Wicked winter weather rough on York Region roads

Region says it had 3 times as many calls about potholes this winter compared to previous years.

Yorkregion.com
April 30, 2018
Adam Martin-Robbins

Have you found yourself dodging more potholes than usual while driving along York Region’s major roads this winter? Well, you’re not alone.

Although the Region of York doesn’t track how many potholes it fills annually, the municipal government was flooded with about three times as many calls to report potholes compared to the last couple of winters, Peter Pilateris, manager of roads operations, said.

“This winter, definitely, we had a significant amount of snow accumulation and a lot of freezing weather so that does lead to a lot of pot holes as you get those freeze/thaw cycles developing,” he said.

The region oversees most major roads running through York’s nine municipalities -- such as Yonge Street, Hwy. 27 and Major Mackenzie Drive.

Pilateris said, at this time of year, road crews work around the clock assessing potholes and immediately filling those that pose a safety risk.

He expects all the potholes that developed over the winter will be repaired by early May.

If you’re unlucky enough to hit a pothole and damage your vehicle, you can submit a road incident damage report to the region for an investigation of liability, which can take eight to 10 weeks, according to Marie Endicott, a risk management supervisor at the region.

But you’re required to “control and limit any damage,” she noted.

That involves doing one of two things.

You can report the claim to your insurance company, which will review and process your claim, repair your vehicle then collect payment from the region if it’s legally at fault.
Alternatively, you can get the damage to your car repaired immediately and wait for the region to determine liability.

Following the investigation, if the region is found liable, it will pay you “to the extent of liability and with consideration for depreciation,” Endicott said.

If you spot a pothole that needs repairing, you can report it by contacting the roads operation dispatch office at

TRN_roads_operations_dispatch@york.ca or 905-830-4444, ext. 75200.

Alternatively, you can download the region’s mobile app, which enables you to report problems on regional roads, complete with location co-ordinates and a photo.