Greater Sudbury mayoral candidate Cody Caciotti says the city must take a good, hard look at their maintenance structure when it comes to Sudbury's roads.
One of the reasons that Caciotti is in the mayor's race to begin with is the condition of the roads in Sudbury, and he is aware that it is an issue that is high the priorities list for a number of citizens and candidates alike.
"Currently, I do not believe that we are planning projects appropriately to maximize the return on our investment. We are not making sound decisions that offer the best value for dollar to our citizens," said Caciotti."
"I look to the recently completed project on Lorne Street as a prime example. The city invested $7 million dollars into resurfacing Lorne Street in 2017 stretching from Martindale Road to Logan Avenue. The condition of the road between Logan Avenue and Kelly Lake Road was, and still is dreadful. It was one of the worst sections prior to the resurfacing and why it was not included in the original project scope is baffling. It would have been fiscally responsible in the long run to complete that final strip of Lorne Street while crews and equipment were on site and traffic measures already in place."
While other candidates have spoken about using better materials and technology to repair trouble spots around the city, Caciotti says that the issue goes beyond that and an overhaul to the way the city attacks this issue is needed.
Full text of Caciotti's news release can be found below:
One of the reasons that I am running for mayor is the deplorable conditions of our roads. It is an issue that is clearly top of mind for citizens. One does not need to travel a great distance to find a road in need of immediate attention.
It has been mentioned by some candidates that the city should look at investing in higher grade materials as well as new innovative equipment.
While I would tend to agree that these measures would help improve the state of our roads, and that the use of new products and new technology should be considered, it is only part of a bigger problem.
What we must do is place the entire maintenance structure for our roadways under the microscope.
Currently, I do not believe that we are planning projects appropriately to maximize the return on our investment. We are not making sound decisions that offer the best value for dollar to our citizens.
I look to the recently completed project on Lorne Street as a prime example. The city invested $7 million dollars into resurfacing Lorne Street in 2017 stretching from Martindale Road to Logan Avenue.
The condition of the road between Logan Avenue and Kelly Lake Road was, and still is dreadful. It was one of the worst sections prior to the resurfacing and why it was not included in the original project scope is baffling. It would have been fiscally responsible in the long run to complete that final strip of Lorne Street while crews and equipment were on site and traffic measures already in place.
It is a waste of taxpayer dollars to bring equipment back to the site to finish the job. It's poor business, poor planning and poor execution.
We all understand the geographical and seasonal challenges faced by our city. As mayor, I would be looking for ways to maximize our investments to ensure that maintenance to our existing infrastructure is being done both efficiently and effectively.
This would allow us to stretch our budget further, invest in a better product and new technology without significant strain on the taxpayer.
Taxpayers deserve better, and so do their vehicles.
