Ford mulls government funding for Gardiner repairs

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ctvtoronto.ca

Date: Friday May. 25, 2012 2:38 PM ET

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said Friday that he would consider going cap in hand to the federal and provincial governments for help financing the mounting costs of repairing the Gardiner Expressway.

The budget conscious mayor has been hit with unexpected costs in the past few weeks as city workers scramble to repair the aging expressway that runs along the city's lakefront.

City crews began clearing loose concrete from beneath the Gardiner Expressway on Wednesday, one day after another chunk of debris fell from the downtown highway. It was the third time this month that a piece of the highway had fallen.

Mayor Ford and Public Works Chairman Denzil Minnan-Wong have since ordered immediate inspections of the crumbling roadway as well as repairs.

Ford estimated that the cost of repairs could top $150 million.

"It's a lot of money but safety comes first," Ford told reporters as he toured the area.

And he conceded that he would welcome financial aid to pare down the costs.

"I will take provincial money. I will take federal money. I will take private money. I will take any money where I can get it," Ford said. "But right now we're not sitting here pointing fingers at the province or the feds, we are getting it done?"

Tuesday's incident of falling concrete was the third time this month that a piece of the Gardiner's concrete facade crumbled and fell to the ground.

Earlier in May, concrete chunks fell onto roadways at Lower Jarvis Street and Parkside Drive.

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