Reconstructed Thunder Bay road gives drivers a bumpy ride
City Hall says contractor must fix manhole covers that are too low in pavement
Thunder Bay city hall is telling the contractor in charge of the reconstruction and widening of a major road to do some fix-ups.
After being closed for months, part of Golf Links Road was reopened in September, but drivers have encountered some unexpected bumps.
As Eugene Kotyk pilots his Saab along Golf Links Road, between the Harbour Expressway and Central Avenue, it's a bit of a rocky ride, despite the fresh pavement.
The retired engineer says the problem is obvious.
"The manholes are set too low, relative to the surface of the asphalt. As a result, when you drive over them, you give the car a good smack, or else you have to swerve to avoid them,” he said.
"If you repeatedly pound a depression, it'll eventually start breaking up. And eventually more cracks will form, and the road will deteriorate that much more quickly."
Fix to be coming?
Kotyk hasn't complained to the city, but other drivers have.
"We've received a few calls and some emails regarding the condition of the new road,” said Pat Mauro, the city's manager of engineering.
"I've driven it myself and they are definitely lower than the pavement surface and definitely unacceptable."
Mauro says the city will ask the contractor to fix the manholes.
That should please Eugene Kotyk.
"Hopefully, if this is pointed out, the people involved … will take great pains on what is yet to be done," he said.
The same contractor is also rebuilding Golf Links between Central and Oliver Road — a stretch of road that should reopen later this month.