This is a 5-year plan, in part brought about by the top question any city politician is asked
It is the #1 question any city politician or staff member is asked about... when is a certain road going to be fixed?
The City of Niagara Falls is working on a 5-year roads and pavement maintenance plan, to address a backlog of complaint areas and funding needs.
General Manager of Municipal Works Erik Nickel says there'll be more focus on good roads. "Keeping good roads good is our foundation. It's like your car... you change the oil frequently, you don't have to change the engine. Same thing with roads, if you keep them in good shape, you can avoid costly repairs later."
He advises the city avoid dealing with worst roads first, since that can deplete resources quicker for good roads.
It's a matter of timing when considering other parts of the road, under the surface. "Try not to do any work on those roads, if possible. We don't want to dig up the water, sewer, etc. We want to extend that pavement life so they line up with future underground initiatives if they come up. But, we should be investing and keeping them good, so we call those roads a preventative maintenance category."
The city has also been looking at different types of road material to extend road life.
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