City digs hole deeper by leaving it wide open

You have to wonder what the guys who dug a deep hole in a sidewalk were thinking when they left it wide open for kids to fall into.

We’ve made the point before that utility contractors seem to be much better at digging holes than filling them in or making sure they’re safe until the job can be completed.

It happens often, but the bar was set to a new low for an excavation to repair a water main on Ridley Blvd., near Yonge St. and Yonge Blvd., in the Bedford Park area.

We were driving on Ridley when we spotted barricades on two sides of hole in the sidewalk and road on the west side, along with heavy iron plates laid on top of the excavation.

The plate on the sidewalk was oddly positioned, with plenty of space around it that left the hole partly exposed. It was concerning enough that we stopped to take a closer look.

Two large iron plates had been plunked down on a hole that extended from the sidewalk into the southbound lane of Ridley. The hole was at least three metres deep and caused by a washout of the road bed by a leaky water main.

There was plenty of room between the plates for a small child to fall into the hole. And with just a couple of strands of caution tape strung between the barricades, there was nothing to stop a kid from getting in.

While we were shooting photos, we started talking to a guy who had come out of the house closest to the hole, which he said had been left that way for about a week. He said the house is a group home for adults with developmental disabilities, which made the exposed excavation a concern for the people in charge of it.

We were stunned that whoever covered the hole would not be aware of the potential danger, especially since so little effort was made to prevent access to the area inside the barricades and caution tape. Status: A Toronto Water spokesperson sent us an email Friday, on behalf acting general manager, Richard Noehammer, saying “a crew is onsite and will remain until the excavation is filled. The site will be made safe while work is being done. The hole is open so the catch basin can be installed. The hole will be filled by the end of the day or later tonight.” What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To contact us, go to thestar.com/yourtoronto/the_fixer or call us at 416-869-4823 email jlakey@thestar.ca. To read our blog, go to thestar.com/news/the_fixer. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.