Life is full of bumps in the road and Humboldt has a lot of them - literally.
But the City of Humboldt recently announced its infrastructure projects for the 2013 construction season.
Drivers used to take a bold risk driving along bumpy city roads sipping a hot coffee but the projects predict patched-up areas will ensure the coffee ends up in your mouth, not your lap.
Works and utilities manager Peter Bergquist said Saskatchewan's harsh and prolonged winter made some problem areas more pronounced but the city's roadway repairs will be focused on patching, paving, sidewalk improvements and dust control measures.
However, Bergquist said for right now, there will be no retrofitting.
"The vast majority of paving will go to new areas and rougher spots will receive patching," he said.
Areas such as these include 16th Avenue, a new section and the corner of Third Avenue and Main Street, which has been in disarray for quite some time.
The Prairies are also home to significant roads of dust and gravel and Bergquist said this will be tended to as well.
Higher traffic areas will receive a DL 10 Special treatment, an emulsion mixed with gravel which, when applied to roads, appears like asphalt. This treatment will be applied to several roads in Humboldt, most located south of Highway 5.
Lower volume and under-developed roads will undergo a calcium chloride treatment to combat dust.
Not every road in need of repair will be tended to when the projects get underway in a month's time. Bergquist said there's method to the city's madness in that regard.
"We want to target the problem underneath before we repair the roads themselves," Bergquist said.
The city will target two water main replacements in two locations: Fourth Avenue from Main Street to 12th Street and 5th Street from Fifth Avenue to Eighth Avenue.
"It's much more cost-effective for us to get at the water main underneath before we attempt some roads. But the roads will be repaired as soon as the water main is replaced," Bergquist said.
In a news release, the city said their infrastructure projects align with its asset management process.
"We know this project work is needed," Mayor Malcolm Eaton said in the release. "It's always a balance to try and fund work that we know needs to be done with the resources we have," he said.
According to the release, the City of Humboldt has significant infrastructure assets; $54.2-million in roads and $105.5-million in water/sewers.
The 2013 project is set to begin in a month, Bergquist said.
