Next pothole blitz depends on weather

Torontosun.com
Feb. 18, 2020
Jenny Yuen

The city is waiting for Mother Nature to cooperate before the next pothole blitz gets the green light.

The first 12-hour blitz of 2020 took place on Feb. 1, with 60 city crews repairing 7,636 potholes on expressways, major roads and neighbourhood streets.

“Pothole blitzes are scheduled based on a number of factors, especially weather,” city spokesman Eric Holmes said Monday. “Staff are always looking for opportunities between periods of thawing and when it isn’t raining.”

Holmes said there are 25 crews out everyday, looking for potholes or responding to complaints at 311.

According to the city, 28,316 potholes have been filled since the beginning of 2020. Last year, 12,300 were fixed. In 2019, the city ran six of these blitzes.

Raymond Chan, of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), said the city is doing a good job but more can be done.

“We need to look at and better assess where these bad conditions are and keep on top of things. More money can be allocated to road improvements,” he said.

Chan said potholes are one of the factors considered when drivers vote for the worst roads in Ontario, an annual CAA initiative which comes out March 26. In 2019, Eglinton Ave. E. was the top troublesome road because of the Crosstown LRT construction.

Drivers can also file a claim with the city if a pothole on a Toronto-owned municipal road causes damage to a vehicle. The same can be done with the Ministry of Transportation for provincial roads.

The city received 3,789 pothole claims last year. It paid out 768, but denied 1,299, with an average claim value of $560.

The city budgets $4 to $5 million annually to fix potholes.