Roads will continue to be a hot button issue this election and next, says Ward 11 candidate Kevin Lalonde.
In a letter to Sudbury.com, Lalonde said when it comes to roads, “everyone wants to fix them and every candidate wants to mention them and move on quickly.
“What has always been a hot topic for the last century of election campaigning will be the hot topic next election campaign also if we don't start discussing specifics,” he writes. “It has become just a bullet point to get through at election time for most politicians.”
But with more than a billion dollar infrastructure deficit, no quick solutions are possible, he said.
“So how do we cope?” he writes. “Well, for now we keep repairing our infrastructure as efficiently as we can. We know what to use for water pipes and sewer lines. Relining lines is proving effective, roads on the other hand are a little different problem in the North.”
Longer term, he champions the use of a different type of pavement, called jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP), as process that's more expensive but creates roads that last 50-60 years.
“We don't have to do this on every road we do, but the arterial roads and roads we use road salt on would be good,” Lalonde writes. “Unfortunately these roads would have to be paid for from debt financing, but if we can get a 50 year roads paid off in 30 years. Then it hopefully becomes an asset for 20 years.”
Full text of Kevin Lalonde's letter:
This election campaign has heard "roads" brought up in campaign promises. Everyone wants to fix them and every candidate wants to mention them and move on quickly. What has always been a hot topic for the last century of election campaigning will be the hot topic next election campaign also if we don't start discussing specifics. It has become just a bullet point to get through at election time for most politicians. So roads, water and waste water infrastructure.
Everyone is aware our pipes are old, our roads are falling apart. We can only budget repairs for what our revenue allows us. We bring in roughly 550 million in associated revenues. Out of that we spent around 105 million last year on roads a decrease from about 134 million previously. We spent 34 million on water/waste water down from about 56 million previous.
The decrease in spending is because the municipalities have been cut from grants and transfer payments for just such these purposes. In essence we have been told to deal with it ourselves. It's a hard thing to do when you are faced with an infrastructure deficit of 1.4 billion and told to fend for ourselves. Solving this is in short term is impossible, so how do we cope? Well for now we keep repairing our infrastructure as efficiently as we can. We know what to use for water pipes and sewer lines. Relining lines is proving effective, roads on the other hand are a little different problem in the North.
What I would like to see is more serious discussion on JPCP road construction( JOINTED PLAIN CONCRETE PAVEMENT) or Rigid pavements. More costly but estimated 50-60 year life cycle. We don't have to do this on every road we do but the arterial roads and roads we use road salt on would be good. Unfortunately these roads would have to be paid for from debt financing but if we can get a 50 year roads paid off in 30 years.
Then it hopefully becomes an asset for 20 years. As for secondary roads we have to start incorporating more of RAP (reclaimed asphalt pavement) or recycled roads, especially in areas where we are not scheduling water and sewer upgrades for the time being. Not as great of a life cycle but it puts down a smooth surface on a road we eventually will be digging up later. And for roads that haven't been done in 40 years, well we are already way past their life cycle. If we are willing to spend 100's of millions on transformational projects for our city, then consideration and discussion has to be spent on debt financing for our infrastructure, as well.
Learn more about Kevin Lalonde on his election page at Sudbury.com.
