Pothole repair work underway in Calgary

City crews are preparing to fix roads that have taken a beating with repeated freeze and thaw cycles this winter.

Calgary crews are ramping up their efforts to patch potholes.

The City of Calgary has already filled 4,673 potholes this year, part of a year-round, $6.9-million program.

“We’ll continue filling those potholes into the summer, as is typical of every year,” said Chris McGeachy, mobility spokesperson with the City of Calgary.

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The city has a network of 17,000 kilometres of roadway and filled a total of 35,856 potholes in 2025.

Officials say the craters are part and parcel of Calgary’s volatile winter weather.

Potholes typically develop when moisture seeps through the asphalt surface, followed by repeated freeze-thaw cycles and heavy vehicle traffic.

While maintenance happens year-round, the type of fix depends on the thermometer.

“Temporary pothole repairs are completed during the winter months when roads are clear of snow and ice,” the city says on its website.

Permanent repairs are saved for the warmer spring and summer months.

The City of Calgary uses a five-point scale to prioritize repairs based on severity, safety impacts and location.

“Similar to how we would prioritize routes for winter maintenance,” McGeachy explained.

“We’re typically doing work on our major routes overnight to minimize traffic disruptions and keep our crews safe. We’re prioritizing things like safety. If it’s a very dangerous pothole, we’ll prioritize that one higher – or, if there’s a number of potholes in close proximity to one another."

High priority (Priority 1 and 2) potholes are targeted for repair within five business days of inspection.

Medium priority (Priority 3) potholes are targeted for repair within one to two months of inspection.

The timeline for low priority potholes (alleys/Priority 4 and 5) depend entirely on the volume of higher-priority repairs.

“We actually ask Calgarians to help us spot those potholes,” McGeachy said.

“You can let us know and we can get them filled as quickly as possible.”

You can report a pothole online through the City of Calgary’s website, or through the 311 app.