Every year, the City creates a list of the roads in need of repair based on various considerations, such as;
- the condition of the asphalt
- the condition of the sewers and the watermain
- the anticipated reconstruction timeline for the sewers and watermain
- the current level of road maintenance, and
- the volume of traffic
These roads make it into the annual asphalt program on a priority basis and are typically scheduled for paving between April and November.
For more information about the annual asphalt program, please see our Questions and answers below the schedule information.
Subdivision
Roads in new neighbourhoods fall under the subdivision category. A base road layer is built and sits for about a year to settle. After the year, and when all construction in the development is complete, manholes are raised, curbs are repaired, and the surface layer of the road is paved. The neighbourhood developer pays for this work.
Pavement deficit
There are three different types of pavement deficit work that get completed on roads depending on the age and condition of the road surface and the underground infrastructure.
Full depth: Full depth road maintenance work involves removing all of the existing asphalt on the road. Two new layers are then paved: a base layer and a surface layer. We do this work on older roads when the sewers and pipes underground are in good condition and don’t need to be replaced in the shorter term, but the road needs repairs now.
Partial depth: Partial depth road maintenance work involves removing and replacing just the surface layer of asphalt on the road. We do this work on older roads to get a few more years out of them, typically when the sewers and pipes underground will need to be replaced in a few years, but the road needs repairs sooner.
Patching: Patching work often looks like a cut-out on the road. This happens when a new business or home is built, or a future property development is set-up, that requires service connections (e.g. water and sewer) to the road. A small section of the road will be removed to install these connections. Patching happens after the service connections are complete.
Capital
Capital work applies to repaving on roads that had recent underground water and sewer pipe replacement. This final paving is usually done two years after the underground work to allow the road to settle, and is why it appears that the same roads are being worked on twice. In fact, this is the final phase of the whole project.
Traffic signals improvements
Traffic signal replacement and modernizations is required when equipment reaches the end of its expected service life. Part of this process often includes a complete reconstruction of all traffic signal equipment including underground infrastructure such as electrical cable conduits that run under the paved portion of the road. Replacement of these conduits often requires the excavation of the pavement. Completing the excavation prior to repaving the intersection significantly decreases the associated costs and results in a better overall quality of the finished pavement. Therefore, when possible, traffic signal replacement projects are tied into the Annual Paving contract.