City to allocate near $9 million share of pothole-fix funding

Winnipeg’s Public Works department is recommending the expenditure of $2.27 million on quick asphalt resurfacing and mill & fills on regional roads, in 2022 as much as possible, out of the city’s $8.85 million share of Manitoba’s pot-hole repair funding.

Premier Stefanson announced on May 9 $15 million in “emergency” funding to municipalities to fix roads chewed up, in the wake of protracted cold temperatures this winter and excessive rain and flooding this spring.

The city, in a public service report to be voted on by the Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works Committee July 5, is being advised to expend the funds on quick fixes this year (as much as possible), in extensions to already planned road construction projects and on repairs to granular surface roads. The public service report notes that while regional roads in poor shape were particularly hard hit this spring, gravel roads suffered as well due to the water that came.

The recommended allocations of funds and projects are:

1. That the City of Winnipeg accept funding from the Province of Manitoba in the amount of $8,851,695.34 for the purposes of road construction, rehabilitation and preservation projects, including the repair and filling of pothole and road cavities to be expended to the extent possible by December 31, 2022 and in any event prior to December 31, 2023.
2. That Council retroactively approve and ratify the funding Agreement with the Province of Manitoba, signed by the Chief Administrative Officer on June 10, 2022 to implement the intent of the foregoing.
3. That Province of Manitoba funding in the amount of $8,851,695.34 (plus interest) be included in the 2022 Capital Budget and allocated to the Regional and Local Street Renewal Program and that this funding not be subject to City overheads.
4. That new 2022 Capital Street Renewal project locations as identified in Appendix A be approved within the 2022 Regional and Local Street Renewal Program.
5. That up to $800,000.00 of the Province of Manitoba funding of $8,851,695.34 be allocated for granular surface roadway repairs encompassing application of 33 cubic metres of gravel per lane-kilometre on up to 138 kilometres of granular surface roadway, where deemed necessary by the Public Service, including maintenance hours required to maintain the roadways in 2022 and 2023.

The city report recommended asphalt resurfacing treatments at a number of locations where a more permanent renewal is not forecasted to occur in the immediate future, and a portion of funding for some permanent mill & fill and rehabilitation projects that are not currently in the regional street program, but which can be completed quickly.

“In order to expedite the asphalt resurfacing and mill & fill locations for 2022 construction, these project locations will be added to existing consulting engineering assignment and construction contracts as changes in work. The distribution of the work will be based in part on geographic locations of existing construction work as well as an ability for the contractor to complete the work in an expedited fashion.”