If you think you’ve noticed more potholes this year than last, you are correct. The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) says there are almost double this year. “So far this year, crews have repaired about 4,500 potholes and there are about 1,600 potholes that we have identified for work to be completed on,” says Jake Fulton, spokesperson with HRM. The city credits the fluctuating temperatures this winter with the increase in numbers. “We saw days that went above zero when the snow was melting which was great, but then when the water that’s melted freezes again, it expands, makes the cracks worse and the potholes start to develop from there,” says Fulton. Fulton says crews have been filling them all winter. Whenever they could see them and were not snow plowing, they were filling potholes. Fulton says the bigger the hole, the quicker it gets fixed. “It’s a 50/50 split between the priority one potholes, the deeper, wider ones. Eight cm deep, 25 cm wide. Those are the ones we work on first and then about the same number of the priority two potholes that won’t be as impactful for folks driving over them,” adds Fulton. Maritimers like Heather Patterson-Savoy are frustrated. “They are everywhere, it’s outrageous, it’s like a minefield, you have got to avoid and you have to zig and zag to get through, you have to go so slow or you’re going to have a flat tire,” says Patterson-Savoy, a Halifax resident. The city says for those looking to report potholes they can call 311. Tire shops like Midas in Halifax have been servicing damaged vehicles from these potholes all winter. “We got one car sitting out there now with a whole egg in the side of it from hitting a hole, it’s pretty well daily,” says Kenny Pickles, Midas Auto Service Shop Manager. This is a common problem they see year-round. Pickles says it doesn’t start to slow down until the summer. The damage can be pretty extensive and the prices range. “We had a couple young people come in here on the 118 and they hit a hole, blew a tire and by the time they got it stopped, blew another tire and had to come in here on a tow truck. You get that, bent rims, bent tie rod ends and needing alignments,” adds Pickles. Amanda Clarke has first-hand experience hitting a manhole, she says she’s lucky she is an experienced driver, as it could have been much worse. “I hit an elevated manhole cover that had a pothole around it, it took the tire off, so my car was redirected and I was able to stop,” says Amanda Clarke, a Halifax resident. Clarke has shared her concerns on social media to educate others. She says the repair for her vehicle was quite expensive and feels the city should be responsible for reimbursing the cost of repairs for things like this. “It was almost $1,000, I think it was $860 to get the rim repaired and replace the tire,” says Clarke. This happened two years ago, and she says she hasn’t noticed improvement in the roads at all. She admits she saw crews out today accessing potholes, but says they were circling them in paint. “There should also be people that are routinely checking the main roads and access points. I am seeing a lot of potholes and trenches on Main street where it turns into the Highway 7,” adds Clarke. Fulton explains that crews are out working on pothole repairs now and will be until they are all filled. He adds, if someone does experience damage from a pothole within the Halifax Regional Municipality, they can start a claim by calling 311. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
