Ontario's Failing Infrastructure Exposed

Hamilton's Barton Street East named Ontario's worst road for third time in five years by CAA

The Canadian Automobile Association’s 2026 Worst Roads campaign has named Hamilton’s Barton Street East as Ontario’s worst road for the third time in five years, citing long-running problems such as potholes, patchy pavement, and heavy wear from trucks. The list—compiled from public nominations and centered on safety and mobility concerns—also placed Mississauga’s Hurontario Street second and Greater Sudbury’s Notre Dame Avenue third, with Fort Erie’s Sider Road taking fourth. Four Toronto streets made the provincial top 10, underscoring that poor maintenance and uneven surfaces continue to affect some of the province’s busiest corridors, alongside recurring complaints from drivers about safety and ride quality. CAA representatives said the campaign is meant to help governments prioritize funding by showing residents which road repairs are most urgently needed. Other coverage noted that Barton Street East has previously topped the list in 2022 and 2023, and that Hamilton has already moved toward multi-million-dollar repair plans following earlier rankings. The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario urged sustained, predictable investment in “state-of-good-repair” infrastructure, arguing that persistent repeat offenders indicate long-term fixes are still lacking.

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