Location
Toronto, Ontario
Client
Waterfront Toronto
Services
Transportation Planning
Highway Boulevardization
Engineering
Agency Coordination
Gardiner expressway environmental assessment
Sam Schwartz was retained by Waterfront Toronto to assist with the final development of the Environmental Assessment for the Gardiner East Expressway. The Gardiner East EA study area includes the 2.4-kilometre segment of elevated highway that runs between the downtown and hundreds of acres of waterfront brownfields. A timely decision on the future of this portion of the Gardiner was needed as the outcome will shape quality of life in redevelopment happening along the corridor and guide the course of public investment in the rapidly ailing structure.
Sam Schwartz provided support services to analyze the “remove” option for the project, which would convert the elevated highway into an at-grade boulevard with real-estate development opportunities. As a supplement to traffic modeling, Sam Schwartz provided substantive case studies of traffic in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Vancouver, reviewed the results of traffic models for each EA alternative with respect to traffic congestion and economic impacts, and provided a strategic narrative on how future transportation choices will be made in the Toronto area given the dynamics revealed by analyzing historical data. Based on the excellent analysis and background provided by Sam Schwartz, Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto recommended the “remove” option to City Council.