City testing new pothole patch

If it’s been an even rougher ride home recently, you don’t have to look far to see why as potholes are once again pitting city streets.

City crews are trying to get them all filled but the quick fix doesn’t last long.

"They’re wicked,” said Don Reimer. “They’ll take the front end of your truck out real quick."

Reimer makes his living on the road but potholes in Winnipeg have cost him a lot of money. His last bill was $5000.

"You start blowing tires, you bend rims and no one wants to pay the damages,” said Reimer. “It’s time they fix the roads.”

But it’s a slow work in progress.

"(Friday) we deployed our pothole patching machines, also known as road patchers, to supplement the hand crews that are already out there," said Ken Boyd, Manager of Streets Maintenance for the city.

Fourteen city crews are working around the clock to keep up with the growing problem.

"It’s going to get worse," said Boyd.

As it gets milder, more potholes will appear and the patches will become a hole again within days.

"The majority of them will be temporary fixes," said Boyd. "There are some that, for whatever reason, do last longer than others."

The city is testing a new patch with a former pothole at Stafford Street and Taylor Avenue the guinea pig. It’s been filled with a mixture of sand and oil, which is suppose to last a lot longer but will cost a lot more.

"It’s about ten to fifteen times more expensive than our conventional pothole patching," said Boyd.

So far, it’s holding up. Some residents want the city to spend its $1.5-million pothole budget on a more permanent fix.

While Reimer tries to avoid the costly holes, he knows they’re unavoidable.

"Manitoba frost – there is no permanent solution, it just happens," said Reimer.