Although they plague drivers every year, Winnipeg’s mayor says the city might be looking at a record number of potholes in 2024.
Mayor Scott Gillingham told 680 CJOB’s The Start that city crews are actively patching up Winnipeg’s roads, but they were very busy last month with an unprecedented number of potholes.
“By the end of May, we had filled close to 135,000 potholes in Winnipeg, and our crews are still going,” Gillingham said.
“I’ll take the opportunity … to remind motorists: please be patient. Those construction zones are work zones. Those are places where people are doing their jobs, so for the safety of the workers, please be careful.”
Along with pothole repairs comes another annoyance for many commuters: construction season is in full swing.
Gillingham said he understands the frustration, but it’s a necessary evil, and city departments do their best to co-ordinate projects and inform impacted business owners.
“Sometimes we do have road projects that are close to one another, and sometimes we have projects that carry over from year to year.
“It would feel, or seem like, for drivers, ‘Didn’t we just do this section of road last year?’ In fact, sometimes work doesn’t get completed, so we have to carry it on for a second year, or it’s a different part of the construction project that is started in another year.”
The mayor said the city’s construction budget is $140 million this year, but that number should grow to $160 million next year.
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