Unwin Ave - Undriveable

[hawc]

Called 311 yesterday to report that all of Unwin Ave from Cherry east to the Hearn is basically undriveable.

Huge, enormous potholes so big they would swallow your entire wheel right up to the axle all over the place. You have to constantly swerved back and for forth across the entire road to avoid them.

I suppose a dump truck or cement truck could hit them and survive, but anything smaller would rip their wheel right off.

And if the pot holes don't catch you then the tracks at the end (in red dashes) are not longer in the road, they now sit a full 5 or 6 inches above what used to be the road making it like as if you just drove straight at a set of railway tracks.

It's totally and completely nuts.

The nice lady on 311 couldn't help with anything and just kept saying, "I'm just trying to find which intersection you're talking about..." And i was like, "No ALLLLLLL of Unwin is f*cked!"

 

[DSCToronto]

Called 311 yesterday to report that all of Unwin Ave from Cherry east to the Hearn is basically undriveable.

Huge, enormous potholes so big they would swallow your entire wheel right up to the axle all over the place. You have to constantly swerved back and for forth across the entire road to avoid them.

I suppose a dump truck or cement truck could hit them and survive, but anything smaller would rip their wheel right off.

And if the pot holes don't catch you then the tracks at the end (in red dashes) are not longer in the road, they now sit a full 5 or 6 inches above what used to be the road making it like as if you just drove straight at a set of railway tracks.

It's totally and completely nuts.

The nice lady on 311 couldn't help with anything and just kept saying, "I'm just trying to find which intersection you're talking about..." And i was like, "No ALLLLLLL of Unwin is f*cked!"

View attachment 711001

I (foolishly) biked along it last summer when the Martin Goodman was closed and agree it is a mess. At one time the City had plans to bring & upgrade the sewers and water all along Unwin but this is not in the current TOInView. The PortLands rail spur is also disconnected so they really ought to be forced to remove the rails (at least where the line crosses Unwin @ the Hearne. Your favourite Councillor, Fletcher, is the one to contact! The City ARE planning to replace the bridge https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/ie/bgrd/backgroundfile-254868.pdf

 

[urbanclient]

Called 311 yesterday to report that all of Unwin Ave from Cherry east to the Hearn is basically undriveable.

Huge, enormous potholes so big they would swallow your entire wheel right up to the axle all over the place. You have to constantly swerved back and for forth across the entire road to avoid them.

I suppose a dump truck or cement truck could hit them and survive, but anything smaller would rip their wheel right off.

And if the pot holes don't catch you then the tracks at the end (in red dashes) are not longer in the road, they now sit a full 5 or 6 inches above what used to be the road making it like as if you just drove straight at a set of railway tracks.

It's totally and completely nuts.

The nice lady on 311 couldn't help with anything and just kept saying, "I'm just trying to find which intersection you're talking about..." And i was like, "No ALLLLLLL of Unwin is f*cked!"

View attachment 711001

That's why I drive my trusty ol' lifted Ford F-150. So I can roll coal on plebs gingerly driving around potholes. /s

 

[hawc]

Can the wheels of an F-150 handle those huge potholes, or is it borderline dangerous even for a truck?

 

[Northern Light]

I (foolishly) biked along it last summer when the Martin Goodman was closed and agree it is a mess. At one time the City had plans to bring & upgrade the sewers and water all along Unwin but this is not in the current TOInView. The PortLands rail spur is also disconnected so they really ought to be forced to remove the rails (at least where the line crosses Unwin @ the Hearne. Your favourite Councillor, Fletcher, is the one to contact! The City ARE planning to replace the bridge https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/ie/bgrd/backgroundfile-254868.pdf

I looked through the info to which I have access, I see sewer work in 2028/29 but only in the eastern section near Leslie.

I show absolutely no work on the western (main) leg of Unwin from now through the mid 2030s.

 

[Northern Light]

@hawc if you want to take point on getting this addressed.

This is what you need to ask for 'Critical Interim Repairs'

You want to specifically drop in to your email, "The City is at risk of significant liability for property damage and personal injury liability"

Send that to the Councillor, copy the Mayor (cc) and also the head of City Transportation. I'll send you that last contact in a DM

 

[hawc]

Thanks Norther Light. I'll follow up for sure.

 

[nfitz]

Unwin has been notorious for a long time. The city is loathe to do anything serious, with the realignment plans. I'd have thought the best option for the bailey bridge is to simply close it, and for people to drive around.

I don't find it that hard to drive at the 50 km/hr limit with a $20K Civic, if you avoid a couple of spots; the absurd slow speed I see SVU drivers going is hilarious - those things must be very poor off road.

And yet they decided this summer to completely rebuild Regatta Road - so you can now do the 50 km/hr speed limit there too ... which is just silly; why there's no speed limit?

 

[DSCToronto]

Unwin has been notorious for a long time. The city is loathe to do anything serious, with the realignment plans. I'd have thought the best option for the bailey bridge is to simply close it, and for people to drive around.

I don't find it that hard to drive at the 50 km/hr limit with a $20K Civic, if you avoid a couple of spots; the absurd slow speed I see SVU drivers going is hilarious - those things must be very poor off road.

And yet they decided this summer to completely rebuild Regatta Road - so you can now do the 50 km/hr speed limit there too ... which is just silly; why there's no speed limit?

Yes, having Regatta Road beautifully resurfaced did seem a bit odd to me too!

 

[turbanplanner]

Unwin has been notorious for a long time. The city is loathe to do anything serious, with the realignment plans. I'd have thought the best option for the bailey bridge is to simply close it, and for people to drive around.

I don't find it that hard to drive at the 50 km/hr limit with a $20K Civic, if you avoid a couple of spots; the absurd slow speed I see SVU drivers going is hilarious - those things must be very poor off road.

And yet they decided this summer to completely rebuild Regatta Road - so you can now do the 50 km/hr speed limit there too ... which is just silly; why there's no speed limit?

Isn't the limit 20?