Toronto Star

All work and no show makes Kingston Rd. a dull, slow go

Absence of constructi­on has drivers wondering why lanes remain closed in both directions

- JACK LAKEY COLUMNIST

When phantom constructi­on closes lanes in both directions on a busy rushhour route, it’s like pouring gas on the fires of driver frustratio­n.

Anybody who has to commute in this city will tell you that traffic is not getting better, despite feeble measures to reduce gridlock and get things moving.

One of the big reasons is constructi­on. It seems lanes have been cut off around every other corner to make room for some job or other, often to build condos in which few members of the motoring public have a vested interest.

But a lot of it involves burying or digging up pipes and wires that are part of the infrastruc­ture that provides basic services we rely on. There are no shortcuts, in either the work that must be done or the inconvenie­nce caused by it.

So it was no surprise to get a note from Gary Peake saying that Kingston Rd. has for months been a slow go during rush hours in the area of St. Clair Ave. E. due to lane restrictio­ns for constructi­on.

He noted that the curb lane of west- bound Kingston Rd. is closed between McCowan Rd. and St. Clair, while the eastbound lane is closed from Eastville Ave. to St. Clair.

“They have been closed from late April/early May when fire hydrant upgrades were done, which have been completed now,” Peake said.

“The last time anyone has worked on this site was three weeks ago and it appears asphalt patch repairs are the only thing left to do to reopen these lanes.

“Why was this not a priority to finish and fully open Kingston Rd. since it is a significan­t route for rush-hour traffic, and now for the past eight-plus weeks side streets have been used to get around the congestion?” STATUS: We sent a note to Edison Alexander, who’s in charge of road operations in that area.

“Toronto Water was doing water main cleaning and repairing and they are in the process of making repairs to the road,” Alexander said, adding, “I was informed that the repairs will be completed by the end of (this) week, weather permitting.”

What’s broken in your neighbourh­ood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Email to jlakey@thestar.ca or follow @TOStarFixe­r on Twitter

 ?? JACK LAKEY/TORONTO STAR ?? Kingston Rd. has been reduced in both directions near St. Clair for two months.
JACK LAKEY/TORONTO STAR Kingston Rd. has been reduced in both directions near St. Clair for two months.

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