Early pothole season hits northeastern Ontario cities amid mild winter conditions
CBC
Pothole season has started in many cities across the northeast, making it tricky for drivers to navigate the roads smoothly and safely.
These holes in the roads are seen more frequently at the end of winter to early spring and are formed from the freezing and thawing of water that gets into cracks in the pavement, causing the road to become weak and then collapse.
Around the Greater Sudbury area, repair crews are actively working to fill potholes.
Dan Thibeault with the city's infrastructure services department explained that the mild winter has helped the crews stay on top of road repairs, resulting in fewer potholes reported this year.
"Because of a lack of snow, our crews have been out there more frequently," he said, and hopes the milder weather will continue.
Thibeault mentioned that using a pothole patching machine, which only requires one crew member to operate, has made repairs efficient and allowed crews to cover more ground around the city.
The city purchased a $550,000 Python 5000 pothole patching machine back in 2021 that could be on arterial roads as soon as the temperature goes above -10 C.
He advises residents to maintain proper tire pressure, and reduce speed when approaching potholes.
"The other thing is exercise caution when you are encountering these pothole patching crews out there maintaining the potholes," he emphasized.
Residents can report potholes to the city through its website or by calling 311.
North Bay's Roads Supervisor, Jason Leblond said their pothole season started two to three weeks earlier than usual, and crews are working to stay on top of repairs.
"Of course, we don't know what's going to happen. Mother Nature isn't done with us yet, I don't think," he acknowledged.
Leblond pointed out various factors contributing to potholes appearing earlier this year, including the fluctuating temperatures and frost without snow insulation in certain areas.
Patching crews are active round the clock, but Leblond stressed the importance of community involvement in spotting and reporting potholes.
While his party has made a cause célèbre out of its battle with the Speaker, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has periodically waxed poetic about the House of Commons — suggesting that its green upholstery is meant to symbolize the fields of the English countryside where commoners met centuries ago before the signing of the Magna Carta.