Rough road conditions cost drivers money, and Saskatchewan has no shortage of rough roads, and CAA is out to find the worst road in Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan has around 250,000 kilometres of roads through the province, the largest road surface in Canada.
Christine Niemczyk of CAA says the group wasn't able to do the survey last year because of COVID.
“It’s an annual campaign and we weren’t able to actually do it last year because it was right at the start of the pandemic and we just weren’t quite ready for it. The campaign has returned and poor roads are something we often talk about. In the past eight or nine years of doing the campaign, we’ve found that the number one problem or issue seemed to be potholes, crumbling pavement, ruts, poor infrastructure, and not enough infrastructure for pedestrians or cyclists to share the road safely with drivers,” Niemczyk said.
“We brought back the campaign because we want to hear from Saskatchewan road users about what they think and about what they’ve come across as their worst road. Then at the end of the campaign, we will share the worst roads of 2021 with the Saskatchewan and municipal government just to let them know what roads have been nominated and are deemed the worst roads in Saskatchewan. I’m sure they’re aware of it already, but we want to bring emphasis through the campaign just to make sure they are aware that these roads have been identified by road users in Saskatchewan that they are poor roads with safety concerns.”
Currently, the CAA survey shows the worst roads in Saskatchewan include roads or highways near Hudson Bay, Shaunavon, Cadillac, Punnichy, Canora, Prince Albert, Kenaston, Frenchman Butte, Weyburn, Hodgeville, Nokomis, Benson, Moose Jaw, and residential streets in Regina and Saskatoon.
Niemczyk explains that CAA also conducted the CAA’s Cost of Poor Roads Study, which is the first of its type in Canada, to help bring emphasis to the costs associated with poor road conditions.
The study showed the average Canadian driver spends an extra $126 per year in repairs and damages brought on by poor roads. The average Saskatchewan driver spends less with an average of $97 being spent on repairs per year.
While the costs may not appear high, Niemczyk says prices can quickly add up, especially with additional drivers.
“You might be thinking that it’s only $97 a year and it isn’t a lot, but what we’re saying is that over a 10-year period, which is around the lifespan of a car, you’re spending an additional cost of just under $1,000. And that’s just for one driver if there are additional drivers that cost can add up and those additional and unexpected costs can certainly put a dent in the average family’s budget.
“So on top of what you might be spending on everyday needs like food or clothing, you’re now having to dish out for repairs to your car. It could be tires, it could be a wheel alignment, or it could be something else that you came across on a poor road that caused damage to your car,” Niemczyk said.
While there are costs associated with poor road conditions, Niemczyk says the safety of drivers is CAA’s primary concern.
“Why we initially did the study and the campaign is for the emphasis of the safety of the driver or the cyclist or the motorcyclist. What we did is we saw and understood how much it cost to maintain a road, build a road, and resurface a road but we wondered what the cost would be for a vehicle and the poor people inside the vehicle.”
Damage and deterioration to highways can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. For Niemczyk and many drivers across Saskatchewan, the most common type of deterioration or damage to roads and highways comes in the form of potholes.
“We know that it can be everything from weather conditions to the age of the road to heavy traffic or a lack of maintenance. We do know that in cold climates like in Saskatchewan that freezing and thawing cycles certainly play a large role in creating potholes, which is probably the number one problem we noticed in our campaign.
“Potholes occur when temperatures frequently go above and below the freezing point when rain or snow seeps through the cracks and opens in the pavements by freezing and expanding. This causes your pavement to heave upward, then as the temperatures rise the pavement returns to its lower level, leaving a hole, a pothole, which breaks apart with vehicles frequently driving over it.”
Niemczyk notes that CAA’s studies do not go unnoticed. She explains that once CAA identifies the worst roads in Saskatchewan, they submit the survey to the Government of Saskatchewan to inform them of what drivers believe are the worst roads.
“We do know from past campaigns that some of the roads are fixed and repaired and we appreciate everything the municipalities and the provincial government have done to fix those roads and make them safe. But sometimes it just takes a little bit more time based on the budget.”
Drivers in and around the Moosomin area have noticed and noted poor road conditions on Highway 8 between Moosomin and Rocanville with a 20 kilometre stretch of broken pavement and rough road. As part of the 2021 budget, the Government of Saskatchewan will begin repaving work on that stretch of highway in May if weather conditions permit.
Work is also being done on Highway 308 near Welwyn and has already been tendered with construction expected to begin on April 19th, weather permitting.
CAA Saskatchewan is encouraging drivers to visit caask.ca/worstroads to nominate and vote on the worst road they have travelled on.
