An addition $1.5 million per year for the next five years was added to Nanaimo's financial plan to keep local roads in good working condition. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

Budget requirements

More money needed to maintain Nanaimo’s ‘robust’ road network

Jan 23, 2024 | 5:25 AM

NANAIMO — An additional $1.5 million per year for the next five years is poised to be added to the City’s road maintenance budget, to ensure the longevity of the local transportation network.

The recommendation was provisionally approved by councillors on Monday, Jan 22. with the increase based on a 2020 customer level of service study conducted by the City and paid for with federal grant money.

Manager of roads and traffic services David Thompson said the research found residents were willing to invest in maintaining roadways, but only if it doesn’t break the bank.

“It was very obvious that the feedback we got is that our roads are currently in fair to good shape…and those focus groups recognized that busier roads degrade faster than local roads, and they did not want to see conditions deteriorate from where they were.”

The City maintains approximately 1,110 lane kilometres of asphalt within the City limits, with a full replacement value of $374 million.

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In order to maintain the roads in their current state, a significant increase of around $13.6 million a year would be required.

Current road conditions
In 2023, $1.75 million was budgeted for road maintenance alone, with the cost of materials, largely tied to the price of oil, being a key driver for expense increases.

According to the report, only two per cent of the City’s roadways are considered deficient based on regular inspection and maintenance reports.

However, within a decade, the percentage of roads considered deficient and fail to meet the minimum standards will be around 9.5 per cent.

Thompson said today’s asphalt is very “robust”, easy to repair when necessary and cost-effective to build in the first place.

“In our last engineering standards review, we increased the thickness required for asphalt roadways. We’re seeing life spans anywhere, depending on use, of 30-50 years. So from that perspective, it is a very economical solution.”

Around $16.4 million worth of roadway renewals are already budgeted over the next five years as they run concurrently with other utility projects.

In 2023, approximately $1.3 million in pavement renewal projects were completed, including on Bowen Rd., Needham St., and Holyrood Dr.

This would also increase the projected property tax increase for 2025 by approximately one per cent.

The funding still needs to be formally approved at a future Council meeting.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow