AIM Roads has made an adjustment to its crack-sealing process after a driver reported her tires were "ruined" when she drove over a freshly repaired stretch of Westside Road.

Kathryn Willardson told The Morning Star she was driving on the road on Aug. 9 when she came upon some crack sealing work being done. 

"I learned that a decision was made to not use a sealant on the rubber compound fill," she said.

"Consequently, while stopped for one-lane traffic, my tires adhered to the compound," she said. "Others did too."

Willardson provided photos of the material she was able to extract from her tire, "which is only a small part."

"My car shook so badly," she said. "I had to replace my tires."

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said its maintenance contractor, AIM Roads, has received a couple of phone calls about that crack sealing project, though no claims have yet been submitted to them."

Following a Morning Star inquiry explaining the damage to Willardson's tires, the ministry said Friday that AIM Roads has since increased the distance left behind their workers to increase drying time before allowing traffic over new crack sealing.

"Rubberized crack sealing is a regular practice for maintaining the surface of our highways and roads. This method of crack sealing has a quick curing time and circumstances like the one reported are not common," the ministry said. 

Motorists impacted by crack sealing or other road work can contact AIM Roads at 1-866-222-4204