Sigh, a record road construction season begins

Antonella Artuso
May 13, 2019
Torontosun.com

The City of Toronto is launching what it’s calling its “busiest construction season ever.”

The $1 billion-plus road construction program will see four bridges repaired over the DVP, streetcar track and watermain/sewer replacements, bike lane installations and lots of road resurfacing.

The plan calls for the paving of 140 kilometres of roads and 200 kiolmetres of sewer and watermain upgrades.

Mayor John Tory said he hopes people who come across these construction projects will recognize that this is their tax dollars at work.

“And while nobody wants a construction site on their door step or delays to their daily commute, this is crucial work that has to get done sometime,” Tory said Monday. “I understand and I sympathize with residents who are in some way part of the travelling public and who may be affected by all of these projects.”

Toronto plans to spend $100 million on major roads, $70 million on local roads, $200 million on expressways, $60 million on sidewalks and cycling infrastructure, $45 million on road safety initiatives and $115 million on bridges and similar infrastructure.

Another $480 million will go to watermains and sewer upgrades, basement flooding protection and storm management projects.

“Some watermains still in service are 140 years old and actually made of wood,” Tory said.

The city will take steps to prevent clustering of projects in one area, and 63 projects have been given extended daily hours to hasten completion, but the construction season is not that long, the mayor said.

He acknowledged that some roads will be down to one lane each way, but believes the impact will be worth it.

“Whether you drive or walk or bike or take transit, everyone benefits from good solid well-maintained infrastructure,” he said.