Get Used To Dodging Potholes
Monday, March 12, 2012 @ 3:45 AM
As you travel around the city you will notice the roads appear to be in worse shape than they were heading into the spring season of 2011. If that is your observation, you are right, and it is only a pre- cursor of things to come.
In 2012 we are spending exactly the same amount on the rehab of our roads and given that the price of asphalt has gone up because of the price of crude oil, we are not going to be able to even keep pace with 2011.
We need, according to city hall management, $ 7 million a year in road rehabilitation. To put it off is sheer folly. It is only a matter of time before the price rises and we will come face to face with a major problem in the city.
Now the present Council will have a hard time suggesting that the problem arose with the old Council. Five of the current 8 on Council, are into ( at least) their second term, they held the controlling interest on Council, they simply could have had their wishes adhered to at any time during the past three years.
We have ordered up a “core review” which will not tell us what the priorities should be in the city. They will be looking at ways to save money.
Those savings may be suggested by introducing a public private partnership in some of the utilities one of which will definitely not be roads.
The core review will also not talk about the expenditures on the dike system on River Road of over 11 million dollars, nor will it talk about the purchase of the PG Hotel property or how we wasted $1 million dollars buying “air” above a parking lot.
Yet, 5 of the people on Council now, are holdovers from the previous Council which made those decisions.
Get used to the idea of dodging potholes in 2012, and a remember, there is much more to come.
I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.
Comments
As a motorcycle rider ,a motorist and a taxpayer in this city I am outraged at the way city hall maintains our streets. Yes we have harsh climate and yes we have conditions that are damaging to road surfaces . Not a big shock to anyone who has lived in this town for any length of time. Just like snow , damaged roads are going to happen . City Hall should be prepared for this. This stupid spending has got to stop. Winter games, an over priced RCMP building , buying air. when does it quit. I challenge our mayor to come join me on my motorcycle sometime for a ride and see what it is like to travel our roads on a vehicle that is already vulnerable enough.As taxpayers and citizens of Prince George we all have a right to safe roads no matter what form of transportation we choose.
There does not seem to be a concerted effort to solve the **pothole** road problem in Pr George, other than to pay lip service at budget time.
In simplistic terms, when one looks at these roads, and all the holes, there is a message to us from City Hall. That message is **We have better ways to spend your money than on roads, or infrastructure, so get used to it**.
The roads are an embarresment, but it seems the City doesnt care, however you can rest assured that prior to the Winter Games, they will make an effort to get some work done, so that we can impress our visitors.
The reason we dont have any money for infrastructure is because we have spent, and borrowed money over the years and for all intents and purposes we are broke. For a City the size of Prince George, with a solid tax base, this should never have happened. But it did. Mostly because the City has a penchant for expensive projects, that realistically we cant afford. In addition they continue to get Government grants which require matching funds, which push us farther into the hole.
Some borrowing over the past number of years that should get your attention.
Cameron St Bridge $11 Million, Police Station $38 Million, Community Energy System $5 Million, Office Blding on 18th and Ospika $3 Million, River Road 2010, $3.5 Million, River Road Dike 2012 $3.5 Million. Total borrowing $42 Million. Interest over 20 years $64 Million, or over $3 Million per year.
The Citys debt servicing at present is about $12 Million per year. So a huge percentage of our tax dollars are now going to pay debt. We need to stop City Hall from borrowing anymore money. They have to either forego these fancy projects, or find another way to pay for them, and I dont mean 3P’s or increases in taxes.
Ignoring the city’s infrastructure upkeep has been going on for years but seemed to pick up steam during Kinsley’s time in office. When was Bates hired as city manager?
In addition to buying air, let’s not forget they spent 250k to pave a parking lot and the bike path along Tyner(500k?)
Also don’t forget the airport expansion and horizon air fiasco.
“however you can rest assured that prior to the Winter Games, they will make an effort to get some work done” .. in the winter they can hide them up by letting them freeze over. I doubt PG would ever try to get the summer games then they would actually have to do some things to bring the city up to snuff for our visitors.
It’s too bad that Derek is not the opposite gender, then we could properly refer to him as the city’s Miss Manager :-P
You know, I asked my neighbor the other day if it was the foundation of the road ie: the rock or gravel base to the road itself that was causing the potholes. He said Nope, its the cheap asphalt that was used and the lack of crack sealant.
I just know that our roads are the worst I’ve seen in years but it appears the roads going to our major areas such as the university, CN Centre, appear to be kept up better than other areas. But anyone coming here for major venues is still going to hit potholes no matter how they access these areas.
If we only had a PAC; then we could all have a good laugh, be entertained and forget about all those holes.
Vancouver Playhouse just went belly up, might be able to get them here for a fire sale price, kick in a subsidy or two from other levels of government and I’m sure those on Patricia Blvd would go for it.
HarleyGuy72: your comment, “at the way city hall maintains our streets” should have read, “at the way city hall doesn’t maintain our streets.” Rather than your motorcycle, I’d rather take an older one ton empty truck, put them in the back one at a time and hit every pothole I could with it. Then maybe they’d see what the problem is.
Canada’s worst driver is coming to town. Combine the worst driver on the worst road. Diddy of a combo.
Canada’s worst driver is coming to town. Combine the worst driver on the worst road. Diddy of a combo.
The new pavement on Domano is already starting to breakup. Removing the old top layer off an even older bottom layer of pavement then laying down pavement over that older layer is a poor system in this area. All the pavement has to be removed otherwise water gets between the layers, freezes breaks up the pavement then hydraulic action from tires driving over water completes the job.
this hole (not whole)business is overblown. Unless we rip up all the existng streets and rebuild them to a highway standard we will contiue to have pot hole.
And try and repiare potholes when it thaws during the day and freezes at night the operation is pointless. Wores still tocount the number off fills and have the manderins at city hall tell us look what we have done is even more stupid.
The best solution is to slow down and dodge some of the hole when traffic permits.Those big trucks with dullies are bound to b a bit rough riding at 70 km through those nasty potholes.
If the ashpalt is of poor quality this again lacks quality control. of course they may not know at city hall what quality control is going by past records and some of the projects that our city has been involved in.
When we look at our highways they appear to last for yeats. If you ever e
see around hole about four inches in diameter near the edge of our highways this is where a sample has been taken and tested for quality control.
Cheres
The highways around here only last marginally longer than the city streets. The new highway north of town that was done 2 summers ago is already cracking and heaving bad.
At least if yer dodging pot holes in PG you won’t realize what lane yer swerving into cause there are no (white) lines on the road. I worked on the Alaska Highway in the mid seventies. No pavement but they were plowed good enough one could do 60 MPH on them comfortably. The only downside were the windrows and broken windshields. Alas. As for the price of oil for asphalt, I thought of the “tar sands” holding ponds. Hmmm? Nah. Probably already thought of.
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