City announces early completion of two more road projects

Toronto,Mayor John Tory says he wants Torontonians to call 311 and help him identify road projects that are causing gridlock and should be sped up.
Tory made the comment to reporters on Tuesday as he announced the early completion of two more road projects.
The closure of all but one lane in each direction on Lake Shore Boulevard from Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue for paving was scheduled to be in effect until June 30 but reopened this weekend after an accelerated work schedule was put in place.The intersection of Dundas and Parliament streets has also been closed since May 15 but as of 6 p.m. the city will be reopening one lane in each direction. The partial reopening of the intersection is about a week ahead of schedule and is also due to an accelerated work schedule.
“I urge people across the city, commuters and others, to phone 311 and help me in the task of identifying places where this kind of disruption should not be happening, especially during busy hours,” Tory said Tuesday. “It is our responsibility to get these projects done as quickly as we can and anything we can do to finish it early will be something we will focus on when we can.”
There are currently about 70 road projects ongoing in the City of Toronto and 32 of them are being sped up using extended work hours, up to and including 24/7 construction.
Though staff say that speeding up road projects often carries a 5 to 15 per cent premium, Tory said it is something that is becoming increasingly commonplace and reflects a “new attitude” at city hall.
“Every single day on every single project we are reviewing how we get these things done faster and better,” he said. “Routine utility work can be done in non-routine hours because it is something that is considerate of people and it is just not the big city way to do these things during busy times.”
Tory said that in order for overnight work to be approved, the local councillor must sign off on the extended hours.
He said that some work, such as heavy jackhammering, will also not be done overnight if it is located close to residential areas.
Earlier this month, a number of residents who live near Lower Simcoe Street and the Gardiner Expressway voiced their frustrations after being kept up by noise from the overnight demolition of a ramp.
At that time, Tory apologized for the noise but said that it is just the “balance we have to strike between getting work done and making sure it isn’t too noisy.”