City of Regina testing possible solution for Pinkie Road dust woes

Those living along Pinkie Road and Winnipeg Street North could be breathing a little easier after the City of Regina announced a pilot project to deal with dusty gravel roads.

The city’s director of roadways and transportation said crews will use recycled asphalt from nearby road construction projects and apply a surface of between four and six inches on top of the road.

“That’ll act as a cap over the gravel and it should reduce or eliminate the dust,” explained Norman Kyle.

News Talk Radio first told you last month about how the dust was so bad some residents had difficulty in their lives. Numerous complaints came into the city, with some claiming it was challenging to breath. Even some pets started wheezing according to some homeowners.

Kyle is confident in this temporary solution.

“Yeah, they should notice a difference once we’re done. We’re also hoping that this will reduce our maintenance costs by not having to oil the roads as often and potentially not have to go out and grade them as often.”

While he didn’t have exact figures, he believes their plan will be inexpensive since they already have the materials. It’s just a matter of hauling and grading them. Kyle clarified a permanent solution would be to upgrade the roads and actually pave them, but right now there isn’t enough money in their capital budget. Plus, he added functional studies are still being completed.
In the meantime, he said the recycled asphalt layer should last “quite a while” calling it a “long term solution”.

Work is scheduled for Winnipeg Street North the week of Aug. 22, while Pinkie Road will follow the week after starting Aug. 29.