News Release
April 16, 2021

The City of Toronto is planning a pothole repair blitz on Saturday, April 17 to repair as many potholes as possible on Toronto’s major roads, neighbourhood streets, and expressways.

Crews will begin repairing as many potholes as possible on Toronto’s roads starting at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. Tomorrow’s blitz will see 32 crews (100 staff) repairing potholes throughout the city. City staff will work a 12-hour shift with appropriate physical distancing measures in place.

The City’s annual coordinated month-long spring clean-up work is also under way. In addition to pothole repairs, residents can expect to see a significant amount of road cleaning and maintenance taking place including ongoing street sweeping, litter pickup and graffiti removal throughout the weekend.

As a result, residents who are driving or biking for essential travel on Saturday are advised to expect delays. The public is asked to be safe by respecting all City crews and work zones and to give crews space while they make Toronto cleaner and safer.

This will be the second pothole repair blitz of 2021. The first of the year was held on March 13 when City crews repaired more than 5,100 potholes. Since the beginning of 2021, the City has repaired nearly 50,000 potholes, primarily through proactive daily patrols.

Pothole repair blitz crews are made up of the same City staff who handle general roadway maintenance and safety work, as well as spring clean-up efforts.

Potholes can be repaired normally within four days of crews being made aware, through both proactive patrols and via 311 service requests from residents. When there are large numbers of potholes to be repaired, they are triaged based on size, and repairs are prioritized on major roads first.

The City has a comprehensive pothole repair program and has budgeted approximately $4.7 million in 2021 to fix potholes on streets, including in bike lanes. Each pothole costs approximately $25 to repair.

A few examples of how the City manages road surfaces include:

  • planned maintenance closures of the Gardiner Expressway and DVP
  • proactive daily repair and maintenance of potholes by patrolling crews, as well as response to 311 service requests from the public
  • pothole repair blitzes, as required
  • annual local and major road resurfacing projects, as part of the City’s road maintenance and resurfacing program

Learn more about how Toronto manages potholes here

The best way for the public to report potholes is by visiting here and choosing ”Roads”.

Quote:

“Pothole repairs and the ongoing spring clean-up activities are important work that helps to maintain our roadways, bikeways and provide safe access to transit stops. I would like to thank City staff for continuing these critical repairs and remind people to please give crews space.”

– Mayor John Tory

Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Media contact: Media Relations, media@toronto.ca