By all accounts there are more potholes than usual during this winter season – there has been excess moisture and frequent freeze-thaw conditions – but not all that unusual for road maintenance in general.
“We all know quality roads are a core service and a critical responsibility of council and municipalities. It’s simply false economy and a major safety concern for taxpayers if roads are neglected, says Stan Bartlett, vice chair of Grumpy Taxpayer$.
“Thanks to harsh weather conditions, it’s even more true this winter.”
On Jan. 11 a tow-truck operator attending to some of the estimated 30 vehicles disabled by potholes along a stretch of Highway 19 in Nanoose Bay was struck when a van sideswiped his vehicle. The operator who suffered serious, non-life-threatening injuries, had been assisting drivers on the side of the road.
While not as nasty as the mid-Island, reports of potholes of ‘Biblical proportions’ and substandard roads are coming in across Greater Victoria.
The District of Saanich is planning to spend an extra $500,000 on upgrading roads this year, but it will mostly go to cover inflationary costs. It will also only go so far to fix the backlog of substandard roads.
To maintain 570 km of roads, Saanich taxpayers currently spend $4.3 Million on pavement renewal, and maintenance and other efforts to extend the life of the pavement. Some roads are also improved in conjunction with upgrades to underground utilities.
An estimated 30 per cent of the 192 km of major and collector roads are considered in poor (19%) or very poor (11%) condition, according to the most recent survey.
For the remaining 378 km of local or neighbourhood roads, there’s no current condition assessment. This is due to budget cuts and the priority in dealing with the backlog of existing major and collector roads, according to Saanich.
Saanich hopes to carry out a new pavement condition assessment this year – excluding sidewalks – to help inform 2022 budget discussions on road maintenance needs, according to a spokesperson.
As for the cost of filling the average pothole in Saanich, that depends on the size, location, preparation required, traffic control requirements, and whether it’s a singular repair or part of series in a day. A Saanich pothole costs on average about $135 to fill.
In 2017 a community group called Livable Roads for Rural Saanich formed in with the aim of making five main rural roads safer and more livable
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PQB roads: Excess moisture, ‘freeze-thaw’ conditions result in series of highway potholes: Crews work continually to deal with situation in surrounding region, Saanich News, Jan. 11, 2022.
Metro Vancouver crews busy with pothole repairs after record-setting cold snap: Freeze-thaw cycle forces asphalt to expand and contract, causing ruptures, Vancouver Sun, Jan. 12, 2022.
Saanich roadway improvements ready to roll this spring and summer, Victoria News, Jan. 12, 2022