Ahoy mateys!

Ahh the sounds and sights of summer: jackhammers, drilling, digging and blocked traffic.

It must be construction season.

Projects on the go include everything from replacement of water mains, gas, hydro, streetcar tracks to new roads and sidewalks. So chances are the city is doing some type construction in your neighbourhood.

And that means reduced parking, closed lanes, transit re-routing along with noise and dust.

But it’s all for a good cause, says Joe Condarcuri of Transportation Services.

“Be patient. It’s work that’s required,” he says of the big digs taking place across the city. “If you postpone the work it will cost you more later.”

He compares it to maintaining your vehicle. A little preventative work can save you the migraine of a larger problem later.

“A $100 job will cost $300 if we do it three years from now.”

But we are talking a little more than pocket change when it comes to city spending on state of good repair for bridges, roads, sidewalks, crosswalks and signalized intersections.

For all those items transportation services currently spends $250 million a year, up from $120 million back in 1998.

But the city is still under-funding the need, says Condarcuri.

“The backlog is currently $300 million or about one and half years worth of work,” he says.