Queenston Street: Niagara’s Worst Road and Ontario’s Fifth Worst

THOROLD, ON (June 1, 2017) – Queenston Street in St. Catharines, for the second year in a row, has earned the title of Niagara’s Worst Road, according to voters in CAA’s 2017 Worst Roads Campaign.  The road has also landed itself on Ontario’s Worst Road list as the fifth worst in the province, up one notch from 2016.

Voting in the three-week campaign, which ended May 1, saw significant engagement.  Eighty-nine percent of Niagara voters said they picked a worst road because of “potholes and crumbling pavement”. This year’s campaign, however, allowed voters to identify themselves as cyclists and pedestrians and there were increasing references to poor conditions for cycling, walking or crossing a road.  

New to Niagara’s top 10 list are Eagle Street in Fort Erie, Bald Street in Welland and Geneva Street in St. Catharines.

Niagara’s Top 10 Worst Roads are:

  1. Queenston Street, St. Catharines
  2. Drummond Road, Niagara Falls
  3. Eagle Street, Fort Erie 
  4. Dominion Road, Fort Erie
  5. Ontario Street, St.  Catharines
  1. Saint David’s Road, Thorold
  2. Bald Street, Welland
  3. Dorchester Road, Niagara Falls
  4. McLeod Road, Niagara Falls
  5. Geneva Street, St. Catharines

Ontario’s Top 10 Worst Roads are:

  1. Burlington Street East, Hamilton
  2. Dufferin Street, Toronto
  3. Lorne Street, Sudbury
  4. Maley Drive, Sudbury
  5. Queenston Street, St. Catharines
  6. Algonquin Boulevard West, Timmins
  1. Hunt Club Road, Ottawa
  2. Carling Avenue, Ottawa & Duckworth Street, Barrie
  3. Algonquin Boulevard East, Timmins & Young Street, Toronto
  4. County Road 49, Prince Edward County

“We believe it’s important to give Niagara residents a chance to have their voice heard and that’s what this campaign does,” said Rick Mauro, CAA Niagara’s Vice President, Marketing and Public Relations.  “The CAA Worst Road Campaign is an excellent way to draw the attention of the local municipalities and encourage infrastructure improvements.”  In fact, Queenston Street is already undergoing major improvements in the hopes of losing the infamous title of Niagara’s Worst Road in 2018.  Watermain replacement, sanitary and storm sewer separation, street light upgrades, traffic signal improvements, and landscaping are all part of the improvement efforts estimated to be completed by the end of the year.  

The Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA) verifies and assesses CAA’s top worst roads.  ORBA had this to say about Niagara’s worst roads: “There is a full reconstruction contract underway for some of Queenston Street. There is, however, another section of this road that is also in need of repairs. Often times we find municipalities…are forced to pick and choose what roads they invest in and push the rest off into future years.”

CAA, in its ongoing advocacy efforts, will present the 2017 Worst Roads results to local and provincial government officials. CAA will also continue its call for a dedicated, predictable and permanent gasoline-tax fund for Ontario’s roads, highways and bridges.

Contact: media@caaniagara.ca