Abstract Manager

Municipalities in Canada own and manage approximately 68% of local roads, 62% of collector roads, and 42% of arterial roads, representing a larger share of the public road network than that managed by provincial and federal governments. Despite Canada’s vast geography, population and economic activity are highly concentrated within a limited number of urban centres located primarily along the United States border and along Lake Ontario, and St. Lawrence River. Comparison of 2016 and 2021 census data indicate population decline in many rural and some urban municipalities, including approximately 75% of municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador, 57% in Saskatchewan, and 37% in Manitoba, with direct implications for municipal tax bases and the fiscal capacity to maintain roadway infrastructure. This study proposes a national, municipality-level descriptive analysis of Canadian road networks using demographic data from Statistics Canada, climate and environmental data from Environment and Climate Change Canada, financial and taxation indicators from municipal financial information returns as well as relevant tools and guidelines from Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and publicly available municipal road network inventories to characterize variations in road network size, functional class composition, demographic and economic context across Canada. The analysis will apply descriptive statistics and comparative assessment across population size classes and regions to examine patterns in asset burden, network composition, and management practices. The intended outcome of this work is to establish a national baseline describing structural differences in municipal roadway systems and identifying systematic challenges faced by municipalities of different sizes and characteristics. The results are expected to inform ongoing research on adaptive pavement management system strategies, data standardization, and policy approaches to support asset management at regional level.