Pothole season returns to Iqaluit
Temporary repairs have been made by the city, but some think it’s not enough
A vehicle crosses the Four Corners intersection in Iqaluit, where potholes have been filled with fist-sized stones as a temporary fix. (Photo by Emma Tranter)
Crossing Iqaluit’s bustling Four Corners intersection, drivers can be seen with clenched teeth and hands tense on steering wheels as their tires sink into huge craters of water and mud.
It’s pothole season in the city.
The recent thaw has once again opened up precarious pits throughout the city’s roads. City workers have used fist-sized stones to patch up some of the larger potholes.
But Idris Omar, the public relations manager at Caribou Cabs, said this solution is only making things worse. He said he’s seen rocks fly out of the holes when drivers hit them.
Stones meant to fill potholes in Iqaluit have been scattered around by passing cars near Northmart. (Photo by Emma Tranter)
“It’s not safe,” Omar said.
The city uses a variety of materials including gravel, rocks and sand to fill potholes during the spring while the weather is still wet, the city said in an email. Once the weather is drier, between July and September, a more permanent solution that consists of bitumen (a tar-like substance), gravel and polymer is used.
The potholes, which Omar said seem worse than usual this year, are also hurting taxi drivers. A trip that normally takes five minutes could take five or six times longer because of the road conditions.
Idris Omar, public relations manager at Caribou Cabs, said the city’s potholes are taking a toll on taxi drivers. (Photo by Emma Tranter)
“If it’s going to take me 25 or 30 minutes to get from one destination to the other because of the potholes and because of unmaintained roads, then it’s just putting me back,” Omar said. “It’s about comfort for the customers.”
He added that some taxi drivers have had flat tires and complications with their vehicles’ shocks because of the potholes.
In 2017, the city approved $2.5 million in upgrades to Federal Road.
“Federal Road used to be a disaster, but now it’s fixed,” Omar said.
Omar said some areas of the city are worse for potholes than others, namely the West 40 and Plateau neighbourhoods. He said he wants to see a permanent fix implemented by the city so the situation does not continue to get worse each year.
“When you have an issue, and you don’t permanently fix it, it’s just getting bigger,” he said.
While he is frustrated with the city’s road conditions, Omar said he can understand why the issue is a complicated one to remedy.
“I can try to understand where they’re coming from. It’s raining, you fix some, you have to go back and there’s not enough money for the city to permanently fix the road because it costs a lot of money,” he said.
Potholes near Iqaluit grocery store, Northmart. (Photo by Emma Tranter)
Omar added that Caribou Cabs are doing their best despite the bumpy roads and are willing to work with the city to improve the situation.
“If they need us to work with them to stay off certain roads because they’re doing maintenance, we’re willing to cooperate and do all things possible to have better roads,” he said.
The city said its public works department constantly assesses the conditions of roadways to ensure they are safe for motorists and pedestrians.
Notice from City of Iqaluit:
Due to road conditions city services including garbage pick up, water/sewer service and road maintenance will be suspended. Conditions on the road are damaging city vehicles. To save tax-payers’ money city vehicles will no longer operate until road conditions improve in July.
Perhaps if the taxi drivers knew how to drive they wouldn’t be having so many issues. I have been driving in Iqaluit for over 20 years and have never once experienced either a flat or damage to my suspension because of a pothole. Obviously the same can’t be said for the city’s taxi drivers. This issue has less to do with “passenger comfort” than it does with drivers rushing to get to their destinations.
As usual it goes against the taxi drivers. This is not the issue, the problem is that the city needs to hire experts and get their roads out of this state. Will it cost money, hell yes. At least provide temporary release to the drivers that are not as perfect as you, and if you even need a cab, don’t complain that you are waiting too long.
If complaints come into the city on a daily basis, they will deploy the big old grater
somebody should take a picture of all the arviat roads, they’re nasty as hell. its like hell on earth. brutal, but yet hamlet workers, water and sewage truck drivers are still managing to do their duties, just imagine how much work the poor mechanics are doing now due to no efforts being put into fixing the nasty pot holes. arviat has a grader but I guess its broken down as its never seen on the roads even with the brutal condition the roads have been work weeks now. somebody’s not doing his job right.
HI Nunavut resident. Can you use your granular expertise and enlighten the world on how one can use a grader on roads that are frozen solid…..
It’s May. Even in most of Nunavut, he roads are not “frozen solid” right now. Also, they do grade the roads when they’re covered in snow and ice. It helps to reduce accidents.