The sight of construction for commuters on Hurontario Street in Mississauga isn’t new, but at the north end of the city are seeing a familiar sight as crews are rebuilding tracks for the yet-to-be-opened Hazel McCallion light-rail transit (LRT) line.

Located at the corner of Hurontario Street and Topflight Drive beside the Mississauga and Brampton border as well as Highway 407, the intersection will serve as a main juncture point for LRT trains getting to and from the nearby maintenance and storage facility.

Google Street View imagery from September 2023 showed newly laid tracks and construction occurring at the intersection, which also acts as a main entry point for the commercial and industrial area. There’s also a nearby GO Transit park-and-ride lot where MiWay and Brampton Transit buses stop too.

However, when CityNews revisited the area, similar construction was seen again. Video captured showed freshly poured concrete and track beds where trains will eventually travel over.

“My first concern was for the businesses and the other parts of the community that use this area,” Mississauga Ward 5 Coun. Natalie Hart told CityNews steps away from the construction site.

“[Businesses] have already faced a lot of disruption, and it’s a critical time in our life as Canada for our businesses to be able to maintain access to their suppliers, to their customers, and, frankly, to the rest of the city.”

In order to access businesses to the east of Hurontario Street, residents need to go east on Derry Road and north on Edwards Boulevard. Due in part to construction on Hurontario Street, it can mean longer delays.

A construction notice issued by Metrolinx, the Ontario government transportation agency overseeing the private-sector consortium responsible for building the 19-stop, $5.4-billion line, earlier in the area said the work would take place between mid-April and the end of July.

The notice said there is “necessary track rework” and that it is being done to “ensure safe operations of the future light rail vehicles.” There was no additional information provided on the exact scope of work or what was unsafe.

“What I’m told is that there was a quality issue with the tracks and so they need to be replaced before we get into the testing and commissioning stage,” Hart said.

She said she was hopeful there would be “more frequent communication coming,” but noted the recent elections may have caused Metrolinx to go into “caretaker mode.” Hart added she’s heard the agency might be having a community update “in the next few weeks.”

CityNews went to Metrolinx to ask about the situation as well as the project as a whole, but specifics on the defects weren’t provided.

“After installing track at the Topflight Drive intersection, we identified that track rework would be required.  This is common in large-scale infrastructure projects, where routine quality checks can reveal areas needing refinement,” the statement said.

“It is critical we address these issues now, so we can deliver a safe and reliable transit system.

“We have issued a notice to keep the community informed and are actively coordinating with nearby businesses to minimize any disruptions.”

When asked about the normality of replacing a key part of the track system, Hart said she was unsure.

“They say this is a normal part of large transportation infrastructure. Obviously, we’ve never built one here in Mississauga. (I) can’t say if that’s true or not, but it’s unfortunate just because of the time lost and the amount of impact that it has to the local business community,” she said.

CityNews took a close look at the project at the end of 2023. The line itself was supposed to be substantially completed in 2024, but there were indications that the deadline wouldn’t be met. Metrolinx officials wouldn’t provide a new targeted opening date.

“We will continue to push Mobilinx (the private-sector consortium building the LRT line) for continued progress on this critical project,” the statement said.

While there has been progress in key areas like the southern terminal at the Port Credit GO station and near Square One Shopping Centre, on parts of the line, such as at and north of Highway 407, track construction hasn’t started at all. It comes amid a commitment from the Ford government to extend the line into downtown Brampton.

Jennifer French, the Ontario NDP’s transportation critic, said Metrolinx staff need to explain in full detail what happened.

“There’s an old adage which is measure twice, cut once, and you wouldn’t expect you would have to remind an organization like Metrolinx, responsible for building transportation infrastructure across the province, that they should do a good job the first time,” she told CityNews.

“I don’t know what’s involved in this rework, but I am starting to see a very clear pattern that all Ontarians are starting to see and that is Metrolinx is not forthcoming with information.”

French pointed to other recent issues where she’s calling for greater transparency such as the quiet cancellation of a 25-year operating deal between Metrolinx and another private-sector consortium, ONxpress.

“I absolutely think that they have have exhausted the goodwill of people in this province, whether it’s leadership … local councillors, local elected officials seeking answers on behalf of their constituents, whether it’s MPPs like myself trying to get answers, trying to get information on behalf of Ontario’s taxpayers, and commuters,” she said.

“My frustration is shifting from what on earth is going on to why on earth does Metrolinx believe it can refuse to tell the people what on earth is going on? We have to be demanding that Metrolinx be accountable and that they cannot withhold crucial information from the public with impunity.”

When asked about the quality assurance processes that detected the issues and the potential safety concerns for riders, French reiterated the need for full disclosure.

“No one wants unsafe transit. No one wants incompetence when it comes to transportation infrastructure, so whatever the problem is or was or might be, the public — both the taxpayer side and the future rider side — deserves to know the scope of the work,” she said.

When it comes to the line itself, Hart said she and others on Mississauga city council have been waiting for Metrolinx to come and provide updates.

“We’re just not hearing a lot of answers. They’ve also made some substantive changes with the provincial government promising funds to add to the Brampton sections as well, and of course we have commitments, but not cheques, on the downtown loop here in Mississauga as well,” she said.

“I could say a lot more, but, like, get it done. This project has to come to life. It has to be delivered, and we need to see ridership coming on it so that our other transit infrastructure projects can continue to grow.”

Hart, whose northern Mississauga ward includes a large segment of the Hazel McCallion LRT line as well as areas east to, and including, Toronto Pearson International Airport, praised the future LRT line.

“It would be the most significant higher-order transit project coming to life that has happened here in Mississauga outside of the GO train system,” she said.

“It’s really about the connectivity, and that’s super important, and also how it will connect into the other east-west priorities that we are setting as a city.”

While speaking about how the LRT line would help residents, Hart said it will be important for workers at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

“We’ve got Pearson planning their largest expansion ever, frankly, and they’re going to be growing from 50,000 to 75,000 employees,” she said.

“Those employees are not going to be taking cars. You can’t park 75,000 cars at the airport every day and function. So we need to have transit that is going to access this part of the community, and we need it now.”