A concrete solution

Details

Published on Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Photos by Ken Waddell

Ken Waddell
The Neepawa Press

After years of people in Neepawa voicing complaints about road conditions, this year seems to be a high point for complaints. In the coffee shop, on social media or just in on-the-street conversation, the condition of Neepawa roads is a hot topic. While town crews have been out bravely patching hole after hole, the bone-jarring reality is that Neepawa is losing the pothole battle. In fairness to the town, the two main streets, Mountain Avenue and Main Street (Hwy. 16) are the responsibility of the Province of Manitoba. Hwy. 16 is, after all, a provincial road but Mountain Avenue is still looked after by the Province, as it used to be a provincial road.

There may be a pothole solution in the wings for Neepawa that is very close to home, concrete road patching. There are three concrete or ready-mix companies in or near Neepawa. In fact, one company, Rolling Acres Ready-mix, has offered concrete for cheap or free. There is a condition though. Irvin Gross, of Rolling Acres says, “There is often one to four yards of concrete left over after each job.” Gross is prepared to donate it to the Town of Neepawa or sell it at a discount. Gross says, “They have to have a place ready to put it, but we can bring the concrete if the town can use it.” Having a place to use the surplus concrete would mean keeping a series of potential potholes cleaned out, barricaded and ready for concrete and having a small crew available to level the poured cement.

The Town of Altona has been using concrete for their streets for over 50 years. Cement companies boast regularly about concrete road surfaces on a regular basis in municipal magazines. The City of Brandon uses concrete to fill street patches and pavement breaks for water line renewals or water line breaks.

So why doesn’t it happen in Neepawa? Perhaps it’s just not been considered. Perhaps it wouldn’t work for streets, but it might work for replacing sidewalks. Often, sidewalks forms are laid out ahead of time and it may be a period of time before they are filled with concrete. At any rate, Rolling Acres is ready to talk. Town of Neepawa CAO, Colleen Synchyshyn, said the idea is worth considering.

The slow and steady approach to street patching with surplus concrete may take a while, but it can’t be much slower than what is happening now. At best, the Town of Neepawa has only able to replace or sealcoat a block or two each year, so hopefully a concrete solution will be considered. Pardon the pun!