Reconstruction nearly done at Yonge, but what about repaving elsewhere?

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT project is in its 13th calendar year, but the reconstruction of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue — the most problematic part of the line — is now almost fully reconstructed.

As both major roads finally have asphalt down and minimal traffic intrusions for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, there is an ongoing question about when much of Eglinton Avenue will be fixed above the tunnelled sections of the light rail transit line.

The Leader Spirit recently drove across the entire 19-kilometre, 25-station stretch to assess construction progress. During the visit, several sections of road between Keele Avenue and Brentcliffe Road (east of Laird Drive) could be seen in poor condition.

A segment of Eglinton Avenue West, west of Avenue Road, appeared to be dealing with notable deterioration. The Leader Spirit saw vehicles sinking slightly into the roads at a few spots as large chunks of asphalt could be seen strewn on the road. While there were spots where sidewalks appeared to have been reconstructed in recent years, there were also large cracks in the road that could be seen.

In the area of Caledonia Road and Eglinton Avenue West, much of the intersection appeared to be in a deteriorated condition. On Dec. 15, X user @Nicola_Tweets tagged 311 Toronto in a post. The post said a truck hit a pothole and caused part of the load to spill. A 311 Toronto representative responded saying a clean-up was requested and the pothole was reported.

During a visit on Monday, many smaller potholes appeared to have been recently filled. However, at least three larger unfilled potholes only had orange spray paint outlining the hole. Multiple vehicles could be seen driving over those deeper potholes. Meanwhile, several cracks could be seen as vehicles drove over unlevelled spots on the road.

The condition of Eglinton Avenue West has been noticed by residents. It landed on the CAA South Central Ontario’s annual list of worst roads in 2023.

“Potholes, bad pavement surface, difficulty navigating, especially as certain transit projects were being built,” Teresa Di Felice, the organization’s associate vice-president, said when asked about the complaints her organization has received about the road.

During a visit along the Eglinton Crosstown LRT route, Di Felice said she regularly drives on the road herself.

“It’s showing it’s wear and tear and there has been some what’s called pavement degradation,” she said.

Di Felice said when municipalities delay repaving or reconstructing roads and sidewalks, it can mean bigger bills as years pass due to increasing damage.

“The state of roads in Ontario, and in the city of Toronto, are behind in being fixed and they do take a lot of budget dollars,” she said, adding since Toronto welcomes many commuters it’s not just local residents causing wear and tear.

Physical safety and stopping extra expenses, Di Felice said, bolsters the case for investing more in road infrastructure.

“Well-maintained roads are safer roads. First of all, it helps with navigating around the city. People aren’t veering potholes and sewer grates,” she said.

“There’s more than one expense to a taxpayer. They’re paying for the roads to be fixed through their taxes, but bad roads can damage your car, especially over time.”

The Leader Spirit contacted Metrolinx, the provincial transportation agency overseeing the private-sector consortium building the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, and the City of Toronto, to ask about the kilometres of Eglinton Avenue that appear to require repaving at the least.

A City of Toronto spokesperson declined an on-camera interview. In a recent written statement, they said municipal staff are “monitoring road conditions” but aren’t able to act right now.

“With ongoing construction of the LRT and the Metrolinx contractor having occupation of the roadway, only interim spot repairs by Metrolinx’s contractor have been possible. The City will be commencing resurfacing works once the Eglinton LRT construction is complete, and the full roadway has been handed back to the City.”

The spokesperson said resurfacing could start in 2024, but refused to provide a projected end date when asked during a follow-up request. They also said if anyone sustains damage to their vehicle by a pothole that has been reported to authorities, a driver can file a claim within 10 days of the damage occurring.

When contacted, a Metrolinx spokesperson said in a statement the consortium, Crosslinx Transit Solutions, is “in the final stages of its on-street work repairs at station locations.” It noted inspections need to happen afterward and once those are done, the City of Toronto will have authority over the road again. An estimated handover date wasn’t provided.

Metrolinx held its last update on the project for reporters in early December. Officials previously committed to holding bimonthly updates, but in December that was revised to a “regular” basis versus a scheduled interval. It’s not clear when the public will receive a fulsome update on testing and commissioning activities and progress made since December. Also, an estimated opening date remains elusive.

“This whole Crosstown has been one boondoggle after boondoggle that’s costing billions of dollars,” Coun. Mike Colle, a frequent critic of the project’s handling by Metrolinx and Crosslinx, said when asked about the state of Eglinton Avenue.

“There are some improvements but it never stops. We make an improvement (and) then Metrolinx digs up the sidewalk, digs up the road again.”

He reiterated the City of Toronto is prepared to move to fix the roads, but crews are in a holding pattern.

“It’s really cumbersome to work with Metrolinx because they give you a date and then the date is always pushed back. It’s very frustrating for city workers and contractors,” he said.

“When you have contracts that are signed and then delayed, there’s costs because a contractor may have another job lined up. A contractor can’t sit around.”

Despite the ongoing handover issues, many roads outside Eglinton Crosstown stations have been repaved and exterior construction on station sites are largely done. On the above-ground portion on the east end of the line, the roads, cycling paths and sidewalks have mostly been done for months.

The City also recently opened a new section of Eglinton Avenue West with dedicated cycling paths, sidewalks and parking spots between Avenue Road and Duplex Avenue.

Colle was hesitant to respond when asked when he thinks the road will finally be fixed as a whole.

“We’re hoping that Eglinton can be done over the next couple of years. I hate to make a prediction because we’ve been predicting and it’s always pushed back,” he said.