Residents stressed, frustrated by work on major new Mississauga LRT line

Many Mississauga residents are becoming increasingly stressed and frustrated by road closures and other issues associated with ongoing construction of the $1.4-billion Hazel McCallion light rail transit (LRT) line along Hurontario St.

Several City of Mississauga councillors took the opportunity at Wednesday’s (April 26) meeting of general committee to let staff and their colleagues know that numerous residents are not happy with inconveniences brought about by the continuing work.

When completed in fall 2024, the 18-kilometre LRT route will run along Hurontario St. from Port Credit GO station in south Mississauga all the way north into Brampton.

In the meantime, constant road work, lane closures, traffic delays and other inconveniences to motorists and residents are present all along the route.

“It’ll be nice to see the finished product, but the stress involved to the community has been and continues to be significant,” Ward 1 Councillor Stephen Dasko told two members of staff after they presented an update on the massive project to councillors.

The stretch of the LRT route along Hurontario St. south of the QEW lies in Dasko’s ward and has seen numerous road closures, sidewalk closures and other delays as large-scale work has been constant.

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While the councillor said he’s pleased the LRT is on schedule to open in late 2024 and he “appreciates the regular updates” provided by staff, “it is (an) ongoing, huge amount of pain (for residents). I’ll leave it at that.

“In my top five complaints I get in the ward, that is definitely a consistent top five.”

Ward 7 Councillor Dipika Damerla, whose ward includes the section of Hurontario St. from the QEW north to beyond Dundas St., said while it’s nice to see significant progress on the LRT project, the process has been troublesome at times.

Beyond traffic delays and noise associated with construction, Damerla suggested that communication among project partners, including builder Mobilinx and project overseer Metrolinx as well as the City, hasn’t always been the best.

“This construction has been horrendous for the people who live in the area,” she said. “I don’t know what the construction impact might have been north of Eglinton (Ave.), but I can tell you my residents around the QEW are apoplectic. They’ve got so much going on…it’s just been a lot for residents to take.”Damerla said residents were particularly upset during last fall’s installation of a key part of the LRT route, the QEW underpass that was completed in 55 hours using a “push box” technique.

The entire area was closed to traffic for a full weekend while the work was completed. While project officials say that was an impressive accomplishment, Damerla said it was still a major inconvenience for many residents and drivers.

The Ward 7 councillor noted that ongoing work on another major project, unrelated to the LRT, has also frustrated residents.

The huge rehabilitation project of the Credit River bridge over the QEW has led to numerous, constant lane and highway ramp closures on the busy stretch of freeway.

City staff assured councillors that as work on the LRT continues, they regularly coordinate with project partners in attempts to minimize disruptions to residents and drivers as much as possible.

Ward 5 Councillor Carolyn Parrish, who represents Malton, said she’s excited by what the LRT will bring to her residents once it’s up and running.

“It’s going to open up all of Mississauga to Malton because they’ll take a bus across Derry (Rd.), and then come down (Hurontario St.) and they become part of us,”‘ she said.

When completed, the 19-stop LRT line will link to GO stations at Port Credit and Cooksville, the Mississauga Transitway, Square One GO Bus Terminal, Brampton Gateway Terminal, and key MiWay and Brampton Transit routes.