Williams Lake hopes to spend $1.25 million annually on road repair over the next five years. Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

Williams Lake hopes to spend $1.25 million annually on road repair over the next five years. Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

Williams Lake targets $1.25 million a year for backlog road repair

City council approved the budget for the next five years

Williams Lake plans to spend $1.25 million on road repair in the next five years to address more deterioration of more than a third of the city’s road network.

The move comes after city council received a report from Jeff Bernardy, engineering technologist, during Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting outlining that conditions have deteriorated and approximately 35 per cent of the city’s road network is in poor or very poor condition.

Bernardy told council that in 2009 when a scan was done of the city’s pavement management the condition of the roads was rated as “fair.”

“It is still considered fair, but is approaching the next band of ratings — the poor category and has deteriorated overall,” Bernardy said.

In 2009 it was recommended the city spend $1.4 million a year in order to keep up.

Fast forward a decade and the models have been updated, Bernardy said, noting the new number recommended is $1.25 million a year until 2028 and increased to $1.4 million after that for the next ten years.

Read more: City announces water and paving projects

Coun. Scott Nelson said in 2015 $120,000 was spent on pavement, in 2016 $950,000, in 2017 $1.3 million and in 2018 spent $1.9 million.

“We want to make sure that minimum is being looked after, we don’t want the roads to deteriorate so we are trying to put together a long-term strategy,” Nelson said.

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