For the third year in a row, Hamilton, Ont., is home to the worst road in Ontario.
Aberdeen Avenue has climbed to number one on the Canadian Automotive Association’s (CAA) Worst Roads list for 2024, dethroning Barton Street East which was number one in 2022 and 2023.
Teresa Di Felice, assistant VP of government and community relations for CAA South Central Ontario, says the association has been watching Aberdeen Avenue for some time, putting it in the top 10 last year.
A multi-year, multi-phase reconstruction of Barton Street East is the primary reason Aberdeen shot to the top, while a bad surface and congestion added to its issues.
“What we heard about Aberdeen is mostly poor road surface like potholes or poor road maintenance,” Di Felice explained.
“Then the third top reason people chose it was some congestion, which is not a surprise considering it’s a major thoroughfare to the colleges, to (Highway) 403 people commuting in and out of Hamilton.”
The roadside assistance agency’s annual list has been around for over two decades and compiled through votes from Ontarians.
Some 145 municipalities nominated over 2,000 roads in their communities to make up the 2024 list.
Toronto has the most roads in the top 10 of any Ontario municipality with four, a count that hasn’t changed since 2022.
Continuing LRT construction, slowing traffic and creating gridlock, put Eglinton Avenue West on the list for a third year.
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Lake Shore Boulevard East and Finch Avenue West return from last year, while Bloor Street East supplanted Steeles Avenue East for a top 10 spot in 2024.
Here is the full list of Ontario’s top 10 worst roads for 2023.
- Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton
- Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
- Barton Street East, Hamilton
- County Road 49, Prince Edward
- Hurontario Street, Mississauga
- Bloor Street West, Toronto
- Cedar Street North, Uxbridge
- Finch Avenue West, Toronto
- Lake Shore Boulevard East, Toronto
- Laclie Street, Orillia
Worst roads by region in Ontario:
Central — Laclie Street, Orillia
Eastern — County Road 49, Prince Edward County
Halton-Peel-York-Durham — Hurontario Street, Mississauga
Niagara — Portage Road, Niagara Falls
North — Widdifield Station Road, North Bay
Southwest — Plank Road, Sarnia
Western — York Road, Guelph
Ottawa — Carling Avenue, Ottawa