WINTER is tough on roads, especially ones not built to standards in the first place. Freeze/thaw cycles in which water worms its way into tiny cracks and then expands to break up asphalt bedevil any attempt at a smooth or even safe ride.
Last week the first block or so of McConnell on the Bench at the top of Lanfear Hill heading toward Northwest Community College looked as if it had been carpet-bombed by the American air force such were the sizes of the potholes.
It’s a reminder of the painful process city council goes through each year in debating which roads should be rebuilt.
With huge budget pressures elsewhere, the city’s road budget, such as it is, is a vulnerable target and seemingly shrinking each year.
No doubt city crews will be patching McConnell and elsewhere. But it is a futile exercise and good money after bad if a roadbed is not first properly prepared.
Terrace is on the verge of a rebirth as a regional service centre to a number of industrial projects. The welcome mat will need to be rolled out but if it is one that is torn, shredded and patched, it’s hardly the kind of first impression we want to provide.
The city would be well-served if its council was to single-mindedly work on a systematic road building plan. It’s all about good government and while good government should never be mixed up with politics, 2011 is an election year.