TORONTO — “Yes.”

That’s how John Kelly, the Acting Director for the City of Toronto’s technical services division, design and construction, answered the question: “Do you feel safe driving on and under the Gardiner?”

He was referring to the city’s infamous Gardiner Expressway, which runs across the south side of Toronto; and which has come under increasing scrutiny and criticism.

Several chunks of concrete have fallen on to cars traveling under the expressway over the past few months and a recently released engineering report (Kelly stressed that it’s an ‘interim’ report) recommended the city take protective measures such as installing debris nets and other safeguards on the parts that pedestrians walk under.

“First let me say that those pieces of concrete that fell earlier this year were concrete covers and of a protective nature; they were not structural,” Kelly told todaystrucking.com.

Also, he said, the recommendations that came out of the [interim] report were already being implemented by The City.

The City is currently constructing extensive work on the supporting structure between York and Jarvis streets and next year workers will re-deck the far-east end of the road, but meantime, Kelly says, “we are constantly monitoring the structure to see if there are any minor repairs that need imminent or extensive work.”

(The redecking will, we hope, include permanent removal of that one mothering big pothole in the eastbound shoulder lane, which like an infected wound just never seems to go away no matter how many times they fill it. –- The Editors)

The City has hired another outside engineering firm to conduct what Kelly calls a “very extensive” inspection of the expressway between now and December.

Finally, while Kelly said ‘there are absolutely no guarantees” nothing else will fall, he added, “I drive on and under the Gardiner every day and have no worries.”