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A move to standardized asphalt mix specifications for paving across the GTA would boost productivity, unlock nearly $1 billion in value, and deliver longer-lasting roads, says TARBA.
Uniform standards for asphalt paving would save GTA municipalities money, says TARBA. (Photo courtesy of TARBA)
As municipalities across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) face mounting budget pressures, a report from the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis (CANCEA), commissioned by the Toronto Area Road Builders Association (TARBA), is suggesting that simply changing to standardized asphalt mixes across the GTA would save municipalities nearly $1 billion over the next decade.
According to TARBA, municipalities spend an average of 7.7 per cent of their annual capital budgets on paving and repairing their roads and each uses their own asphalt mix design. Those variations require suppliers to change materials, equipment and testing procedures. These steps may happen dozens of times a day, leading to higher costs and lost productivity, said the organization.
Suppliers and contractors in the GTA know these issues well, as they often serve multiple municipal and regional markets. Collectively, these firms navigate the challenge of working with more than 300 different asphalt mix designs across the region.
The study, Impact of Non-Standard Asphalt Mix Policies in the Greater Toronto Area, reveals that efficiency gains from standardizing municipal asphalt mixes and testing standards could pave 1,800 additional lane-kilometres of road without a single new tax dollar having to be spent.
“Municipalities are facing rising construction costs, infrastructure deficits and tighter budgets,” said Raly Chakarova, executive director of TARBA. “We can’t afford inefficiencies built into the system itself. Harmonizing road building standards is a simple, evidence-based way to make every infrastructure dollar go further — building safer roads, supporting local jobs, and delivering more for our communities — without asking taxpayers for a penny more.”
The study suggests harmonization could unlock nearly $1 billion in value over the next decade, while cutting red tape and uncertainty, and protecting more than 3,000 GTA jobs and $140 million in wages, keeping economic benefits within the communities where asphalt is produced and laid.
The study also points to $11.7 billion in broader gains throughout all aspects of road building and procurement that could help reduce the infrastructure deficit and deliver safer, high-performing roads.
While provincial standards exist and are managed through the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and the Municipal Engineering Association, Ontario’s 444 municipalities have discretion in their implementation. TARBA says this discretion at the municipal level has resulted in hundreds of varying requirements for how to build and procure similar use projects, like roads, bridges, sewers and watermains.
“This study shows asphalt harmonization is about economy-wide efficiency, not new public spending,” said Paul Smetanin, president and CEO of CANCEA. “It lets producers raise productivity and helps municipalities complete resurfacing and repairs more quickly, with no added cost to residents.”