This winter season has seen several freeze-thaw cycles hit Edmonton, producing the perfect conditions for potholes. Just three months into the year, the city has filled 30,415 potholes. “The recent frequent freeze-thaw cycles, which are common in a northern climate, cause water to seep into the asphalt, freeze and expand, creating the voids that weaken the pavement and form potholes,” said Matthew Mohr, general supervisor of infrastructure maintenance with the city, in a statement Tuesday. “This means bare asphalt and potholes become visible, and, as a result, more frequently reported.” As of March 22, the city has received 3,665 inquiries through 311 regarding potholes. “It’s getting pretty bad … we have to swerve a lot like we look like we’re kind of drunk, I guess, but we’re not,” said Edmonton resident Annie Desrosiers. “We go through this every year, but this year seems to be a little worse.” Mohr said the City of Edmonton has crews working all year long on filling potholes when conditions are favourable. “We employ a proactive strategy during periods of mild or low-snow conditions, allowing us to redeploy staff from snow and ice control to bolster pothole and asphalt repair crews,” he said. “This ensures we address repairs as they arise without waiting for spring or summer.” Potholes in major arterial roads with high traffic volumes are given high priority and are inspected within two business days and repaired within 10 days. Lower priority locations will see inspections within five business days and are repaired within a month. Alleys are inspected within two weeks of a complaint and are repaired within a year. The city said timelines can vary depending on location, weather conditions, resource limitations and other road work priorities. “Seems like the city is more interested in starting projects than actually finishing any of them,” said resident Christian Loo. “It should be a fairly easy task to fill them. I realize that there’s a lot and the city is huge, but you can’t have cars all over the city breaking tires, breaking axles.” Mohr encouraged drivers to watch for potholes when on the roads, adding that in specific circumstances where damage has occurred from a pothole, the city may be responsible for paying a claim, although not required to under the Municipal Government Act. Drivers may also be able to file a claim with their insurer if their vehicle sustains pothole damage. Residents can report a pothole by calling 311, using the 311 app or visiting the Report a Pothole webpage. Data on pothole reporting can be found here. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson
