Pavement preservation pilot project begins
Thanks to a new pilot project, Regina residents could be dealing with fewer cracks on the road, and the city could save some money for future budgets in the process.
The roadway project, which will cost $350,000 from the existing $40.2-million road maintenance budget, will use a new pavement preservation technique to protect the surface of a road at a much smaller cost to the city. The cost is about one-tenth the current cost of repaving a roadway. This will reduce lifecycle costs for roadways by 60 per cent as well. Currently, the city spends about $1.5 million on roadway preservation each year.
“If this treatment is successful, this would allow us to allocate more resources to roads that have greater and higher cost needs like repaving and reconstruction,” Mayor Michael Fougere said in a news release. The technique is environmentally friendly and less invasive, taking an estimated four hours to treat a 500-metre stretch of roadway.
“We are testing this innovative pavement preservation treatment as part of a commitment to continuous improvement and finding new ways and cost-effective ways to extend the lifecycle of our roads,” Fougere said.
In order to have the treatment used on a roadway, the road must be free of potholes, wide cracks and ruts. The city will treat 260,000 square metres of pavement at 20 locations in August, including Lewvan Drive, Wascana Circle and Courtney Street.
The pilot project will run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 15. Transit routes could be impacted by the work and residents are encouraged to check with Regina Transit for bus stop and route changes.
“This approach is about investing in infrastructure maintenance at the right time to extend the lifecycle of our assets. It is a new technique that is different than anything we have done before,” Norman Kyle, director of roadways and transportation, said in the release.
“These roads are often newer roads, which look like they do not require any work. The treatment, if successful in our environment, will sustain the lifecycle of Regina's roads at a fraction of the current cost.”