Gardiner Expressway
Toronto's 18-km Gardiner Expressway is elevated for 6.8 km, making it Ontario's longest bridge.
The Problem
The condition of the 6.8-km elevated expressway has deteriorated over its 50+ years. Since then, significant commercial and residential development has occurred in the area. Extensive repairs became necessary in the early 1990s due to spalling concrete falling off. As a result, the Gardiner Expressway has been the subject of several proposals to demolish it or move it underground as part of downtown waterfront revitalization efforts. The primary cause of the “crumbling” was chloride-induced corrosion.
Our Solution
The City of Toronto developed the Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation plan that will replace the entire concrete slab and steel girders with accelerated bridge construction and re-use, rehabilitate, and protect the substructures to service the new bridge deck. To minimize disruption to commuters, the substructures were structurally repaired using a galvanic encasement that will provide corrosion protection for the next 30 to 40 years.
Benefits
Galvanic Encasements will provide effective long-term use of existing columns, abutments, piers and beams by encasing the structural elements in concrete jackets with a galvanic distributed anode system. This approach has many benefits, including economic, environmental, and minimizing traffic disruption.
Technology Used
These innovative products and technologies were used on this project.