The City of Red Deer is on the offensive to deal with an escalating number of potholes.
The Public Works Department has an attack plan already on the go to deal with more and more potholes developing across the city, particularly on main roads.
Roads superintendent Jim Chase said on Thursday that crews are responding to complaints and are also being proactive in tackling ones they see.
An asphalt mixture is shovelled from a truck and then packed down to get rid of the deep divots and pock marks.
People who want to call about a pothole are urged to phone Public Works at 403-342-8238.
“There’s not an overabundance of them yet but we anticipate there will be more this year because of the amount of moisture on the road,” said Chase.
Public Works manager Greg Sikora is urging drivers to be patient.
“We have a plan and process in place and our goal is to address all the potholes,” he said. “Drivers are urged to keep an eye out and skirt around them and we’ll get to them as fast as we can.”
Not only is there a pothole crew working around the city, but a number of other staff are on the lookout for trouble spots so they can be fixed.
Potholes occur when water soaks into the road through the cracks, softening the gravel below the asphalt.
With that moisture getting underneath and with heavy vehicle traffic, the softened material below cannot support the asphalt. Without enough support, the asphalt breaks and a hole is formed.
“We have to do our best to get the water off the road,” Sikora said.
Sometimes a pothole gets patched up and then another will develop right next to it, which is why sometimes drivers may not think the hole was fixed, Sikora added.
The City of Red Deer experiences few insurance claims from residents who say their vehicles have been damaged.
Last year, the city’s insurance company received two claims and neither was paid out, said Sikora.
By comparison, 155 pothole claims were presented to the City of Edmonton last year — 80 per cent of which were not paid. Those that were paid totalled nearly $12,000 or an average of $380 each.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com