Montreal Weather
Roads are composed of roughly three layers: the top layer of asphalt, the concrete bed (around 20 centimeters in depth) and the layer underneath the road called the subgrade. During the warmer months, water from the rain seeps through to the subgrade but if it has nowhere to go -- as many of Montreal roads have no drainage system -- it stays put.
The stagnant water then freezes during winter, increasing in volume. When spring comes, the ice melts but the pavement does not regain its original shape or strength, in much the same way that a cracked bottle of wine left in the freezer too long won't miraculously uncrack. The weight of vehicles passing above quickly breaks down the expanded pavement and any holes that might have been created underneath, leaving fissures. These cracks eventually -- and much quicker than we'd like -- become potholes.
Yes, Montreal does have some rather extreme freeze-thaw weather that encourages pothole formation. And yes, the highways may be overused and perhaps too many heavy cargo vehicles are running on roads not built to sustain so much weight. But take Vermont. Their winters are comparable to ours, and yet their roads feel like race tracks in comparison. What gives?
Low Priority on Road Maintenance From the '70s Through the '90s
It's no secret municipal governments placed infrastructure maintenance low on the priority scale in past decades. They also reportedly had no access to funding from the federal government hence less money. Then there's this key piece to the puzzle, the pink elephant everyone skirts around.
But finger-pointing aside, Montreal roads are in a pitiful state and as much as we'd like to blame current city authorities for everything, they were left with a mess to sort through. However, federal programs like Building Canada, a strategic fund that invests in large-scale municipal infrastructural projects, can go a long way to help city authorities clean up our roads. Then there's doing something about this delightful pachyderm.
Short-Term Patching Vs. Long-Term Maintenance
While the city has some major road maintenance catching up to do, there's been a fair bit of criticism around the way it's happening.
For some, city council seems to focus more on improving patching technology and execution and the jobs this type of make-work secures. The problem is the patches, at least insofar, don't appear to last beyond two to five years -- some even claim as little as one day -- and only cover the surface while road foundations continue to deteriorate. It's like treating skin cancer with cosmetics.
City council claims that in-depth lasting repairs are much more expensive and they're right. For example, cracked concrete beds below the asphalt would cost easily double to repair as opposed to simply resurfacing the asphalt. However, the resurfaced pavement will crack within three years, often less, whereas the roads with repaired foundations are supposed to last 20 years. You do the math.
Consult the City of Montreal website for more information on current road repair initiatives.
Consult the federal government's Infrastructure Canada website to learn more about Canada's $8.8 billion Building Canada Fund.
Return to Montreal Pothole Survival Guide Main Page
Sources
Maclean's, McGill News, McGill Headway, Saeed Mirza, Jeremy Searle, CAA-Quebec's Road Problem Watch
