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It is not only an impression that Montreal roads are in worse shape than elsewhere.

New data confirm the condition of the city’s streets is worse than in other places in Canada.

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It also shows that Montreal spends more than double, and even triple, what is spent on roads elsewhere in the country — despite having poorer results to show for the investment.

The trend isn’t a new one, but it was confirmed once again in the 2017 figures released last week by Municipal Benchmarking Network Canada.

“What is Montreal doing if it’s spending more and more money on roads, and yet the quality is not good enough?” former Westmount mayor Peter Trent asked on Wednesday, on the eve of Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante’s unveiling of the 2019 municipal operating budget and three-year capital works program.

“We’re just throwing good money toward bad.”

The data showing the poor state of Montreal’s roads despite its higher road costs should be a cue for the city to re-examine whether it sets a high enough standard for roadwork in its specifications and whether it’s investing enough of its roadwork money in long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction as opposed to cosmetic resurfacing, Trent said. He said he’s also wondered for years about the quality of roadwork that’s performed.