Will Hamilton’s Burlington Street East make CAA’s worst roads list again?

In the midst of weeks of emergency repairs to potholes and crumbling asphalt in Hamilton comes the Canadian Automobile Association’s campaign, which named Burlington Street East the worst road in Ontario in 2017.

The stretch, running through the Hamilton’s industrial sector, has been on the list for close to a decade, having carved out a spot in the top ten since 2009.

According to the City of Hamilton it’s being treated as a high priority area in terms of maintenance.

There is also $30-million in capital investment projects planned for Burlington Street East and the surrounding area before 2027, including resurfacing and reconstruction work pending the approval of budgets by council.

It’s not the only road to have a long-lasting run in the campaign, which asks the public to submit streets that have become the most troublesome to travel.

Steeles Road West in Toronto held on for eight years before being repaved in 2010.

The CAA’s Raymond Chan says when roadways pop up on the list year after year, it sends a message to governments that more needs to be done to fix infrastructure and improve safety.

“Whose really more qualified to tell us where those improvements need to be made but the very people who use those roads every day,” Chan said Tuesday, from the campaign launch in Toronto.

Chan says he thinks it’s an ideal time to have the conversation, with both provincial and municipal elections just months away.

“It’s a chance for the public to really have their say and to send that message to government and to put it on their radar that infrastructure improvements are a priority.”

Residents are being encouraged to weigh in at CAAWorstRoads.com before April 15.