Peter Michno's vision for the Gardiner
Dealing with the Gardiner Expressway is never going to be easy. Critics say it’s a costly eyesore that partially blocks access to the waterfront. Boosters say it brings millions of people into downtown. No wonder the Gardiner has inspired so many city planners and architects to make the roadway more palatable to Torontonians. A new idea, reported in the Star today, is to turn it into a giant tube. According to originator Peter Michno, encasing the Gardiner would transform this utilitarian piece of infrastructure into a work of art that would improve aesthetics while reducing traffic noise.
His is just the latest in a series of ideas that have surfaced over the past few years. We thought we’d take this opportunity to review some hilarious, improbable and fun proposals that are supposed to help us start loving the Gardiner.
I don’t get the fuss with the Gardiner. It’s an eyesore? So are lots of things in Toronto, including billboards, dirty alleys and laneways, a cemented downtown, etc, etc.
November 15, 2010 at 5:43 pm | by ArbyI think it’s forward thinking to make the Gardiner an aesthetically pleasing tube. It’s an interesting solution.
November 15, 2010 at 6:24 pm | by JamesWe need to think about the urban environment more and this is a good point. Lets try and make city spaces as nice as possible to live in. Have a look at what Melbourne Australia has done with their citylink motorway. Sure makes things a lot more pleasant when driving.
November 16, 2010 at 10:10 pm | by JackCan everybody admit that both sides are right? The Gardiner is an ugly psychological barrier to the waterfront but its a necessary piece of infrastructure. If the goal is to integrate the waterfront with the rest of the city without losing a valuable asset then the solution is simple:
Fix Lake Shore Blvd. Make it walkable, put in LRT, make it crossable, make it bikeable, put in some stuff!
Drivers already have one highway here and I would hope they would let go of the second one without much of a fight. If we make the ground level a nice place to be, I suspect we’ll look at the underbelly a little differently.
November 18, 2010 at 10:49 am | by MikeyI hope a solution can be found soon. Every attempt has been made to allow us to use this highway everyday and people need to appreciate it. A day could come that we can no longer use it. I use this highway to get downtown and would miss it if it was gone. But no one can deny work needs to be done soon. Look at these photos from the last time I was on the Gardiner Expressway and see that the concrete is in poor condition. http://braindeadhick.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/undergardinerexpressway1.jpg and http://braindeadhick.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/undergardinerexpressway2.jpg
January 14, 2011 at 4:00 am | by Braindeadhick