2025 Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Program
The City of Niagara Falls invests in road repair, maintenance, and construction/reconstruction each year to accommodate population growth, help improve traffic flow and extend the life of roads. The City performs pavement condition assessments regularly. This information will be used to develop a pavement management system for the purposes of prioritizing which streets will undergo capital improvements in any given year. Pavement conditions, pavement age, traffic volumes, timely maintenance and work are all monitored and ultimately influence the timing and need for road rehabilitation projects.
We are making these improvements a priority to continue providing a safe and reliable road network. City Council approved $12,787,000 in the 2025 Capital Budget for road improvements.
22.85 km of roads across Niagara Falls are being rehabilitated through capital investment, including road reconstruction, resurfacing, overlay, and restoration programs. That includes 9.70 km of urban roads that will be reconstructed and/or resurfaced and 13.5 km of rural roads that will receive surface treatment. Many of these programs and projects are ramping up this spring and continuing throughout the year.
Key capital road projects for 2025 include:
- Phase 2 and 3 of the Drummond, Portage, and Gallinger Road reconstruction (5 Corners)
- Willoughby Drive Road Reconstruction – Phase 1 from 100 meters South of Weinbrenner Road to 100 meters south of Cattell Drive
- 3.5km of Road Rehabilitation and sidewalk replacement on Delta Drive, Charnwood Avenue and Preakness Street
- 6.4km of Urban Surface Treatment in the neighbourhood west of Stamford Collegiate on Leonard Avenue, Byng Avenue, Woodland Boulevard, Depew Avenue, Maitland Street, Division Street, High Street, Leeming Street and Cook Street
View the 2025 Road Improvement map below. Please note that streets could be added to or deleted from the program without prior notice from the City.
Our Assets
Our city road network is one of the largest in the Niagara Region and is one of our most costly assets, as it consists of approximately 1230 lane-kilometres of paved surfaces. To replace all of our roads in Niagara Falls would cost in excess of $750 million; and theoretically, if we were to replace every road every 25 years, the cost would be $30 million per year – leaving very little room in our $50 million annual capital budget to address other needs such as watermains, sewers, parks, facilities, fire stations, fleet vehicles, and so on. For more information on budget, click here to view an infographic that indicates exactly where tax dollars are directed, including the tax dollars allocated to improving roads, as well as numerous other important priorities.
While the City manages the long-term plans to improve the road network, as noted above, road maintenance is also prioritized. The City’s road system is managed in accordance with Provincial Regulation O. Reg 23,9, which dictates the approach to road patrols, pothole repairs, and more. This regulation also establishes that higher volume and higher speed roads must be prioritized over lower volume local roads to ensure that risks are mitigated effectively. In other words, cul-de-sacs, crescents, and other low-volume roads are secondary in priority to higher-volume roads – which is both practical and necessary since the risk of motor vehicle injury or fatality on a local road is much lower in comparison.
Levels of Service
Asset Management is about maintaining our community's assets and delivering value that aligns with our needs and priorities. We want to hear from you about what Level of Service is best for road maintenance in Niagara Falls.
Please take a moment to respond to our short survey and share your thoughts.
Visit letstalk.niagarafalls.ca/2025-amp by Wednesday, April 30th, to have your say!
2025 Work & Investments
The City responds to road maintenance through various methods, including pothole repair, crack sealing, and asphalt treatments. Pothole repair involves a two-step process: temporary cold patches are applied in winter and early spring, followed by more durable asphalt repairs in late spring. Over 8,000 potholes have already been repaired in 2025, and crews continue to address issues that appear. Please also note that the freeze/thaw cycles have been especially brutal this winter, and since the beginning of March, the pothole repair crews have been working steadily. As spring weather approaches, we are also planning out our hot-patching program that will see minor road deteriorations on otherwise good roads addressed through larger asphalt patches.
Crack and asphalt sealing is a proactive maintenance activity that addresses issues forming on existing roads and extends the life of the asphalt by reducing opportunities for water to infiltrate into the road base. Locations for sealing work will be finalized as crews assess and prioritize locations this spring.
Our existing roads are repaired and upgraded using various treatments and safety measures. These interventions, which typically begin in the late spring, can include surface treatments, localized asphalt replacement, and repairs designed to extend the life of the roadway or parking areas.
Larger-scale roadway projects are geared to the City’s investment in new and reconstructed infrastructure that enhances connectivity, safety, and access for all users while planning for the area's longer-term needs and growth. These projects vary in scale and scope but typically include creating new or reconstructed roadways, intersections, and crossings with facilities for pedestrians, cyclists, transit, and vehicles.
Full road reconstruction, like the Willoughby Drive Road Reconstruction project, involves completely removing and replacing the granular road base, base asphalt, and surface asphalt. This process often includes replacing underground utilities such as water, sewer, and storm systems. The result is a new road, which can include new pedestrian, cycling, and transit infrastructure where needed.
Access to local traffic, garbage collection, and emergency services will be maintained. Closer to the start date of construction, all residents who live on any of the proposed roads will be notified. The work on each street will take about six to eight weeks from start to finish. Construction may take place in stages, and there may be delays between each stage.
We understand the traffic delays caused by road work are frustrating. However, construction is a necessary phase to address the city's growing needs and prepare for future success. Thank you for your patience!
