Discussions

After trying to manoeuvre down 18th street without not hitting any holes ( no luck there) isn’t it about time that some much needed patch work be done  
Highways department needs to get their **** together

The stretch between 1st and 18th is the worst it’s ever been even after their sad attempt at filling some holes

IT is about time that the province considers paving it with concrete, asphalt is not standing up anything.

They did a section of the M5 motorway in England with concrete. It was super noisy to drive on and the joints made it really rough and hard on Vehicles.

No one here cares about England.  
 
18th street being concrete noise isn't an issue. We are at low speeds (especially with Brandon drivers).  
 
Hard on vehicles.. sure it can be... but I am pot holes aren't either.

There was a section of highway outside Winnipeg they was done in concrete nearly 2 decades ago I can't remember if it was a section of highway 1 or highway 2. The road did last. It was a bit loud but wasn't crazy.  
 
The cost to do anything in concrete vs asphalt I'm assuming would be rather significant.

Several Interstates in the Dakotas are concrete. Don’t know how they are longevity wise, pretty smooth to drive on but they do generate more road noise.

Just relaying our experience. After 30 years of complaints of excessive noise and damage to vehicles from rough surfaces that section of motorway was ripped up and paved with tarmac. And I remember we drove that section a lot and it was awful when it was concrete .  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2022-05-11 14:20:59

the city and the Province should be ashamed of themselves . The streets in the city are a disaster - water mains were dug month ago and are still not properly filled in the 2 on Richmond and first and the one by park and 18th are the worse !

hahaha I guess you never drive in the states.. funniest thing I've heard.  
 
Also the section around portage on hwy 1 and the section between 1st and 18th on hwy 1 should be done in concrete as well!

recent CBC article was a good read.  
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-potholes-climate-change-1.6435830

The roads here in town are horrible and I think it’s a direct result of the city and province neglecting the roads for several years. First Street, 18th Street, Richmond and the Trans-Canada between First and 18th could all use a mill and fill program. The intersection of 18th street and the transcanada could use some intersection improvements, definitely on the north side of that intersection. The road there is pretty deteriorated. First Street between Park and Richmond is constantly getting dug up to fix water mains. That’s been an issue for Atleast 20 years. There’s a few places on Richmond near Co-op where the roads been sinking for several years. I don’t know if some of these roads can take another year being in the condition they are.  
 
I’m guessing at this point the province has forgot about us or think no one lives here. I guess we’re not a priority  
 
Edited by The_Young_Man, 2022-05-11 18:56:23

The provincial government spends money every year to fix roads. Obviously, they haven't been fixing them fast enough or paying for a proper job, and so everything is a mess and the general condition of our roads and highways is getting worse and worse. Obvious solution: spend more money to fix roads. However, we are not swimming in cash, and so any money spent on road repairs will be removed from someplace else (I'm thinking definitely not from health). Seems pretty clear to me that this isn't going to improve anytime soon. Maybe we have to downgrade our expectations (gravel roads instead of asphalt in new developments?) because we have definitely overbuilt and can't afford to keep what we have in good condition. There was an article in the Winnipeg Free Press a week or so ago that quoted a civil engineering professor saying that most of Winnipeg's roads were constructed during the 1960s and 1970s and have hit the end of their lifespan - patching won't work, new roads are required. Think about the cost. I recommend SUVs and other offroad vehicles for new purchases.

Brandon/province could introduce a congestion charge within city limits. That could provide cash to properly repair roads paid by those causing the damage and would discourage vehicle use in the city taking pressure off infrastructure and the environment .

"congestion charges" are called "toll roads". Would be a non starter here for sure.

We are all told that we have to travel less journeys. There’s no where more suitable for traffic reduction and encouraging use of public transport than a city. The traffic damages the road. Take the traffic out of the city. That would reduce air pollution, traffic congestion and increase safety.  
We are going to have to give up personal private transport at some point in the future.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2022-05-12 17:38:53

With monsoon season in full gear, its impossible for anybody to fix any streets. True enough that 18th st. should be resurfaced.

We do care-it 8s good to hear what someone else's experience with a particular thing-cement roads in this case. If a cement road is very noisy and the joinings are hard on cars-as people in England have learned-is that really what we want here? Or do we think Canadian cars will stand up when English ones didn't?

but we in North America are in love with our cars. I can't see the current situation lasting, but until people are forced to quit driving their cars everywhere, nothing will change. Any politician who tries to do something counter to the public love affair with the automobile will be quickly voted out of office, and clever politicians will learn to feed on the public's need for the car (pipelines, lower gas prices, etc.). I think the very structure of the city is due to change, increasing in density to reduce sprawl and improve walkability, but we have a whole lot of pain to go through before that happens, and part of that pain is more and more roads that look like plowed fields.