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Notice the (Many) Gaps – Winnipeg Free Press

Posted on by Neons

On Kimberley Avenue near Gateway Road, motorists navigate potholes like a video game Mario karts avoid banana peels.

Holes in the concrete around East Kildonan will cut the road if new asphalt doesn't plug the craters. In nearby Winnipeg, Union Avenue East crews tend to the pothole between East Chalmers Avenue and Gray Street in front of George V School.

Winnipeg's inclement weather means the City of Winnipeg and Manitoba Public Insurance are getting exponentially more pothole-related calls than in previous years.

John Woods / FREE PRESS The number of sinkholes reported to authorities has increased compared to last year, due to more frequent freeze-thaw cycles this winter.

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS

The number of sinkholes reported to authorities increased this winter compared to last year due to more freeze-thaw cycles.

Crews filled 9,360 potholes between Jan. 29 and Feb. 12, up 8,000 from the same period in 2023, city spokeswoman Calen Qualley said.

The severe freeze-thaw cycle affected municipal infrastructure, drivers and vehicles.

A West End auto repair shop has repaired more than a dozen cars with pothole damage, but it doesn't usually do that kind of work this time of year.

“It's a little weird, it's too early for that,” West End Tire mechanic Jeremy Pantel said Tuesday.

The garage typically orders tire and rim repairs every year between March and April when the snow melts, but the calls have already started pouring in, he said.

“Probably less snow and stuff clogging the holes.”

Although Winnipeg had a seasonally unseasonable weather last week, freezing temperatures after January's warm weather contributed to “unseasonable potholes,” Qualley said.

MPI data shows more pothole complaints were made in the first 11 days of February than in the entire month of the previous five years.

At least 161 claims were made against the state insurer this month, compared with 86 in February 2023, 55 in 2022 and 32 in 2021, according to MPI spokeswoman Christy Reeds.

Qualley also said the city has seen an increase in complaints about potholes, with 578 calls between January 29 and February. 12, compared to the same period last year, 84.

Ewald Friesen, CAA's Manitoba government and community relations manager, said the province is experiencing the pit season six weeks earlier than usual.

“The 60 to 70 (C) degree swing between winter and summer is murder on our roads,” he said, adding that the city has more infrastructure than funds to maintain it. “It makes the budget very tight for the city when it comes to repairs.”

In the 2024 budget proposal, the city allocated $138 million for road repairs and proposed a 3.5 percent property tax increase. The two percentage point revenue would be allocated to road maintenance and safety, totaling $984 million over the next six years.

Friesen said while he's happy to see cash being spent on street upgrades, motorists still bear the brunt of aging infrastructure.

According to a survey of CAA members, 53 per cent of respondents had paid out of pocket for minor repairs to their car and only 13 per cent had made a claim to MPI, finding it more cost-effective.