If you live on Dundas Street West in the heart of Little Portugal, steel yourself for a summer of ripped-up roads and fenced off sidewalks. It's construction season, and you're in one of the worst spots in the city.

Construction workers and their equipment will be working on various sections of the street west of Bathurst until at least early October.

"That work only started in early May," said the City of Toronto's John Kelly, who manages road construction projections in the city's York and Etobicoke districts.

Drivers are limited to one lane and streetcar service has been suspended. Coun. Ana Bailao (Ward 18, Davenport) said the work is hard on local businesses. But it won't go on forever.

"Throughout this difficult time I believed strongly that, with the promise of a five-year moratorium on future Dundas construction project, the current inconveniences would be worth the significant improvements to the street once completed," she told CTV News in an email.

The work should improve the streetscape by installing new sidewalks, treed boulevards, street furniture, and parkettes, she said.

Baio was upset that Enbridge originally wanted to replace some gas risers this fall -- after the main construction work was done. This has been cut back to three from 13 risers, but Baio said better co-ordination is needed to minimize disruption to Toronto communities.

For numerous neighbourhoods, Kelly said the worst is yet to come as Construction Season 2011 grinds along.

While there are dozens of road construction worksites in Toronto on any given day, Kelly provided a list of 13 major ones.

Some of those are winding down. Dundas Street West from College Place west to Dovercourt Road, is scheduled to be completed by July 15. The approximate value of the contract is $4 million.

The Roncesvalles Avenue construction project has been a long slog, but it was scheduled to finally be completed as of this past week. The work extended from the intersection with Dundas Street West south to Grafton Avenue, which is one block north of Queen Street West.

A $1.1-million road resurfacing project on Dufferin Street between Eglinton Avenue West south to Rogers Road is scheduled to be finished by July 29.

Here are some other projects that are underway:

  • Burnhamthorpe Road, from Martin Grove Road to the East Mall. This $5-million project is to upgrade storm and sanitary sewers, along with the water main. It is scheduled to finish in December. A $3-million roadwork project will follow in 2012.
  • Pottery Road, from Broadview Avenue to Bayview Avenue. This $4.2-million project began in late May and is scheduled to end on Sept. 5. Crews are upgrading water mains, storm sewers and doing road reconstruction.
  • King Street West, from Queen Street West south and east to Close Avenue. This $2.9-million project involves TTC streetcar track reconstruction, road resurfacing and sidewalk construction. It is scheduled to end on Sept. 4.
  • Humber College Boulevard, from Highway 27 to Carrier Drive. This $900,000 road resurfacing project is scheduled to finish by Sept. 30.
  • Bloor Street West, from Clendenan Avenue west to Jane Street. This $5.2-million road resurfacing project commenced on Sept. 20, 2010 and is scheduled to end in September.

At various points this month, four other major projects are scheduled to start:

  • Victoria Park Avenue, from Highway 401 north to Finch Avenue East. This $4-million road resurfacing project is scheduled to run from July 18 to Oct. 31.
  • Finch Avenue East, from Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue. This $3.2-million water main and road resurfacing project begins this month and is scheduled to end in December.
  • Markham Road, from Ellesmere Road north to Sheppard Avenue East. This $3.5-million water main and road resurfacing project begins July 18 and is scheduled to end in November.
  • Royal York Road, from Dundas Street West north to Ashley Road. This $3.5-million road reconstruction project begins this month and is scheduled to be completed by December.

Kelly said anything starting in July means the contract has been tendered and closed, "so it's just a matter of awarding the contract and getting it started."

To keep track of the above and other projects, he recommended checking the Toronto Streets website.

Kelly said those who want a lot of detail can check out the 2011 Planned Capital Program Map, which shows the location of water, utility and roadwork.

A separate web page lists expressway and major route closures, he said.

Provincial roadways

Just before the Victoria Day weekend, Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne held a construction season kickoff announcement.

She announced $2.5 billion in funding to improve roads, highways and bridges across Ontario. More than 200 projects were planned, with Wynne suggesting that 17,000 jobs will be created by them.

Here are some of the major GTA projects by highway number:

Highway 400

  • rehabilitating the Highway 88 interchange (planned completion date of fall 2011)
  • resurfacing between King Road and Highway 9 (planned completion date of fall 2011)
  • rehabilitation of bridges and pavement from Highway 11 to Highway 93 (planned completion date of fall 2013)
  • resurfacing from Simcoe Road 19 to Simcoe Road 16 (planned completion date of fall 2011)

Highway 401

  • expansion of lanes from the Highway 401-403-410 interchange to west of Hurontario Street in Peel Region
  • pavement and structural rehabilitation from Jane Street to Kipling Avenue. One collector's lane to be added from Highway 400 to Kipling Avenue. (planned completion date of fall 2013)
  • repairing the Hogg's Hollow and Yonge Street bridges, resurfacing work and other improvements between Bayview Avenue and Avenue Road (planned completion date of fall 2012)
  • minor repairs to the Dixie Road underpass (completion planned for this summer)

Contractors are also repairing QEW's Credit River bridge between Mississauga and Hurontario Streets in Mississauga. That work isn't expected to be finished until the fall of 2012.

The ministry said that where possible, work will be done when it provides minimal disruption to traffic. This could involve lane shifts. It could also mean nightly, weekend or off-peak closures of either lanes or ramps.