In summer 2025, the City of Toronto is replacing a 90+ year old retaining wall on Halford Avenue. The new retaining wall system will use modern construction methods that meet today’s engineering standards. The work will involve:
Inspection revealed that the existing stone wall on Halford Avenue was beginning to fail. The City installed jersey barriers to prevent debris from falling on the roadway.
Geotechnical investigation and slope stability analysis revealed that the existing stone wall did not meet modern engineering criteria and a modern retaining wall system would need to be constructed. To construct the new retaining wall, it was identified that permanent and temporary easements with the adjacent property owners would be required for construction and future maintenance.
City staff began communication with the impacted homeowners to acquire the easements through a negotiated agreement. However, the negotiations were stalled, and the City began the expropriation process. In late 2023, the expropriation process was completed.
In 2024, City staff started the tendering process to award the construction contract. On February 19, 2025, the Bid Award Panel awarded the contract to Bronte Construction.