WINNIPEG — Drivers across the city are dodging and weaving on the roads to avoid potholes and bad roads the spring melt unearths.
The City of Winnipeg has proposed to spend $105.16 million this year on road repair and maintenance. The budget for pothole patching clocks in at $1.8 million for 2016.
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“That’s not nearly enough to fix the problem,” said Chris Lorenc, President of Manitoba Heavy Construction Association.
“[The city] would have to invest $800 million each and every year, for ten years.”
The $8 billion estimate includes other infrastructure projects and is nearly eight times the current commitment.
Lorenc said the number is based on a total overhaul of the roads system.
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“It will take 20 to 30 years of sustained, purpose driven investment to catch up.”
With each passing year the city has invested more money dedicated to fixing the city’s roadways.
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This year’s proposed budget would see an increase from 2015, when $103.3 million was spent; $84.2 million was committed to fixing roads in 2014.