A semi-automated pothole filler could make patching the holes safer, and free up crews to do other work.
As the city started its 2020 budget deliberations, public works manager Ken Krcel pitched the Python 5000 to Timmins council this week.
“The Python is a new approach to pothole patching repair. It’s a semi-automated unit that can fill potholes with one person,” he explained.
With a price tag of about $520,000, he noted it is an expensive piece of equipment.
“We need to look at more efficient ways to keep up with potholes and other pavement issues. Having a semi-automated piece of equipment like this would be a tool in our belt to help us battle this ongoing problem we face,” he said.
Currently, city pothole patching crews are made up of four to six staff, depending on where the work is being done. With the Python, one operator is needed, except when working on a high-volume, high-speed road when an additional staff member would be needed for a blocker truck.
In 2018, Krcel said public works spent 13,779 man-hours patching local roads. That's a 30 per cent increase over 2013 when 8,024 hours were spent patching potholes.
“With our aging infrastructure, we’re spending more and more man-hours filling potholes,” he said.
In the summer, Krcel and a roads supervisor went to Thunder Bay, which owns one of the units.
Along with freeing up staff to do other work, safety is a key benefit of the unit, he said.
“Worker safety is probably the main reason why we thought this machine is really important for us. We expose our crews to live traffic every time we’re doing pothole patching. We have two to three people behind the truck...out in a live lane, shovelling asphalt and filling potholes. If we can reduce the exposure of workers to live traffic that’s a win for everybody,” he said.
With traffic, he said staff probably feels that potholing patching is one of the highest risk jobs they do.
“There’s a lot of people, probably some comments out there on social media about how many guys it takes to fill a pothole. Well, most of the people are out there to protect the guys filling the potholes,” he said.
The pothole patcher is just one piece of equipment being requested in the 2020 fleet program, which has a $1.73 million price tag.
Manager of purchasing Gord Deacon said they are asking for a two per cent increase.
The new equipment requests are:
- $375,000 to replace a 1997 wheeled loader
- $185,000 to replace a 2006 tandem dump truck. for
- $37,000 to replace a heavy-duty three-quarter-ton, 4x4 truck
- $135,000 to replace a 1994 sidewalk tractor
- $250,000 to replace a 1978 street flusher
- $35,000 to replace a 2016 mid-size SUV
- $163,000 for auxiliary ancillary equipment, such as sidewalk tractor attachments, trailers, and arrow/message boards
Deacon told council they've been had economic gains by sharing equipment between public works and maintenance.
“Over the past couple of years one of the highlights that we’ve been working at here is we’ve made great strides in breaking down the operational silos to the point where we’re now sharing equipment between internal departments,” he said.
The draft 2020 budget has been presented to council, but has not been approved. The next budget meeting is Dec. 17.