The Hole Story
2013 was a record-setting year for potholes in our city, and it tested our patience as a City. Crews worked around the clock through the spring and summer to fill 750,000 potholes, well above the seasonal average of 480,000.
It was a crisis, there’s no other word for it. And in response, City Council invested an additional $21 million last year on road triage work that meant crews were able to tackle the real problem instead of just the symptom.
Because that’s really what it comes down to – potholes are a symptom of a much more serious problem, and that’s the breakdown of the roads themselves. The frequent freeze/thaw cycles we get in Edmonton certainly play a role in the number of potholes that form over the course of the winter, but the bottom line is that if our road network was in better condition, there would be far fewer potholes.
The money we put into roads last year is already paying off in 2014. To the end of March 2014, I’m told crews have filled 49,000 potholes – compare that to the same time last year when they’d already repaired 125,000. No doubt, some stretches of road are still in very poor condition, but we are addressing the worst head on. It’s only a start but we have a long way to go to address years of inadequate investment in one of Edmonton’s most valuable assets – our transportation infrastructure.
The City already has a long-standing, successful Neighbourhood Renewal program that rehabilitates and repairs critical infrastructure in Edmonton’s aging communities. What we need is the same sort of long-term, sustainable investment program for arterial roads, and my council colleagues and I are working closely with administration on a plan that would see upwards of $1 billion invested in arterial & neighbourhood roads over the next five years. The report on Arterial Road Rehabilitation is coming forward to Council on April 30, and at that time we’ll be in a position to move forward on recommendations and lay the groundwork for the future.
I’m committed to seeing a dramatic improvement in Edmonton’s roads – I heard from citizens time after time leading up to last year’s civic election that the condition of our roads was a priority for them, and so it is a priority for me and the rest of City Council.
I understand the frustration you feel – in fact, I share it. We have taken bold steps, and I believe this Council will take further bold steps to improve the condition of our roads and reduce the number of potholes.
Just an idea: maybe the City could use better quality asphalt near businesses so the potholes do not come back year after year. My property is right behind a locksmith with multiple heavy trucks and “my” back alley or the street next to it are a disaster year after year. I see the efforts put into it every spring but it lasts only a few weeks before the holes come back!
Also, let’s ban pickup trucks for those who do not use them for work!!! Haha!
Good luck with that!
I firmly believe that if the snow and ice are removed from the streets in winter we would not have the freeze thaw cycle as bad and less money would be spent cleaning up in spring. Maybe it is time for the use of more salt and less gravel.
If the freeze/thaw cycle is the biggest problem, wouldn’t clearing all roads to the pavement instead of a 3cm/5cm/10cm pack eliminate one of the causes?
Different schools of thought on removing the snow – the snow isn’t what damages the road, the liquid, especially under the surface is. The cracks are what allows the water in – and those are what need maintenance. Plus it’s very cost and time impractical to remove all the snow – especially since adjacent lawns and boulevards will still melt into the road anyway, and into the cracks. Note we still get plenty of potholes on main roads and bus routes where snow is actually removed. One notion I’ve heard is that the snow pack actually insulates the road and keeps the base from thawing and heaving as much during shorter warm spells.
So I’m not sure there’s a silver bullet here. But I’m not a pavement engineer. This is just what I’ve picked up hanging around city hall where potholes and winter road maintenance are occasionally discussed.
Mr. Mayor:
Please let me introduce myself. My name is Joe Mahoney. I am 38-years-old, have lived around Stony Plain, now governed by my former school classmate William Choy. then, moved into the city when I was 25.
Anyhow, please pardon me for the digression. My issues: Revolving around Edmonton’s intracity roadway grid. Yes, I know they cost money, but I feel that the city needs for interchanges. Especially up at “Christy’s Corner” on the corner of St. Albert Trail and 137th Ave NW. That St. Albert Tr./Yellowhead Tr. exchange where I used to live kitty corner from ought to be retroffited into a downtown-Los-Angeles-style 4-level stack junction.
And the dream-highwaybuilder in me cannot help but recommend for an extention of Stony Plain Road down through the river valley to plug straight into 97/98 AVE. As was contemplated by civic ancestors of the 1950s and 60s.