Ramp ‘an accident waiting to happen’
Doctor concerned as stretch of busy Kingston Rd. is now badly in need of surgery
When a doctor concludes that a road is in need of surgery, you should start planning the operation.
That’s the diagnosis for an extended rough patch on the stretch of Kingston Rd. that’s also known as Highway 2A, just before it merges onto eastbound Highway 401in Scarborough.
Those who drive in and out of Toronto from Durham Region are familiar with the two-kilometre-long extension between Kingston Rd. and the 401, identified on some maps as the Scarborough Expressway.
Whatever you call it, it is a key route for people commuting to and from work from east of Toronto, and handles a heavy volume of traffic during morning and afternoon rush hours.
Dr. Mike Bushuk emailed to say he’s fed up with the ruts and potholes in the eastbound lanes of 2A, at the point where drivers choose between getting off at Port Union Rd. or the on-ramp leading to the eastbound 401.
“It’s in terrible shape,” said Bushuk, an orthopedic surgeon.
“There are multiple large/deep potholes spread across the two lanes (left lane is much worse than right lane). I use this route on a daily basis and have seen many vehicles brake suddenly out of necessity and swerve into the right lane to try to avoid the potholes in the left lane.
“Most vehicles are doing at least 80 km/h as they approach the ramp so this is an accident waiting to hap- pen and could result in serious injuries. I strongly believe this requires immediate attention in the interest of public safety.”
We’ve often crossed that rough patch while heading onto the eastbound 401 from Kingston Rd. and have learned to swing into the right lane to avoid the worst of it in the left lane. So it is no surprise to us that drivers will suddenly swerve to get around the problem. We watch for it and don’t blame them for taking evasive action. Status: Bushuk copied us a note he sent to the provincial Transportation Ministry; the reply said it’s a city of Toronto road.
Hector Moreno, who is in charge of road operations for the city in that area, emailed to say he’s checking with his staff, but is pretty sure it’s on the 2017 road resurfacing list. Let’s hope. What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Send an email to jlakey@thestar.ca. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.