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Toronto's Main Highway Will Be Closed For The First Weekend In November And It's Going To Be Mayhem

Driving in Toronto is going to be very complicated over November's first weekend.

As if driving in Toronto wasn't bad enough, it's going to be exceptionally terrible to commute on the first weekend of November. While Torontonians like to make jokes at the Gardiner Expressway's expense, a major shut down is planned that will drive city dwellers absolutely mad. 

Narcity wrote about how the originally scheduled shut down was going to happen this weekend for three days between October 26th to the 29th. Now due to the rainy forecast all weekend long, the closure has been pushed back until November 3rd through the 5th of the month. 

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The scheduled closure of the Gardiner Expressway for maintenance work this weekend has been postponed to the following weekend. Details in #CityofTO news release: https://t.co/rxgIbjMwnC pic.twitter.com/cUgyJASPtM

October 25, 2018

The City of Toronto explained in their press release that the highway will be completely shut down from the Don Valley Parkway and Carlaw Avenue to Highway 427 and Queen Elizabeth Way. The traffic-signal timing changes will be changed in order to help the flow of nearby routes to help aid with congestion that will come with the highway closure. 

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The city also reminded commuters that when the highway is closed there are tons of other options when it comes to getting into the city. For drivers, there is always Lakeshore Boulevard which travels alongside the Gardiner on both west and east sides of Toronto.  

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Still, the extra congestion on the roads is going to delay anyone in a vehicle. Luckily there is also the option of commuting around and into the city using GO trains and the TTC. There is also the option of parking at the Pearson International Airport and travelling in on the UP Express to Union Station in the downtown core.

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While it's definitely going to be mayhem in the city with the Gardiner being shut down for three whole days, it does allow necessary repairs to ensure that the highway is safe for those travelling on it. 

Considering that the Gardiner is used by an average of 350,000 drivers every single day, this shut down will without a doubt cause delays. Keep the dates of November 3rd to 5th in mind when planning your weekend because the last thing anyone wants is to get stuck in traffic, especially when it's worse than normal.