Montreal professor offers long-term fixes for city's chronic pothole problem
A Montreal professor says he has solutions to better solve Montreal's chronic pothole problem.
Preparations are already underway by the City of Montreal to fill close to 110,000 potholes as winter ends. The work will cost the city $3.5 million.
But the problem is it's just a short-term fix.
The issue, said Dr. Alan Carter, isn't about the money but rather that the roads must be properly maintained.
"We're so behind that we need more than that," said Carter, a professor in the engineering and construction department at École de technologie supérieure.
The problem extends beyond Montreal, said Carter, to other municipalities in Quebec.
His team of researchers hopes to offer a more eco-friendly and durable solution by recycling asphalt, for example.
"We do a lot of recycling in the pavements. The more recycled materials you have, the greener it is," he said. "It's possible to put plastic in the pavement."
Another option deals with temperature. Carter works with Hot Mix Asphalt, which he said can be laid at 20 degrees rather than the standard asphalt at 135 degrees.
But it comes with a caveat.
"We need to make sure those cold materials last longer. Let's say we use half the energy, but it lasts a quarter of the duration of the Hot Mix. It's not really green anymore because we'll have to come back more times," he explained.
Using recycled asphalt has already been done, and cold recycling is being introduced in smaller municipalities, like the Laurentians community of Prevost.
According to Carter, it must be used more in the rest of Quebec.
"We're still a small player for unknown reasons," he said. "My pavement will last much longer. Short-term will cost the same, but long-term, there's benefits. We go for that solution."
The City of Montreal said it is prepared to make a long-term investment toward pothole repair. In the next ten years, it will spend $880 million to help seal the pavement where potholes form.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6979388.1722030190!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Peel police say.
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.
Health Canada warns some naloxone kits contain false instructions
Health Canada is warning some take-home naloxone kits come with bad instructions that should be ignored in favour of the correct guidance.