Roller-coaster weather wreaking havoc on aging Toronto infrastructure
Posted January 11, 2018 5:44 am.
Last Updated January 11, 2018 6:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto’s roller-coaster weather has not been kind to the city’s aging infrastructure — with every temperature swing, the ground shifts, causing older watermains, especially those made of cast iron, to crack.
The city says since Dec. 28, some 250 watermains have ruptured. That’s three times the normal tally for this time of year.
“They’re brittle. They will crack under that pressure of the ground,” said Bill Shea, director of Distribution and Collection for Toronto Water.
It’s estimated the city will spend $2 billion over the next 10 years on infrastructure.
“Toronto Water puts in a lot of money every year — this year, $158 million just working on watermains, replacing our watermains, relining our watermains.”
On Wednesday afternoon, a massive sinkhole from a broken watermain appeared in the southbound lanes of Yonge Street at William Carson Crescent, near York Mills Road. Two lanes remain closed as crews working to replace both the broken pipes and the roadway. The closure will have a major impact on drivers coming off Highway 401.
Elsewhere in the city, a watermain break also closed Pape Avenue north of Cosburn Avenue. Other watermain-related closures include Bermondsey Road north of O’Connor Drive and The Queensway east of The East Mall.
It’s estimated the city will spend $2 billion over the next 10 years on infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for much of southern Ontario including the GTA, calling for rainy conditions Thursday and into Friday.
The weather agency said the rain will be light for much of the day but will intensify Thursday night. Around 10-20 millimetres of rain is expected to fall, but other areas could see higher amounts. The melting snow along with the rain will cause pooling of water on roads and low-lying areas.
680 NEWS meteorologist Jill Taylor said Thursday will be windy with showers as the temperature climbs to 9 C. Rain continues at night and into Friday morning.
But a cold front will move in later on Friday, bringing an end to the mild temperatures. Taylor said rain changes to freezing rain and snow on Friday afternoon and into the evening as the temperature drops to -14 C by nightfall.
