11 years to build, and still not finished being argued about
The Gardiner Expressway & the DVP
The elevated highway locals call the Gardiner took 11 years to build, demolished a beloved amusement park to do it, and has been the subject of demolition debates almost since the day it opened.
.jpg)
Advertisement
Two expressways define how Toronto actually drives: the elevated Gardiner along the lakeshore and the DVP cutting through the Don Valley — both slang entries in their own right in this dictionary, and both with real, contested histories.
Built in stages, 1955–1966
The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway was built in phases from 1955 to 1966: at-grade sections west of downtown first, then the elevated central stretch from Dufferin Street through downtown by 1962, reaching the Don Valley Parkway by 1964 and Leslie Street by 1966. It was named for Frederick Gardiner, the first chairman of Metropolitan Toronto.
What it cost to build
The route required demolishing Sunnyside Amusement Park, a beloved lakeside attraction that had operated since 1925 — its carousel was relocated all the way to Disneyland, other rides sold off or scrapped. The original plan also called for demolishing historic Fort York, but community opposition successfully forced a reroute around it.
An ongoing demolition debate
Criticism of the elevated Gardiner started almost as soon as it was finished, and has never really stopped. In 2001, the city actually followed through on part of it — demolishing the eastern segment between the Don Valley Parkway and Leslie Street — and debate over further removal or replacement of the remaining elevated sections continues today, decades after the original construction wrapped up.
Advertisement
Sources
- Wikipedia — Gardiner Expressway
- The Globe and Mail — 1950s and 60s: The Gardiner Under Construction
- Wikipedia — Don Valley Parkway