Searching for Ottawa's worst roads

Worst roads aren't too bad this year Gentle winter, less commuting have kept roads in better shape this Winter. CTV's Dave Charbonneau reports.

OTTAWA — CAA's Worst Roads campaign is returning after a one-year break due to COVID-19 and they want to know which roads in Ottawa you think are the worst.

Carling Avenue, Hunt Club Road, and St. Joseph Boulevard made the top three in 2019.

The campaign asks residents to nominate the worst roads in their areas between March 23 and April 18. CAA says that while commuting has changed during the pandemic, the need for sturdy roads is still important.

“Our roads are important for commerce, for travel and to keep goods and services operating. Even though there is lighter commuter traffic, the impact of potholes, crumbling shoulders, cracks and decaying roadways is considerable for cars, cyclists and motorcyclists,” said Jeff Walker, CEO and President of CAA North and East Ontario in a release. “The Worst Roads campaign is an important tool that highlights problem areas that need the focus of governments.”

In April 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Ottawa reduced the size of its pothole repair crews to encourage physical distancing. The city's 2021 budget includes $45 million for road resurfacing and $9.9 million for asphalt and pothole repair.

Earlier this month, the city said its crews had filled 11,000 fewer potholes in early 2021 than it did during the same time in 2020. While some of it may be attributed to fewer cars on the road, city staff also say that potholes form for a variety of reasons.

"The number of potholes filled year-over-year can vary depending on significant differences in weather conditions and winter snow/freeze/thaw events," Alain Gonthier, the city’s director of roads and parking services, told CTVNewsOttawa.ca

The city has also reported drops in traffic volume of between 50 and 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels during 2020.

Julie Beun, director of communications and public relations for CAA told CTV News Ottawa in an interview that Carling Avenue is frequently at the top of the list.

"Carling Avenue is always number one and not for good reasons," Beun said. "It’s a long road and it runs through a lot of high density areas, a lot of high traffic areas."

Carling was voted the worst road in Ottawa in 2018 and 2019 and has appeared among the top 20 worst roads in Ontario in 12 of the last 17 years, CAA said.

You can vote for Ottawa's worst roads of 2021 at CAAworstroads.com until April 18. Beun says voters have a chance to win free gas.

"Basically what we do is we ask people to send in their images. There is a website, CAAWorstRoads.com, and they just locate it on a map like it’s a crossroads type thing. And then every vote--you can vote daily--puts you at a chance to win free gas for a year."

CAA will present the list of 2021 Worst Roads to local and provincial officials to help inform future funding and planning decisions, it says.

Here are Ottawa's Top 10 worst roads in 2019

1. Carling Avenue

2. Hunt Club Road

3. Saint Joseph Boulevard

4. Riverside Drive

5. Mitch Owens Road

6. Merivale Road

7. Heron Road

8. North River Road

9. River Road

10. Bank Street (tied for 10th)

10. Anderson Road (tied for 10th)

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle and Dave Charbonneau.