WINNIPEG – On Monday morning, the city’s infrastructure committee will debate the merits of taking $8 million from next year’s budget to spend this year on road repairs.
There are a number of factors that point to this being an opportune time to spend the money on road work, said committee chair and South Winnipeg-St. Norbert city councillor Janice Lukes.
“We are finding that the prices for concrete and asphalt are coming in at an all-time low,” she said.
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Those low prices along with low project costs associated with a soft construction market mean spending the money now makes sense, she continued, “The industry is coming in with very competitive prices.”
The committee directed the public works department to come up with a list of 15 local roads, one in each ward, which could be fast-tracked if council agrees to put the $8 million in place.
“Local roads are least complicated when it comes to the engineering that needs to be done and the rehabilitation work that needs to be done,” said Lukes.
The sections of road selected by the public works department are close to other projects that are already on the go, so a lengthy tendering process could be avoided.
The idea is expected to pass through the committee on Monday at City Hall. It would then be voted on by the executive policy committee and full city council within two weeks.
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