The worst road in Ontario? CAA says it's Hamilton's Barton Street, with 4 Toronto streets also on list

The worst road in Ontario? CAA says it's Hamilton's Barton Street, with 4 Toronto streets also on list

City says road resurfacing work on that stretch of Barton will start in coming weeks

Steve Groom wasn't surprised to see Hamilton's Barton Street East on top of the Canadian Automobile Association's (CAA) annual list of the worst roads in Ontario.

CAA release its list Thursday morning. It's not the first time Barton — the city's longest road — has been listed as the worst. This year, Hurontario Street in Mississauga took the second spot. Notre Dame Avenue in Greater Sudbury placed third.

In Hamilton, Groom works at Wheel Wizards, a rim shop near Barton Street East and Sherman Street North. He says he sees the evidence of the road's poor condition on the cars that come into the shop – and in the frustrated drivers who had to navigate the bumpy street to get there.

"None of them like driving on it, that's for sure, and they're just cursing up and down," says Groom, who refinishes rims in addition to replacing them.

"We got a lot of bent ones coming in. A lot of the time, you have to scrap the rim when they're bent like that. You need a whole new one."

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The CAA found the average repair caused by a road issue has gone up in price over two years, from $850 to $930.

Wheel Wizards is just steps from the stretch of Barton Street East included in this year's worst-road honour.

While the street has won the honour several times in the past – two years in a row in 2022 and 2023 – the previous years' complaints were more focused on sections of the road further east, according to Brian Pirvu, government relations consultant for CAA South Central Ontario.

This year, the bulk of votes identified Barton intersections between Sherman and Kenilworth avenues, an area where the road is such a patchwork of holes, troughs and bumps that it barely appears paved in places.

Resurfacing work planned for Barton

The City of Hamilton is clearly aware of the problems there. Mayor Andrea Horwath told CBC Hamilton that road resurfacing from Kenilworth to Emerald Street, which includes the section identified by CAA, will start "in the coming weeks."

She says more resurfacing on Barton is to come in 2027.

"We know there is more work ahead; we are making progress and remain committed to improving roads across Hamilton," she said in an email on Thursday.

Groom says the state of Hamilton's roads leads to a lot of auto repairs that could be avoidable. He says it's not just drivers, but cyclists also struggle when roads are in bad shape.

"I try to stay away from Barton Street as much as possible," Groom says.

Potholes key driver of complaints: CAA

In CAA's 2026 list, in addition to the top three worst roads, Sider Road in Fort Erie, Ont., took fourth place. Four of the remaining top 10 were in Toronto: Steeles Avenue East, Sheppard Avenue West, Bathurst Street and Unwin Avenue.

Hurontario Street, in second place, runs through the heart of Mississauga and Brampton, and has been undergoing construction for years as the province builds the 18-kilometre Hazel McCallion LRT Line, named after the former Mississauga mayor. It was originally expected to open in 2024.

Pirvu said traffic congestion is the main concern on some of its top roads, such as Hurontario, but potholes and road maintenance were the key drivers on Barton.

As Hamilton's longest road, it's not surprising that Barton has been on the list several times, he added, saying often such roads stay on the list for several years before the municipality can get to all the stretches that need repair.

On Thursday, drivers on Barton Street swerved in their lanes to avoid potholes of varying sizes, and bumped along a washboard section near Gage Avenue where the idea of a smooth surface of pavement is a distant memory.

A deep trench in the middle of one of the westbound lanes spans almost unimpeded from east of Ottawa Street North to Gage. The road is strewn with gravel from where the pavement is crumbling.

Pirvu said many of the roads on past lists were soon repaired by their municipalities, including Barton near Parkdale Avenue North and Aberdeen Avenue near Dundurn Street South.

Hamilton dedicating more to road repairs

Pirvu also noted that the City of Hamilton has increased its focus on road repairs over the past couple of years, citing $655 million dedicated to infrastructure and transit in the 2025 budget and at least $150 million for road repairs alone this year.

That follows years of under-investment in maintaining Hamilton's infrastructure. Last year, city officials said the difference between money needed to maintain city roads, buildings and other property and what has been allocated was somewhere between $3.18 billion and $7.42 billion.

Mayor Horwath, council and city staff have since worked to establish an asset management plan to try to close that gap.

"When investments are not made over a number of years, then eventually, the piper has to be paid,” Horwath said earlier this year.

In a spring pothole blitz early last month, the city said staff filled more than 2,100 potholes, bringing the total number of pothole repairs to over 35,000 in 2026.

Pirvu said good roads are essential for the movement of goods and people, and that on a household level, can prevent costly car repairs. He encouraged people to reach out to their politicians when they notice a problem.

"People are venting about the state of the roads to their friends, spouse or coworker, but not necessarily to their government," he said.

Saira Peesker is a reporter with CBC Hamilton, with particular interests in climate, labour and local politics. She has previously worked with the Hamilton Spectator and CTV News, and is a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail, covering business and personal finance.