Pottery Road will remain closed indefinitely. The cause of this surprising news is instability discovered in the steep ravine wall that extends up to the north of the road as it approaches Broadview Avenue. It will no doubt be asked how the City could have embarked on these aggressive changes to the road without an adequate test of the ravine’s stability. But it’s done. As our sister blog Yonge and Roxborough News reported earlier. Pottery Road has been closed all summer and was re-scheduled to open September 5, 2011. Maurizio Barbon, area manager of construction and design for the city’s technical services department, said a higher part of the hillside became unstable after the lower section was excavated. The road was moved slightly to the north and into the side of the hill, to create a wider path for cyclists on the south side, Barbon said. The excavated area was covered by a retaining wall which has been completed, but officials have since discovered instability in the hill above it. The higher part must be reinforced, but they’re still trying to figure out how to do it without compromising the wall below, Barbon said. The project is almost done, except for a top coat of asphalt that won’t go on until work on the hill is completed, to keep it from being damaged by heavy equipment. Pottery will remain closed for now, he said, adding that no date has been set to reopen it.
