City of Red Deer’s pothole blitz is in full swing.
Public works crews have already started work fixing the damage winter inflicts on the city’s 800 kilometres of paved roads.
For many, the uncommonly warm start to winter was welcomed. But those warm days and sub-0 C nights created pavement-punishing freeze-thaw cycles.
“We had quite a bit of freeze-thaw cycles,” said city roads superintendent Doug Halldorson. “It doesn’t help our particular situation. It actually creates more potholes.”
Water seeping into road cracks will freeze and expand and break apart the pavement.
Many drivers will have noticed dozens, if not hundreds, of holes that have been created over winter on their usual routes to work, school or stores.
To undo Mother Nature’s road wrath, crews will dry out the holes as best they can and patch them with a special paving mixture and tamp it down. Traffic will further compact and strengthen the patch.
Pothole fixing is a major component of the city’s spring road maintenance efforts. On an average year, somewhere between 5,000 to 10,000 potholes (and the city does keep count) will be repaired between now and the fall.
“Usually, the spring is the busiest time. From now until June, we’ll get the majority of them done,” he said, adding spot repairs will be done where needed until the fall.
Halldorson said Red Deer’s pothole tally is fairly standard for a city its size. This year, looks to be about normal despite the abnormal start to winter.
Not all roads are created equal. Motorists will notice a few dozen small potholes on 40th Avenue north of 32nd Street. Halldorson said that is likely a symptom of that being an older stretch of road.
The intersection at 19th Street and 40th Avenue has also taken a beating. That intersection will soon get a complete overhaul when a planned roundabout is built. Construction is expected to start in May and be finished by the end of summer.
Halldorson said the city wants to hear from residents who have spotted potholes that need a fix. Call the city directly at 403-342-8238, or go online to Report A Problem at reddeer.ca/reportaproblem or email: parksandpublicworks@reddeer.ca
Potholes appear to be as Canadian as complaining about the weather and hockey judging by the number of news stories that have appeared over the last several weeks on the driver-irritating divots.
In Winnipeg, it seems not only are their mosquitoes super-sized. So far this year, 400 drivers have already reported vehicle damage after plunging into potholes.
In Toronto, where the winter has been unusually mild, crews had already filled 22,000 potholes by early February, when it was officially launched its pothole blitz.
The Canadian Automobile Association has even offered tips on what to do if your vehicle is damaged in a pothole showdown, and insurance companies have offered advice to drivers on coverage and whether it is worth it to file a claim.
