The City of Toronto is launching its first pothole repair blitz of 2021 on Saturday, March 13 to repair as many potholes as possible on Toronto’s major roads, neighbourhood streets, and expressways.
City crews have performed proactive daily patrols throughout the winter months to help keep Toronto’s roads in a state of good repair. This Saturday marks the first weekend with favourable enough weather conditions for a pothole repair blitz – daytime temperatures are expected to be above zero with dry roads.
Residents who are driving or biking for essential travel on Saturday are advised to expect minor delays. The public is asked to be safe by respecting work zones and giving crews space while they make repairs.
Crews will begin repairing as many potholes as possible on Toronto’s roads starting at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. Tomorrow’s blitz will see approximately 64 crews (approximately 127 staff) repairing potholes throughout the city. City staff will work a 12-hour shift with appropriate physical distancing measures in place. Crews have already fixed nearly 30,000 potholes since January 1.
Pothole repair blitz crews are made up of the same City staff who handle road maintenance, snow clearing, street sweeping and other maintenance and roadway safety work.
Potholes can normally be repaired within four days of crews being made aware, through both proactive patrols and via 311 service requests from residents. When there are large numbers of potholes to be repaired, they are triaged based on size, and repairs are prioritized on major roads first.
The City has a comprehensive pothole repair program and has budgeted approximately $4.7 million in 2021 to fix potholes on streets, including in bike lanes. Each pothole costs approximately $25 to repair.
A few examples of how the City manages road surfaces include:
• planned maintenance closures of the Gardiner Expressway, DVP and Allen Road
• proactive daily repair and maintenance of potholes by patrolling crews, as well as response to 311 service requests from the public
• pothole repair blitzes, as required
• annual local and major road resurfacing projects, as part of the City’s road maintenance and resurfacing program
Learn more about how Toronto manages potholes at https://www.toronto.ca/service
The public can report potholes by visiting https://www.toronto.ca/home/31
Quotes:
“Potholes are a nuisance and they can be dangerous. The first pothole repair blitz of the year is a sure sign that spring is coming and we are working to make sure the roads are safe for everyone using them. Crews have been proactively repairing potholes throughout the winter and workers will take advantage of the sunny and dry weather this Saturday to repair as many as possible. Please slow down and give our workers the time, space, and respect they need to get this important job done.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Repairing potholes helps keep roads safer for people who are driving and riding bikes, as well as people riding transit vehicles. It also provides peace of mind for residents and front-line workers that they will get to where they are needed. Traffic volumes remain lower than usual and this is a good opportunity to get this work done after a long winter.”
– Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park), Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee
SOURCE City of Toronto
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