City to discuss implementing tolls on Gardiner Expressway, Don Valley Parkway
Posted September 14, 2015 3:55 pm.
Last Updated September 14, 2015 8:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A toll system on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway could pay for improvements and maintenance to the roadways, and have a “small but positive impact” on travel times, according to a newly-released report to the the City of Toronto’s executive committee.
After city council approved the “hybrid” option of maintaining the Gardiner in June, it commissioned city staff to report back on tolling as a possible option to pay for the endeavour.
The report forecasts that revamping the Gardiner will cost about $3.8 billion over 30 years while upkeep of the DVP is pegged at $400,000 per year over that same period.
The study examined two options which were found to work for the city’s needs: a flat fee, or open system; and fee based on distance travelled, or a closed system.
A flat fee of $1.25 to $3.25 was looked at for vehicles on both roads, with trucks paying double that amount.
The distance travelled system, similar to the one used on Highway 407, could see drivers pay 10 to 35 cents per kilometre, with trucks paying double that amount.
The report states that the cost of implementing the toll options themselves range from $28 million for the open system to $48 million for the closed system.
The open system is also the cheaper option when it comes to operating and maintenance. The open system is $31 million while it’s $37 million per year for the closed system.
The report cautions that if council were to move ahead with tolls on both roadways, “a more in-depth study should be undertaken.”
The city’s executive committee next meets on Sept. 21.
You can read the full report here:
Tolling Options for the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway
