Quebec the latest province to see 'Worst Roads' results come in
Of all the provinces in Canada, Quebec has perhaps the most notorious road conditions. Residents and visitors alike are not shy about complaining about the potholes and cracks that can be found all over La Belle Provence's paved surfaces. However, now that the results are in from the 10,000-plus ballots that were cast for the Quebec edition of the Canadian Auto Association's 2017 Worst Roads survey, improvements may be coming to a group of particularly bad locations.
Topping the list was Chemin Kilmar, a fairly rural road that eventually connects with Highway 50 near the Ottawa River. Three of the top five entries, however, were either from Montreal or its surrounding area. In order those were Mascouche's Chemin Newton, Montreal's Boulevard Gouin Ouest, and Sainte-Julie's Rue Principale. Later down on the list, two roads representing the Quebec City region showed up: Avenue D'Estimauville and Traverse de Laval.
While the Worst Roads Campaign certainly draws some much-needed attention to these battered roads, those expecting an immediate change should probably come in with more tempered expectations. Take 2016 for example. Although nine out of the 10 roads mentioned on last year's list were either repaired or put on medium- or long-term roadworks plans, half of the 2017 top 10 finishers were mentioned on either the 2015 or 2016 lists.
Results from other provinces whose voting opened earlier in the spring or winter have been coming in as well. In Manitoba, four top 10 finalists came from the city of Winnipeg, but it was a top-heavy rural list, with the highest two spots being taken by Provincial Road 239 and 353, respectively. Saskatchewan's list was made up almost entirely of Highways, half of them being repeat offenders.
Stay tuned in coming weeks for results from Niagara, North & East Ontario, and South Central Ontario.