Some Transcona residents are pleading for budget help for their street, which has been battered by heavy traffic diverted by the Plessis underpass project.

Pandora Avenue East has turned into a thoroughfare, creating big potholes on the street, Transcona residents say. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC) They say Pandora Avenue East has turned into a thoroughfare, creating big potholes that cause homes to shake when buses and trucks rumble and bang through the pummeled pavement.

Plessis Road between Dugald Road and Kernaghan Avenue was closed to vehicles and pedestrians in July 2013

Although two lanes opened to traffic in October 2015, the underpass isn't scheduled to be complete until 2017 — a year later than originally planned.

Irene Galbraith, who has lived on Pandora for decades, told the city's public works and infrastructure committee on Monday that she and fellow residents have started a petition to have some stop signs installed on the street to slow traffic down.

They also want money from this year's public works budget earmarked to fix the ruts.

Coun. Russ Wyatt stands with images of battered pavement on Pandora Avenue. (Sean Kavanagh/CBC) Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt took a shot at Mayor Brian Bowman, saying the "Bowman budget" isn't delivering on the promised levels of funding for local and regional street renewal.

He said $4 million is being pulled out of road repairs and being used instead to build bike paths and balance the books.

Tipping point

The city's proposed budget, which will be voted on by council on March 22, is also getting the thumbs down from the union representing city workers.

CUPE 500 president Gord Delbridge attacked the use of vacancy management — not replacing some workers when they retire or move to another job — to balance the city's books.

He said Brookside Cemetery is flooding right now because there isn't enough staff to unclog ditches around the area.

Delbridge said the proposed budget counts on $20.9 million in savings from vacancy management.

The city is at a tipping point in delivering services and can't continue without adding some new staff to meet demand, he said.