Gardiner Rehabilitation

 

Location: below the Gardiner Expressway

Date photo taken: 30 August 2020

The Gardiner Expressway, named for Frederick G. Gardiner, the first chair of the former Metro Toronto Council, was constructed between 1956 and 1965, making parts of it over 60 years old. Regular wear and tear combined with weather and the effects of road salt have taken their toll and in 2019 the first phase of the Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation Strategy was implemented. The focus for this first phase is the section between Jarvis and Cherry Streets, at the eastern end, and represents approximately 1.5 kilometers of the elevated portion of the expressway. The deck is being replaced using a new method known as accelerated bridge construction in which replacement sections are pre-fabricated elsewhere (in this case, in very large tent-like structures just to the east of the site) and then transported  and lowered into position. Work on this section, including repairing the ramps, is expected to be completed in 2021.

#DYK that the expressway is 18 kms long, with 11 km at grade and 7 km elevated? For more facts, and some great early photos, check out About the Gardiner Expressway on the City's website.

Creativity is contagious

 

Location: 95 Wellington West

Date photo taken: 20 July 2020

The building at 95 Wellington Street West between Bay and York Streets is getting a face-lift and to help distract from the fuss and bother, the street level columns along Wellington have been outfitted in colourful artworks and quotes about creativity. The work started in 2018 and is expected to be completed sometime next year.

Snapshot - Front & Jarvis

Location: Northwest corner of Front and Jarvis
Date photo taken: 30 January 2017

This big open space at the corner of Front and Jarvis used to be the home of the North St. Lawrence Market and the mural that was featured last September. In the 2015 the market was relocated to a temporary structure a few blocks south on Jarvis and an archaeological assessment of the site was undertaken. This location was designated as an official market area back in 1803 and market buildings have existed on this site since 1820 so it's not surprising that the field survey found something. The amount of evidence found on site has prompted a stage 4 archaeological review which in this case means that the entire site will be excavated prior to construction beginning. If you've ever been curious about urban archaeology, you can watch some of the progress through the fence, plus the Market Gallery, located across the street in the St. Lawrence Market, is currently hosting an exhibit called "Unearthing Toronto's Oldest Marketplace". It's free to visit and on until March 18th.

The Bat Signal

Location: Yonge and Eglinton
Date photo taken: 19 April 2016

Spending time at Yonge and Eglinton recently I was in awe of the number of sites either currently or soon-to-be under construction. The building boom in Toronto doesn't seem to be slowing down. I took a look at the city's planning applications site and 141 new applications have been submitted to the city in the last 180 days. That seems crazy!

With all of the construction happening, it's nice when the sites offer you up a nice little surprise. Those working on the future site of eCondo right at the corner of Yonge and Eglinton have injected a little fun into their workplace, painting their crane's hook block with the Batman symbol. I also noticed that the crane's working arm is strung with Christmas lights but I haven't been around at night to see if they are turned on. Perhaps that's purely a seasonal thing.

If you want to learn more about cranes - like how they manage to stay upright when they shift all that weight - there's a great page on them on the Science - How Stuff Works website.