For the second year in a row, Barton Street East in Hamilton is number one on the CAA’s Worst Roads list for Ontario for 2023.
Despite the fact city council and staffers took notice, beginning work on the street, potholes and severe alligator cracking in the pavement kept the thoroughfare in top spot.
Although on the list many times over the last decade, Barton’s recent rise began in 2019, moving up to fifth place, to third in 2021 and finally tops in 2022.
Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice-president with CAA’s government and community relations, says there is potential Barton could shake off the shame via a multi-year, multi-phase reconstruction.
A contract was awarded for a $9-million reconstruction of the beleaguered Hamilton route between Parkdale Avenue and Talbot Street in June 2022.
Improvements will include road reconstruction, reconstructed sidewalks, pedestrian crossovers and a multi-use path, with the work to be completed this year.
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“There is potential if they get enough of the work done and people are feeling like it’s time to set their sights on some other roads,” Di Felice told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.
Other segments of Barton, including Wentworth Street to Sherman Avenue, Sherman Avenue to Ottawa Street and Ottawa Street to Kenilworth Avenue, will be prioritized for scheduled improvements in the coming years.
Another Hamilton road joined the list for 2023, Aberdeen Avenue, which debuts along with four other provincial roads.
Di Felice says rough pavement is not the only reason the two Hamilton roads made the list; congestion via a return to pre-pandemic traffic levels and tie-ups due to construction added to the misery for users.
“It’s important to note that this campaign doesn’t just speak to drivers, we get transit users, cyclists, pedestrians who chime in,” Di Felice said.
“The number three reason why people vote for the roads that they do is due to traffic congestion.”
The roadside assistance agency’s annual list was compiled through nominations that included 123 municipal roads across Ontario, with drivers accounting for the majority of the votes cast.
Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto and County Road 49 in Prince Edward County are second and third on the 2023 list.
Toronto has the most hideous roads in the top 10 of any Ontario municipality with four, a number that hasn’t changed year over year.
Continuing LRT construction, slowing traffic and creating gridlock, put Eglinton Avenue West on the list for a second year in a row.
Lake Shore Boulevard East and Finch Avenue West return from last year, while Steeles Avenue East joins the list to round out Toronto roads getting recognition from voters.
Here is the full list of Ontario’s top 10 worst roads for 2023:
- Barton Street East, Hamilton
- Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
- County Road 49, Prince Edward County
- Carling Avenue, Ottawa
- Finch Avenue West, Toronto
- Laclie Street, Orillia
- Steeles Avenue East, Toronto
- Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton
- Lakeshore Boulevard East, Toronto
- Hurontario Street, Mississauga
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 — Algonquin Boulevard East, Timmins
- Southwest — Lauzon Parkway, Windsor
- Western — York Road, Guelph
- Ottawa — Carling Avenue, Ottawa
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