Someone out there isn’t a fan of the condition of Thunder Bay’s Adelaide Street.
According to the Canadian Automobile Association’s Kory Kennedy, someone lounging on the World Wide Web has spammed their annual online Ontario’s Worst Road poll, hauling Adelaide Street from out of nowhere to the top of the dubious pack.
Kennedy said CAA officials are looking into the breach, adding it’s unlikely it will remain on top when ineligible votes are removed.
Still, word that Adelaide was in consideration did not surprise Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds, whose ward houses the nefarious street.
Complaints have rolled in loud and clear about the carved up roadway, the majority of the damage Foulds laid at the feet of a local contractor.
“There is a very large road cut at the intersection of Adelaide and Grenville Avenue. It is in very bad condition and it is very annoying. It will be up to the contractor to repair that road cut,” Foulds said, adding he’s upset it’s taken so long to repair.
Adelaide isn’t the only stretch of Thunder Bay asphalt vying for the title Ontario’s Worst Road.
South Water Street is ninth in the voting, which ends May 31.
Hutton Park Drive, Onion Lake Road, Blucher Avenue, Fort William Road and Balsam Street are all in the top 50.
Kraft Creek Road in Timmins is No. 2, while Toronto’s Dufferin Street is No. 3. Burlington Street east in Hamilton and Toronto’s Birchmount Road round out the current top five.
Regardless of where it places, Foulds said the city is aware of the problem, but reminded motorists that while the city has put a renewed effort into closing the infrastructure gap, repair work will be done based on science, not an Internet survey.
“The good thing about Thunder Bay is we do have a methodology and a matrix to rate our roads and we do have an asset management plan, which we are making more investments in to close the infrastructure gap,” Foulds said.
“The other piece of this, if there are (seven) roads in the top 50, clearly infrastructure is a huge issue to the people of Thunder Bay, because presumably in Thunder Bay are voting on these roads. The fact that city council is responding with increased spending in infrastructure, does speak to the fact
Foulds added it’s particularly concerning to see Adelaide Street’s ranking, given it’s been identified as part of the city’s active transportation plan.
