roads – mackaycartoons

Wednesday January 18, 2017

January 17, 2017 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday January 18, 2017

Funds must double to keep Hamilton roads at ‘C’ level: report

The city needs to double asphalt repair spending over the next decade just to keep increasingly rutted roads in fair shape, a new analysis shows.

As it is, municipal road conditions — particularly neighbourhood streets and urban collectors — are deteriorating steadily because the city budget isn’t keeping up with needed repairs, says public works head Dan McKinnon.

“We’re not sustainable … We know the overall condition rating is going to decline,” McKinnon said during a presentation to councillors on the city’s latest road condition analysis.

That report suggests Hamilton must spend about $521 million on repairs and reconstruction over the next 10 years just to hold the line on existing road conditions. We’re on track to spend only half that amount, with about $25.5-million slated to be directed to such repairs in 2017.

The city actually spends closer to $80 million a year on all things roads-related — but that includes bridges, sidewalks and street lights, traffic engineering, technical studies and construction related to new development.

The city bases its latest dire prediction on a roads condition index calculated with the help of a consultant who used ground-penetrating laser technology and visual inspections to evaluate all municipal roads block by block.

Based on the latest study, the city has awarded itself a “C” grade for roads — defined as “fair with some deterioration or defects evident” — or an average condition index of 62.

The “optimum” target condition index for roads is 81. While the city’s two parkways are close to that target level of driveability, residential streets and urban collectors have an average condition index closer to 58.

The latest public report doesn’t finger particularly bad roads or neighbourhoods, but a photo presentation to councillors used a spiderweb-cracked section of Chapple Street in Stoney Creek to illustrate a road in need of a rebuild. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Doubled Published – Oopsie.

Published in the Western Star, Corner Brook, Newfoundland – January

Published in the Western Star, Corner Brook, Newfoundland – January 20, 2017

Friday April 1, 2016

March 31, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 1, 2016

Downbound lanes of Sherman Access East closed

City crews expect to reopen the downbound lane of the Sherman Access east Thursday morning that has been closed most of today because of a rock slide.

Brian Hughes, manager of capital rehabilitation and technical operations with the City of Hamilton, said rocks began falling from the side of the escarpment late morning Wednesday onto the eastern portion of the downbound lane.

The lane was closed as crews removed the rocks and overnight tonight they are planning to put in place concrete barriers to keep any further falling rocks from making it onto the road.

No one was injured and no vehicles were damaged, he said. Most of the falling rock ended up in the ditch.

The section of escarpment had been scheduled for scaling – the removal of loose rocks – later this year, said Hughes. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Friday May 1, 2015

April 30, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday May 1, 2015

Ontario’s winter roads ‘less safe’ since privatization: auditor

Ontario saved millions but put lives in jeopardy by contracting out highway snow clearing and other winter road maintenance with poor oversight, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk says in a damning new report.

“In the past, highways were cleared much faster,” the auditor told reporters Wednesday, noting that “preliminary results show an increase in the number of deaths on Ontario highways in 2013 where snow, slush or ice was a factor.”

It’s taking twice as long to clear highways to bare pavement after storms than it did five years ago under a new system of “performance-based” contracts with specified service levels and no more on-the-road supervision by Ministry of Transportation staff.

Lysyk said she was stunned to find the Liberal government kept awarding the contracts despite warnings from Ministry of Transportation engineers that many low bidders didn’t have enough equipment to do the job properly.

In one startling case a year ago, an unnamed northern Ontario contractor refused to clear winter roads at one point and was fined for poor performance following an audit prompted by a pileup of 14 tractor trailers that forced an extensive highway closure.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca refused to apologize for the problems but said that “there’s no doubt there needs to be improvements. I will get this right.”

Del Duca said 105 pieces of snow removal, de-icing, salting and sanding equipment have been added in the past year and 20 inspectors added to keep better track of contractors, with whom he will meet in the coming weeks. (Source: Toronto Star)

Friday February 13, 2015

February 12, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday February 13, 2015

City passes budget that leaves little room for road repairs

Council has approved $261 million in capital spending for the year — but you have one last shot to grab a share of the asphalt.

Last-minute budget juggling means city councillors have $3 million — that’s $200,000 each — to spend fixing residential streets in each ward.

So if your street is more pothole than pavement, now’s the time to complain to your councillor.

“Compared to the overall roads budget it’s a drop in the bucket, but every little bit helps,” said Coun. Chad Collins, who added his own Ward 5 residents complained loudly about the state of local roads even before one city official warned some streets were in danger of going “down to gravel.”

The city’s capital budget is all about building, replacing and repairing — think arterial roads, bridges, buses, rec centres and affordable housing.

As usual, the lion’s share — $99 million, or about 40 per cent — will be spent on roads and bridges. But that still leaves us $120 million behind what we should be spending on needed repairs.

Council hasn’t approved a final tax levy yet, but about $44 million of the capital budget comes from taxes you pay this year. The rest of the capital cash comes from reserves, government grants, leftover project funding, development charges and debt financing.

In an effort to chip away at the infrastructure deficit, council also approved a half-percent increase to the tax levy dedicated to capital. The extra money, about $3.7 million, equates to another $15 on the average homeowner’s tax bill.

Council also approved $5 million for the capital budget Wednesday that may not be spent in 2015 — or ever. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)