Rattled Manitobans paid more to repair pothole-ravaged vehicles last year: CAA survey

The province’s worst roads — marked with gaping potholes awaiting unsuspecting drivers — are costing Manitobans hundreds of dollars a year to fix their damaged vehicles.

CAA Manitoba, during the launch of its 15th annual Worst Roads Campaign, said a survey of 649 of its members found they spent an average of $944 to repair their vehicles last year, up from $882 the year before.

Ewald Friesen, CAA’s government and community relations manager, said the organization knows where to point the finger for much of the damage.

“The No. 1 culprit is always potholes,” Friesen said Tuesday. “Potholes accounted for 86 per cent of the damage.

“It’s the most dangerous and the most concerning of the various criteria for what constitutes a bad road. When they see a pothole, the calculation going through the minds of most motorists is, “I will damage my car or by swerving I will damage my car and hurt the safety of someone else.’”

Vernaus Auto Body’s Perry Vernaus said the price jump for repairs doesn’t surprise him.

“Prices are going up — it’s inflation,” he said.

“It’s just the rise of prices on parts. Whether it’s tires or rims, they’ve gone up. Many times the rims aren’t even repairable. They are just throwaways.”

Vernaus said potholes don’t just damage tires and rims, they can cause problems with alignment, struts, shocks, steering mechanisms and other parts.

“Some of these potholes can take out the front of your entire vehicle,” he said.

Adam Campbell, a City of Winnipeg spokesman, said repair crews have already been out patching potholes with a temporary “cold mix” before switching to hot asphalt for longer-term repairs when the weather gets warmer in May.

Campbell said the city filled 326,437 potholes last year, down from 2024’s 360,776, but up from 2023’s 242,261. He said last year the city spent $5.2 million repairing potholes, down from $6.3 million in 2024.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chair of the civic public works committee, said the repair crews are concentrating on fixing potholes in the areas of roads tires usually contact.

“This year probably won’t be as bad as two years ago, because we had mountains of snow that year, and we haven’t had as much snow this year,” said Lukes (Waverley West).

Lukes said help is on the way because city council approved $156.8 million for regional and local street repair this year, and $1.1 billion to be spent over the next six years.

“That’s the most we’ve ever budgeted,” she said.

Meanwhile, Friesen said the survey also found 92 per cent of Manitobans are concerned about the condition of roads in the province; 45 per cent of them said it was the reason their vehicle was damaged.

He said he is surprised that 75 per cent of drivers dig into their own pockets for pothole-damage repairs; just 12 per cent reported filing a claim with Manitoba Public Insurance. The others decided not to fix their vehicle.

Friesen said CAA is accepting nominations for the province’s top 10 worst roads at www.caaworstroads.com until April 10.

He said the campaign has resulted in successes, with Brandon’s 18th Street receiving provincial dollars for repairs within weeks of being on the CAA list. Highway 307 in Whiteshell Provincial Park, the No. 1 worst road in 2022 and 2023 and still in the top 10 last year, has received fixes through the years, while Provincial Trunk Highway 34 from PTH 16 to the U.S. border, last year’s number one worst road, is slated to receive $79 million in repairs.

“We know our campaign works, but we can’t do it without Manitobans,” he said.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca