Drivers are in for a smoother commute through Chatham-Kent now that the municipality has established its five-year plan to improve road conditions.
At Monday night's council meeting, Director of Engineering and Transportation Adam Sullo presented a report of data from recent road condition inspections. The roads were analyzed in terms of functional, structural, and safety performance.
According to the report, Chatham-Kent's asphalt and road surfaces have scored a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 60, which falls below the municipal target of 75. The municipality scored 2.44 for the International Roughness Index (IRI), which meets the desired level of less than three. Though, despite this score, there are still many roads within the community that are not meeting target levels.
The five-year plan plans to focus on maintenance of roads two to five years old, rehabilitation of roads 12 to 15 years old, and reconstruction of roads 25 years or older.
Chatham-Kent's current funding for asphalt and surface treated roads is $11.1-million and an additional $2-million for road reconstruction. The target funding is $22.5-million, which can be reached by a proposed 1% increase in infrastructure funding annually over the next 20 years.
Mayor Randy Hope addressed the issue of a lack of funding for infrastructure in the municipality during the round table discussion. He says more funding is necessary to keep up with everyone's standards.
Councillor David VanDamme held a similar stance, stating that investment always comes with infrastructure.
Councillors like Steve Pinsonneault and Bryon Fluker both questioned why some roads will be considered in the five-year plan and not others. Sullo explained that due to a tight infrastructure budget, major roads will be getting priority and fixed first. He said unfortunately, "we don't have enough money to do everything."
According to the report, the analysis will be updated again in five years time to ensure the municipality's road management plan is on track.