THUNDER BAY — The City of Thunder Bay is about to conduct a detailed study of the condition of over 800 kilometres of municipally-owned roads.
The work is to be done this summer, and should take about a month.
That's how long it will take the successful bidder to drive a specially-equipped van along 745 kilometres of two-lane roads and 64 kilometres of roads with four lanes.
Using equipment such as a laser level attached to the vehicle bumper, it will collect a range of data about pavement deterioration including elements such as the roughness of the road, patching, potholes, wheel track rutting and distortion.
Roads with four lanes will be surveyed twice (once in each direction) while roads with two lanes will be surveyed in one direction only.
In its call for tenders, the city specifies that the work must be organized in such a way as to minimize traffic disruption.
Mike Vogrig, a project engineer with the city, says the data will help the city determine the optimal way to fix a problem based on the nature of the damage in each case.
"We have a bunch of options we can choose from, but they're limited based on the defects. For example, if you have really deep, wide cracks, you can't go and do a 'mill and fill,' but if they're more minor in nature that's a way to extend the life of the pavement," Vogrig said.
He said a detailed analysis of the condition of the roads helps staff compile a capital budget forecast.
The road study is conducted every five years.
