Underground gusher erupts at intersection
If freezing weather ever gets here — and it will, sooner or later — a busy Etobicoke intersection will be as slippery as a skating rink.
Fans of winter are down in the dumps, with relentless mild weather more suited to Tennessee than Ontario keeping them from skiing or ice fishing or shivering, or whatever it is they do to make the best of it.
And it looks like we’re in luck, at least for December. The forecast is for above-freezing temperatures and no snow before January, so get out there and go golfing.
After two of the worst back-to-back winters in recent memory, those of us who loathe it are cheering the mild temperatures and hoping winter forgets about us.
But there’s an excellent chance it won’t happen, so it’s prudent to plan for winter and take care of problems that have the potential to be a calamity.
Bill Tee emailed to say he’s been noticing water gushing out of the street on the east side of Martin Grove Rd., just north of Rexdale Blvd., a situation that has been going on for about a month.
“I am quite concerned that with freezing weather coming, this situation will create a sliding hazard for vehicles,” said Tee.
“As a frequent user of this stretch of road, I would like to see it fixed before a disaster strikes.”
We went there and saw signs of recent excavations at the northeast corner of the intersection, including pylons surrounding fresh asphalt that was used to patch the spots.
Water is pouring out of a hose attached to a pipe sticking out of the ground, while the area around another pipe nearby is also gushing, as is a utility cover in the road.
The water fills the curb and runs north for a long block, all the way up to Racine Rd., and is moving with enough force to suggest that a lot of it is coming from a leaky water main. Status: It’s obviously on Toronto Water’s radar, judging by the digging that has happened in the area, so we’ve asked the utility what it is doing to solve the problem before winter finally sets in. 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.