opportunity for a secondary office market presented by the First Gulf site, as well as the potential of other developments proposed for the Port Lands and South of Eastern area. In addition, both alternatives would complement the flood protection and sediment management components of the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection project. For these reasons, the Remove and Hybrid options are preferred over Maintain.

In a February 21, 2014 staff report, City staff recommended Remove as the preferred Gardiner East EA alternative. Staff's recommendation was based on assessing the alternatives against 16 unweighted criteria groups that summarized approximately 60 criteria measures. Each alternative was compared against the measures, then against each other, until a preferred alternative – Remove – emerged as the best option for meeting the EA study goals and objectives.

The Remove alternative remains a strong and viable option. The design has been "optimized" to address traffic congestion concerns by adjusting proposed traffic signal phasing and coordination, as well as modifying Lake Shore Boulevard intersection configurations by the addition of turning lanes and elimination of some turning restrictions. Transportation modelling demonstrates that the optimized Remove alternative would involve morning peak hour travel time increases of three-to-five minutes (for the modelled Origin-Destination pairs) instead of the previously presented five-to-10 minutes. The Remove alternative performs better than Hybrid in a number of EA study criteria groups, including several related to urban design, environment and economics.

On March 4, 2014, the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee directed staff to work with Waterfront Toronto to develop and evaluate an additional option (now known as Hybrid) that preserves expressway linkage and functionality between the Gardiner and the DVP.

Like Remove, the Hybrid alternative has emerged as a strong and viable option. Hybrid has evolved from what was originally proposed in March of 2014 because the original concept was not deemed viable when taking into account geometric, operational and safety criteria and standards, as well as existing and planned initiatives (discussed in Section 3.2). The alternative performs better than Remove in relation to a number of EA study criteria groups, including auto travel times, goods movement and construction impact. Hybrid performs as well as Remove in terms of cycling and transit, social and health impact, and global economic competitiveness impact. Hybrid delivers some benefits related to public realm, planning and built form east of the Don River. However, it also consumes land in the Keating Precinct slated for mixed-use development.

Fundamentally, the Gardiner East EA decision comes down to addressing two very important priorities: traffic congestion and city building. The Hybrid alternative is preferred on the basis of the EA Transportation and Infrastructure study lens while the Remove is preferred on the basis of the Urban Design, Environment and Economics study lenses. The EA process involved consultation with public participants on the relative importance of the study criteria groups, however, feedback was strongly divided. City Council will need to make a decision based on the advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives. This report presents two viable EA alternatives for Council consideration. The EA study findings provide the rationale for each of the two options, Remove and Hybrid, from which Committee and Council will make a decision.

Should City Council not be able to make a decision on a preferred Gardiner East EA alternative, staff should be directed to cancel the EA and proceed with the rehabilitation of the existing structure due to its rapidly deteriorating condition. This would have the effect of returning to the EA base case, the Maintain option, which precludes many of the benefits associated with the Remove and Hybrid options. Rehabilitation of the Gardiner East Deck could be incorporated into the implementation of the Strategic Plan for the Rehabilitation of the F.G. Gardiner Expressway, now underway, as a state-of-good-repair undertaking.

If either Remove or Hybrid are endorsed by Council, the preferred alternative would be designed and assessed through the "alternative designs" stage of the EA process. Staff would complete this stage using a compressed schedule given the associated urgency. This stage would evaluate public realm and functional/traffic design options, and would result in a more detailed construction implementation plan. In addition, the phase would further investigate and refine mitigation opportunities related to the preferred alternative, for example, opportunities to use corridor design, intelligent transportation systems and other best practices to reduce user impacts. The process would include opportunities for public and stakeholder consultation. At the conclusion of this phase, anticipated for early 2016, an EA study report would be finalized and submitted to the MOECC for an approval decision.

An estimate of schedule, assuming conventional implementation and seven months of MOECC review, is:

-  Complete EA (alternative designs): by end of 2015;

-  Submit EA: by winter 2016;

-  EA approval decision by MOECC: by end of 2016;

-  Detailed design: by early 2018;

-  Tendering: by end of 2018; and

-  Start of implementation: 2019.

The 2015 to 2024 approved Capital Budget and Plan for Transportation Services, coupled with previously planned funding in the year 2025, totals a $232 million budget for rehabilitation of the Gardiner East deck. In addition, there is potential Development Charge funding of $32 million for projects included in both the Remove and Hybrid alternatives that are also captured in the City Wide Development Charge By-law. Further, additional potential offsets include approved funding for program management and accelerated deck replacement budgets related to the Strategic Plan for the Rehabilitation of the F.G. Gardiner Expressway, and rehabilitation budgets for major roads and bridges. These items are dealt with comprehensively in the Financial Impacts section which follows. Staff can report on funding for the implementation of whichever option is selected through the 2016 Budget process.

Both the Remove and Hybrid options would require review and revision of the Keating Channel Precinct Plan as it relates to lands east of Cherry Street. In July 2010, Council deferred approval of the Keating Channel Precinct Plan and the Keating Channel Class EA Environmental Study Report as they relate to lands east of Cherry Street until the Gardiner East EA was further advanced. Upon submission of the Gardiner EA to the MOECC for an approval decision, the City Planning Division will review the Keating Channel Precinct Plan, in partnership with Waterfront Toronto.

Implementation of either Remove or Hybrid as the preferred EA alternative can be accommodated in the Strategic Plan for the Rehabilitation of the F.G. Gardiner Expressway. It is recommended that staff report back to the Executive Committee on incorporating the preferred alternative into the Strategic Plan for implementation.

The approved budget for the Gardiner East EA included in the Waterfront Revitalization Initiative Transportation Initiatives Capital Project is approximately $7.7 million. Funds earmarked for the EA alternative designs stage have been spent on work completed in the last 12 months, including optimization of the Remove alternative and development of the Hybrid alternative. Thus, additional funding of $780,000 is required to complete the EA.

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