The Town frequently hears complaints regarding the condition of various roads in the Town. Then, when residents see other relatively smooth roads being repaved first, the frustration increases. Here’s why we make the decisions we do:

It is more efficient to pave roads before potholes develop

There are three basic layers in a typical road: the gravel under the asphalt, a base layer of asphalt and a top layer of asphalt (the driving surface). The most cost-effective way to manage our pavement is to replace the top layer of asphalt when it starts to crack.  Left longer, water can make its way through the cracks and then break up the base layer of asphalt, allowing water into the base gravel.  When this happens, the cost of repaving a road increases exponentially.

Annual recommended budget for repaving ~ $550,000

The estimated recommended annual budget to allocate towards paving is estimated at $550,000.  An asphalt road typically lasts approximately 20 years; this budget would allow the Town to maintain its roads at the optimum level of service.

Available taxation for ALL capital projects ~ $260,000 to $360,000

To put this $550,000 price tag in perspective, the Town had an available budget over the last 5 years of around $260,000 to $360,000 from taxation to put towards all capital projects, not including sanitary or water.  Many municipalities, Gibsons included, are faced with the challenge of generating adequate funding to replace their aging infrastructure (e.g., roads, water mains, sanitary sewers, etc.).  This is a situation that both Council and staff are wrestling with.