Hamilton residents concerned about deteriorating roads in their neighbourhoods may be surprised to learn it could be because of inferior asphalt Hamilton contractors used to resurface them.

A supplementary city road audit conducted on Garth Street found that when it was under reconstruction in 2016, the contractor that the city hired used recycled asphalt pavement rather than higher grade material the city actually contracted to use for the resurfacing.

“RAP (recycled asphalt pavement) was not supposed to be used,” said city auditor Charles Brown, who called the material “substantially inferior” during the Aug. 11 audit and finance committee.

The 29-page report stated the RAP not only “caused the city to overpay for the quality of asphalt mix received on the project, but it affects the accuracy and integrity of the city’s records related to Garth Street and raises legitimate concerns about the longevity of the pavement.”

The report states there is a “low likelihood” the asphalt would impact the skid resistance of the road, but the city didn’t perform any skid resistant tests and recommended further “assessment” of the roadway.

The $4.5-million Garth Street road project from Stone Church to Rymal Road included new asphalt, concrete curbs and a multi-use asphalt pathway.

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