CAA opens nominations for worst roads

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This article was published 19/03/2025 (212 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If there are any local streets or provincial highways with potholes and cracked surfaces that cause you to veer, swerve or brake suddenly, CAA Manitoba would like your nomination for its annual Worst Roads Campaign, which is on now until April 11.

Nominations will be accepted from motorists, cyclists and pedestrians who go to CAA’s website, said Ewald Friesen, CAA Manitoba’s manager of government and community relations. People can nominate a road once a day for the duration of the campaign.

“There are a lot of criteria that you can select — potholes, sunken sewer grates, uneven and cracked road surfaces,” Friesen said.

“Even things like poorly timed lights, or crosswalk signals that don’t work. A sunken sewer grate is not a good scene if you’re a cyclist or a pedestrian, and is why we allow for that, too,” he said.

“We’re in the road safety world, which means that we have to understand and appreciate the fact that there are many different types of road users, all of whom have a right to be there and use the road.”

In 2024, there were more than 485 roads nominated from 71 of Manitoba’s 137 municipalities.

When the dust cleared at the end of the campaign, Brandon’s 18th Street had the dubious distinction of being the worst road in the province, with thousands of votes based on factors like potholes, no sidewalks or bike paths, congestion and traffic lights being out of sync.

The Wheat City’s Richmond Avenue was voted the 10th-worst road, tied with Inkster Boulevard in Winnipeg.

Potholes are the No. 1 complaint, which can cause damage to vehicles and have a real impact on people’s finances, Friesen said.

Many people whose vehicles sustained damage because of poor roads are paying out of pocket for repairs, according to a recent survey of CAA members.

Half the CAA members who responded reported damaged vehicles because of poor roads, and of those 52 per cent, 80 per cent said they paid for the repairs themselves instead of making a claim with Manitoba Public Insurance.

Friesen said he speculated that most people would be worried about their deductible.

“So, the average cost between 500 to 2,000 bucks is what folks are paying out of pocket. And that boils down to an average of $882 because of bad roads. And that is an affordability issue when family budgets are already strained,” he said.

“This is why our campaign is so important, because we know that government is listening. We know that our road infrastructure maintenance and investment should be a priority, and we’re getting results.”

Friesen said shortly after CAA published its top 10 worst list last year, Premier Wab Kinew announced a major paving project for 18th Street. It runs north and south through the centre of the city, but falls under provincial jurisdiction, and any repairs are the responsibility of the Manitoba government.

Reconstruction began on the 2.9-kilometre-long stretch of road, between Rosser and Aberdeen avenues, last September. It is expected to wrap up this summer at a cost of $9.7 million.

“We were having ongoing discussions with the province about fixing 18th Street, and they did have it in their budget, but it was in the future,” Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said.

“So, the government saw that it was something that needed to be addressed and, collaboratively, they came to that decision to start the repairs, and it was very much appreciated.”

Fawcett added that crews have already been at work filling potholes “throughout the city.”

Once the weather gets warmer and “the asphalt plant is up and running,” he said, “I imagine finishing 18th Street from about Park to Aberdeen avenues will be one of the first projects for Zenith Paving to get going.”

Nominations for the worst roads can be submitted online at caaworstroads.com through to April 11. Everyone who nominates a road will be eligible to win free gas for a year. The results will be released in May.

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