This is all the major road construction in Toronto this summer

The old adage remains painfully true, Toronto has two seasons: winter and construction.

City councillor Jaye Robinson, chair of the City's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, held a press conference on Wednesday specifically to proclaim the beginning of the latter for 2018.

"On my way to the intersection of Gerrard and Parliament Street to announce the start of this year's construction season in the City of Toronto," wrote Robinson on Twitter Wednesday morning.

That's right, Toronto now has a legit "construction season" in the eyes of city officials, worthy of its own press release and announcement ceremony.

Upgrading and renewing the City's infrastructure is essential to keeping Toronto a world-class city. Thanks to Public Works chair @JayeRobinson for kicking off the 2018 construction season. pic.twitter.com/NIBK5rU8NU

— John Tory (@TorontosMayor) May 9, 2018

To be fair, that press release is incredibly handy in terms of planning — especially with more than 200 projects on deck within Toronto this summer — and it's not like we didn't know this was coming.

"Warmer temperatures are hopefully here to stay and the City is wasting no time in tackling the 2018 major infrastructure projects," tweeted Robinson during the announcement.

"Our city has one of the fastest growing populations in North America and it is essential that we maintain and improve our aging infrastructure."

We work hard to mitigate the impacts of this construction, including working around the clock 24/7, extending work hours, improved signage, keeping parallel roads free and adjusting signal timing on alternate routes to cut congestion. @TO_Transport pic.twitter.com/IXRoGQ65Sv

— Jaye Robinson (@JayeRobinson) May 9, 2018

The City of Toronto says it will invest over $720 million this year to maintain and upgrade its infrastructure, including $360 million on roads, expressways and bridges, $299 million on sewers and watermains and $61.2 million on basement flooding protection. 

Mayor John Tory said in today's press release that, while 2018 will be a busy year on local roads for construction, the work is essential when it comes to keeping Toronto a world-class city.

"As always, I will be pushing to make sure the work is done as quickly as possible," he said, "to minimize any disruptions for pedestrians, transit riders, cyclists and drivers." 

Here, via the City of Toronto, is a list of major projects planned for this year.

• Replacing the TTC track and concrete at the Gerrard Street East and Parliament Street intersection 
• Six Points Interchange Reconfiguration in the area of Bloor Street West/Dundas Street West/Kipling Avenue 
• Harbour Street streetscape and multi-use trail construction until July 
• Resurfacing Eglinton Avenue West between Islington and Jane Street (resuming from 2017) 
• Watermain replacement and road resurfacing on Jarvis Street from Dundas Street East to Queen Street East 
• Watermain replacement and road resurfacing on Adelaide Street East from Jarvis to Parliament streets
• TTC track replacement at the intersection of Dundas Street East and Broadview Avenue and on Dundas Street East from Broadview Avenue to Gerrard Street East (8 weeks) 
• Watermain replacement and road resurfacing on Kipling Avenue from Albion Belfield roads
• Watermain structural relining on Kennedy Road from Ellesmere Road to Lawrence Avenue East 
• Road resurfacing on Pharmacy Avenue from Sheppard to Finch avenues and from Lawrence Avenue to the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks north of Lawrence Avenue 
• Road resurfacing on Martin Grove Road from Lavington Drive to Eglinton Avenue West 
• Watermain replacement and road resurfacing on Dundas Street West from Bay Street to Spadina Avenue 
• Rehabilitation of the Gardiner Expressway from Jarvis to Cherry streets starting later this year. 

by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO