STAFF – Manitoba’s roads are in rough shape, but the provincial government doesn’t have the money to fix them.
An assistant deputy minister of highways and transportation says it would take at least $175 million a year to maintain existing roads and make some improvements.
“Given our current annual budget of about $100 million, there is a great challenge before us to find a solution to the problem of how our highway system can be financed on a sustainable basis,” said Don Norquay.
Norquay told the annual meeting of the Union of Manitoba Municipalities more than 30 percent of the province’s 18,000 kilometres of roads are structurally deficient.
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The average age of the pavement is 18.6 years, but much of it was designed to be replaced after 15.
Norquay said the province is looking at getting the private sector to fix the roads and recoup their costs in several ways:
- Charging tolls to drivers, like projects in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
- “Shadow tolls” from the public purse based on use.
- Future tax concessions.
Brian Murray of Trimac Transport Ltd. agreed government and industry can work together to find money.
For instance, the Saskatchewan government will allow truckers to haul over-the-limit loads under certain conditions in eight-axle units.
“The savings associated with the bigger payload are split between the government and the customers, and presumedly those funds go to maintenance of the roadways,” Murray said.
Norquay said the federal government should help by putting more of the money it collects from fuel taxes back into highways.
He said the government will collect about $136 million in fuel taxes from Manitobans this year, but will return only $3.4 million to highways in the province.
“It is this disparity between the federal take and the federal input that is the primary cause for concern to Manitoba,” Norquay said.
The head of the province’s farm lobby group said farmers better not end up paying for more maintenance because of increased agricultural trucking.
Les Jacobson said governments should leave farmer fuel rebates alone and make sure existing fuel taxes are spent on highways.
