Winter is on the wane — which means it’s pothole season again on Red Deer roads.
The latest freeze-thaw cycle has done a number on our roadways, so the City of Red Deer’s Public Works crew is gearing up for the annual ritual of filling all the car-chassis-wrecking holes with pails of asphalt.
Last year, some 12,769 potholes were fixed on Red Deer’s public roadways. City roads superintendent Doug Halldorson expects about the same number will need to be dealt with this spring and summer on a $300,000 budget.
“It’s that time of the year again,” he said — which means a four-person crew will be on pothole duty from now until mid-July, while another city crew tackles crack filling.
Halldorson knows the two are interrelated. If concrete cracks are filled in time, water won’t be able to seep under a roadway to freeze, weakening the concrete, which crumbles when vehicles drive on it, leaving a hole.
A few potholes around the city have already been filled on roads that are free of snow. But Halldorson said, “We can’t inspect every street, so we depend on people to call our department and report a problem.”
The Public Works department can be reached at 403-342-8238, or complaints can also be made online at www.reddeer.ca.
Meanwhile, the city is also planning larger roads projects for the warmer months. Some are expected to start as early as May and June.
Halldorson said sidewalk and crown paving projects will be happening along 67th Street westbound, between the Red Deer River bridge and the roundabout at 30th Avenue.
Work will also be done on 49th Avenue northbound, from 43rd to 55th Streets, and 53rd Street, from 47th to 50th Avenues, as well as 49th Street, from 50th Avenue to 50A Street.
Tom Marstaller, environmental planning superintendent, hopes to get an early start on a $1.2 million Ross Street water main replacement project between Jackpot Casino and City Hall. “We’d like to do it before summer festivals.”
Ross Street won’t be closed, but some lanes will be, as city workers connect buildings across the street to the new water main.
Also, a $1.6 million paving project will happen on 40th Avenue, south of 32nd Street, disrupting traffic significantly for a short period, said Marstaller.
“We’d also like to get that one done sooner rather than later,” so it isn’t a race before snow falls again.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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