‘No promises, no timeline’: Old St. Vital resident frustrated over muddy back lane

A Winnipeg homeowner is frustrated by the condition of a gravel back lane near his house. Daniel Halmarson explains.

A gravel back lane in Old St. Vital is looking more like a dirt bike race track these days as the spring thaw continues in Winnipeg.

TJ Didora, who bought a home on Sherwood Place in November, said a lot of cars have been inching down the rut-filled lane in recent days.

“When it got wet, it kind of just turned into a mud bog,” Didora told CTV News Tuesday.

Didora contacted the City of Winnipeg through 311 about the back lane but said the responses he’s received are just as muddy as the issue at hand.

“I called them a few times asking for a timeline,” Didora said. “I sent pictures in through their online system and didn’t get the greatest response—just kind of generic, saying they’ll get to it eventually. No promises, no timeline.”

In an email, a city spokesperson told CTV News stabilization work was done on the lane in 2023.

“Since then, crews would have addressed soft spots with limestone as required,” the spokesperson wrote. “Currently, there is no paving work planned for this backlane.”

Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) learned about the condition of Didora’s back lane in a social media post on Monday evening. He said he understands Didora’s frustration—getting gravel lanes fixed is a battle he says he’s been fighting in St. Vital for years.

“It’s the number one source of complaints in my ward,” Mayes told CTV News. “I have tried mightily to get something accomplished.”

However, Mayes said there isn’t a concrete solution to the problem.

He said the city launched a pilot project a few years ago using a treatment called “pulvimixer” where a rototiller adds cement mix and gravel to existing lanes, but city staff decided the method wasn’t effective.

“Most people just say, ‘Can I get some gravel?’ and I have to explain that isn’t the way the city deals with it,” Mayes said.

The city also introduced a local improvement program back in 2014 where residents can vote to get their gravel back lanes paved with asphalt, but they’re required to pay half the cost.

Mayes estimates the average homeowner would be on the hook for around $5,000 for an asphalt back lane—like residents opted to do on Oakleigh Place, just a couple blocks away from Didora’s home.

Mayes said the city has completed about 60 of those projects over the past decade.

He noted the local improvement program for gravel back lanes is part of the city council’s strategic priorities action plan for this term, but little has been done to address the issue in his ward and other areas of the city.

Mayes said he plans to raise the issue with Mayor Scott Gillingham at the next council meeting.

“Let’s do something,” Mayes said. “Let’s not let the million dollars a year go off to do something completely different. Let’s do something for these gravel lanes.”

Didora said anything to smooth out his back lane would help at this point.

“Dig up some of the mud and then just lay a bunch of gravel down,” Didora suggested.

The city spokesperson said residents are encouraged to contact 311 with any concerns about road conditions.