Clock ticks on Toronto laneway construction project as some residents grow antsy

The constant dust, noise and parking headaches were to be expected, residents who use the Montrose laneway say about an ongoing city watermain replacement project. 

But the project has been going on nine months and counting, and several residents who spoke with CBC Toronto say they’ve run out of patience.

"It's incredibly frustrating," said Brock McLaughlin, who lives on Montrose Avenue. "It doesn't look like they've made very much progress at all."

The laneway runs between Montrose Avenue and Beatrice Street, between College Street and Dundas Street, just east of Ossington Avenue. The laneway, which includes garages and backyard access for more than 200 homeowners, contains underground sewer and water pipes, which the city says, had to be replaced.

The project was scheduled to run between February and December. City staff acknowledge that was an unusually long timeline, but necessary because the laneway is narrow and difficult to access.

But the project was late to start because of inclement weather in February, staff said in an email to CBC Toronto. On top of that, work was halted for two weeks in early summer for health reasons, to allow some of the dust to dissipate, according to Andrew Greene, a spokesperson for Coun. Dianne Saxe.

"Reach out to  our office if you have any concerns,” Greene said. “We’ve had meetings with residents, we’ve had meetings with businesses, we’re coordinating directly with the project managers, and Toronto Parking to make sure we’re bringing everyone together.”

Despite residents' doubts, both city staff and Greene say the project will be completed on schedule, by the end of December.

McLaughlin wonders how that's possible.

"We’re still dealing with it nine months later. There’s no end in sight,” he said, adding it appears only half of the job seems to be completed.

But Greene pointed out that all the laneway digging work and pipe replacement has been completed. All that remains is for curbs to be replaced and a permeable interlocking brick surface to be laid on the remaining 300 metres or so of laneway.

McLaughlin and other residents question how necessary some of the work is.

"I would ask why they're putting down the brick one  by one," he said of the resurfacing work, "and not just paving it. It could be done in a weekend."

Greene said the interlocking brick will help avoid flooding in future.