Old roads to blame for problems

[attach]5901[/attach]Etobicoke–Lakeshore councillor Peter Milczyn has a laundry list of roads that he says are in dire need of resurfacing. Unfortunately, few are on the capital works list for 2012.

While he’s happy Burnhamthorpe Road is finally undergoing a major road reconstruction this year, he says Kipling Avenue, north of Dundas Street W., and Dundas from Kipling to the 427 are “rough”.

“And then there’s pockets of local side streets that need help.”

Specifically, Milczyn cites areas south of the Queensway and east of Royal York Road, where “four or five streets are pretty chewed up,” including Milton, Wesley and Winslow streets, and Morgan Avenue.

“They’re just old,” says Milczyn. “There’s potholes, the ditches are in rough shape, there are drainage problems.”

Transportation director John Mende says those roads are scheduled for work beyond 2012.

Milczyn acknowledges that certain neighbourhoods must wait their turn.

“We have a big backlog of road repairs,” he said.

It’s a backlog that will only grow each year if the roads program is kept at the same funding level, says Mende.

“The whole volume of rehabilitation, we can’t catch up,” he said. “All our roads are getting older.”