Pothole repair blitz back on Toronto roads this weekend

The City of Toronto will conduct another pothole blitz, beginning today and ending on Saturday evening. A similar blitz took place last weekend, with increased crews filling nearly 15,447 potholes across the city. 

Recent weather conditions have resulted in an increased number of potholes. Starting today, the City will place road repair crews on extended hours on Thursday and Friday, and will launch a pothole repair blitz on Saturday. 

“Our hardworking City crews will take advantage of another weekend without snow to continue to tackle potholes across Toronto,” said Mayor John Tory. “We know how frustrating potholes are for drivers and cyclists, and we are deploying extra resources on the task of improving our roads to ensure a smoother commute.” 

“I want to thank our crews, who have worked long hours to help fix our roads,” said Councillor Jaye Robinson (Ward 25 Don Valley West), Chair of the City’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. “Staff have already filled over 25,000 potholes this year.”

On a typical day, 25 crews are out repairing potholes, but during the blitz, 55 crews will work to fill potholes across the city, including on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway. Motorists are advised to expect minor delays. The public is asked to be courteous to crews and respect work zones by giving crews space while this work is conducted. 

“These crews are doing important work so I ask for people to exercise patience when they see them stopping on our roads to get the job done,” added Mayor Tory. “No City worker should be subject to rude or abusive behaviour when they are out doing their job.”

Potholes are created when water penetrates the top layer of asphalt through cracks in the road. When the moisture freezes and expands, sections of the pavement are forced up. The weight of vehicles going over this section of road breaks the pavement and the asphalt is forced out. Toronto’s weather forecast is calling for more freezing/thawing conditions, which is expected to lead to more potholes forming in the coming weeks. 

The City has a comprehensive road maintenance program and spends approximately $171 million annually on road repairs, rehabilitation and maintenance work, including between $4 and $5 million to fix potholes. Over the past three years, the City has repaired an average of 210,500 potholes annually.

Road users and business owners can help by reporting potholes when they see them. 
Potholes can be reported online at http://bit.ly/2reT7ln, by calling 311, emailing 311@toronto.ca, or by using an Open311 approved mobile app available at http://ow.ly/rUWE30i00re.

When reporting a pothole, please provide the following details: 
– the location of the pothole, e.g. the nearest cross streets and a street address if possible. 
– the pothole’s exact location on the roadway, e.g. in the eastbound curb lane. 
– the estimated size of the pothole. 

While the City usually repairs potholes within four days, when there are large numbers of potholes to be repaired, the repairs are triaged based on size and repairs are prioritized on expressways and arterial roads first. 

The number of potholes filled for the period of January 1 to 24 for the past four years:
• 2018 – 25,532 
• 2017 – 14,432
• 2016 – 8,153
• 2015 – 20,658

The number of potholes filled annually for the past three years:
• 2017 – 199,032
• 2016 – 181,286
• 2015 – 251,142

This news release is also available on the City’s website: http://ow.ly/vysT30i036H.

Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world’s most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.

photo from www.cbc.ca

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