Windsor potholes to be a problem

by Dan Gray

The City of Windsor is asking drivers to be patient with road crews while they fix potholes on city roadways.

City of Windsor operations manager, Mark Winterton, says the budget to fix potholes this year is only half a million dollars. He said he believes they will probably spend double that amount this year to repair the damage caused by the severe winter. The roads department plans to go back to council in the spring to get more money for their budget after they show the effect the winter has had.

Winterton attributes some of the pothole problems to the condition of roads in general. It would take approximately $300 million to make every road in the city less prone to potholes. This year they will only get about $10 million.

Rudy Fluit, owner of Allchin Brake and Steering Ltd., said he notices an increase in business this time of year due to potholes.

“We are seeing a fair number of suspension issues happening, struts, control arm bushings and control arms because of potholes,” said Fluit. “If the conditions are right it can do $500 to $600 damage very easily depending on the car, the more expensive the car, more money it costs.”

“The real issue is that if we are out pothole patching that means it is already past what we should have done to keep it (the road) in shape. We know what we need to do it’s a matter of money from senior levels of government,” said Winterton. “We are going to have crews working all weekend, we are going to have crews working at night, we have four crews a day working pothole patching.”

The City of Windsor has a map that shows the conditions of all the roads in the city. It is re-evaluated every year and colour codes show the condition of each road in red, yellow and green. The current map shows a lot of red roads which are ones that need replaced. Winterton said he has a plan, he knows what needs to happen but the cost to make it perfect is just too much. So they have to patch what can’t be made perfect.

Potholes are an annual issue drivers will face until governments decide that overall road conditions need to be attended too, and provide the finances available to do so. The City of Windsor is asking drivers to be patient with road crews and adjust their driving to road conditions. City Workers know there are a lot of potholes out on the roadways and are working to fix them.

Residents are encouraged to call 311 if they notice any potholes that are particularly dangerous.