Hamilton’s Aberdeen Avenue is worst road in Ontario for 2024, CAA says

For the third year in a row, Hamilton, Ont., is home to the worst road in Ontario.

Aberdeen Avenue has climbed to number one on the Canadian Automotive Association’s (CAA) Worst Roads list for 2024, dethroning Barton Street East which was number one in 2022 and 2023.

Teresa Di Felice, assistant VP of government and community relations for CAA South Central Ontario, says the association has been watching Aberdeen Avenue for some time, putting it in the top 10 last year.

A multi-year, multi-phase reconstruction of Barton Street East is the primary reason Aberdeen shot to the top, while a bad surface and congestion added to its issues.

“What we heard about Aberdeen is mostly poor road surface like potholes or poor road maintenance,” Di Felice explained.

“Then the third top reason people chose it was some congestion, which is not a surprise considering it’s a major thoroughfare to the colleges, to (Highway) 403 people commuting in and out of Hamilton.”

Jackie Kennedy, Hamilton’s director of engineering services. says she’s not surprised Aberdeen and Barton appeared on the list having made appearances the year before.

She’s “happy” to see Barton drop a few spots via improvements over the past two years and further reconstruction slated for both roads in the coming years.

“So we are aware of the quality of the roads there and that they are in need of a more significant update,” Kennedy acknowledged.

The director concedes that the “depth” of damage affects the timing of any given repair since it may require underground infrastructure repair, like water mains and sewers.

“If we need to rebuild the road base, we need to do more elaborate work, that takes more time and more money,” she said.

The roadside assistance agency’s annual list has been around for over two decades and compiled through votes from Ontarians.

Some 145 municipalities nominated over 2,000 roads in their communities to make up the 2024 list.

Eight of the 10 roads on the current rundown have been there before, including four from Toronto.

Continuing LRT construction, slowing traffic and creating gridlock, put Eglinton Avenue West on the list for a third year.

“We have seen many parts of Eglinton Avenue be fixed as the crosstown LRT project either continued to move westward or wind down,” said Di Felice.

“Certain parts have been fixed, but other parts like the intersections of Caledonia Road are still being named partly due to congestion.”

Lake Shore Boulevard East and Finch Avenue West return from last year, while Bloor Street East supplanted Steeles Avenue East for a top 10 spot in 2024.

“Bloor Street West is a new entrant due to traffic congestion and poor road surfaces that have popped up in the Runnymede and Jane area,” Di Felice explained.

Here is the full list of Ontario’s top 10 worst roads for 2023.

1. Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton
2. Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
3. Barton Street East, Hamilton
4. County Road 49, Prince Edward
5. Hurontario Street, Mississauga
6. Bloor Street West, Toronto
7. Cedar Street North, Uxbridge
8. Finch Avenue West, Toronto
9. Lake Shore Boulevard East, Toronto
10. Laclie Street, Orillia

Worst roads by region in Ontario:

Central — Laclie Street, Orillia
Eastern — County Road 49, Prince Edward County
Halton-Peel-York-Durham — Hurontario Street, Mississauga
Niagara — Portage Road, Niagara Falls
North —  Widdifield Station Road, North Bay
Southwest — Plank Road, Sarnia
Western — York Road, Guelph
Ottawa — Carling Avenue, Ottawa