“Potholes are a big problem,” says Scott Tam, Director of Growth and Infrastructure for the City of Timmins. “They show up after a long winter, and the constant freeze-thaw cycle in the north means that in spring, the roads are rough.” That’s why Tam has made a recommendation to City Council to secure funding for road repair to commit $5 million-dollars per year for the next three (3) years to municipal roads.
The money would top-up the $2.5 million already allocated to the annual “shave-and-pave program,” which sees the layer of deteriorated asphalt removed, or shaved off, and replaced with a new layer of asphalt. It’s a cost-effective method to address larger areas of damage. The challenge is keeping up with road conditions.
“The City bases our “shave-and-pave” priorities on feedback from Public Works and a 2024 Roads Needs Study, which ranks roads based on a Pavement Condition Index (PIC),” says Tam. “We have a number of roads that need rehabilitation. Investing over the next three years means we can repair more roads, take advantage of competitive asphalt pricing, and make more accurate budget projections for future planning.”
The increase in funding would be sourced through debt financing, repaid over the next five years, so, while Council is ready to grind the contract out, they still need to approve a subsequent report from the Finance Department for the borrowing of funds.
“Council has continued to make record investments in road improvements,” says Mayor Michelle Boileau. “Sometimes it seems hard to tell when you’re coming out of a long winter and you hit a pothole on Riverside Dr., but Public Works and our Growth and Infrastructure Dept. are working together to prioritize road repairs. This investment makes sense for Timmins’ roads now, and in the future.”
The City’s list of roads included in this year’s “shave-and-pave” program will be available soon at: https://www.timmins.ca/our_services/engineering/capital_works
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