Due to aging, heavy daily usage, weather and de-icing-salt induced corrosion, the City of Toronto decided to undertake a major multi-year, multi-phased rehabilitation of the F.G. Gardiner Expressway to keep it operational for the future. The expressway was built between 1955 and 1966 across several areas of the City, including established neighbourhoods, two river mouths and the City’s downtown core. a Strategic Rehabilitation Plan was created by the City to deal with this large, complex and important project. This strategic plan divides the rehabilitation into 6 sections.
In 5 out of the 6 sections, depending on the conditions, either the superstructure or the deck of bridge structures will be replaced while substructure will be rehabilitated and re-used. To minimize disruption to commuters, the substructures were structurally repaired using a galvanic protection that will provide corrosion protection for the next 30 to 40 years without major repairs.
This presentation will first introduce the background of Gardiner Expressway and the strategic rehabilitation plan, present galvanic protection and discuss its application in the long-term rehabilitation and re-use of substructures.