Selkirk drivers left dealing with potholes as city waits for province to fix roads

Why Selkirk can’t fix some potholes CTV’s Jeff Keele has more on why the City of Selkirk is not able to fix potholes on main roads.

Winnipeggers aren't the only people in the province who have been dealing with potholes. Drivers in Selkirk are also having to avoid the dips on city streets.

The city has received a lot of complaints about the potholes as many of them are on major routes. However, the city said it can't fix them.

Candace Smith said the alignment on her vehicle was thrown off after hitting a pothole on Main Street.

"You could feel the car just shake," said Smith. "It was raining. You can't see the potholes, and you drive down the road and next thing you know, you're car is getting a real good bang."

Selkirk Mayor Larry Johannson said the city can't fix the roads because they fall under the province.

"Provincial roads are a provincial responsibility," said Johannson.

He said the city has received several complaints about the road conditions, and he in turn has written a letter to the province asking for temporary fixes, to ensure roadways are safe.

He wants the province to fill the potholes or work out a funding deal with the city to do the work.

"We would have to come to some sort of an agreement with the province if we were to go on the provincial roads and start working on them," he said.

In a statement to CTV News Winnipeg, the province said, "The wet weather and overland flooding experienced during this spring and summer have delayed break-up repairs in the province, including the City of Selkirk. Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) assessed the damages and has begun repairs with special attention to priority roads."

Johannson said Selkirk already has 55 kilometres of city street that it needs to look after.

He did note that the province has committed to do repaving projects on some of the streets in 2023.

Smith has one ask to the province.

"Please fix our roads. This is crazy," said Smith.