Weather permitting, City of Toronto crews will be working extended hours this week to repair as many potholes as possible on expressways, major roads and neighbourhood streets ahead of the Easter long weekend.
Around 40 crews (approximately 100 staff) are working 12-hour shifts, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day this week, instead of the regular eight-hour daily shifts that are spent on pothole repair work. The additional four hours each day represent a total of 16 extra hours that will be spent on pothole repair work this week, compared to 12 hours of work during a typical Saturday pothole repair blitz.
Residents driving or cycling this week are advised to expect minor delays around pothole crews. The public is asked to be safe by respecting work zones and giving crews space while they make repairs.
Crews have repaired more than 60,000 potholes since January 1. Pothole repair crews are made up of the same City staff who handle road maintenance, snow clearing, street sweeping and other roadway safety work.
Potholes can normally be repaired within four days of crews being made aware through proactive patrols and 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 $4.4 million in 2022 to fix potholes on roads and bikeways. Each pothole costs approximately $25 to repair.
More information about how the City manages potholes is available at toronto.ca/potholes.
Members of the public can report potholes to 311 via the 311 Toronto mobile app, online at Toronto.ca/311 or by calling 3-1-1.
Quotes:
“Our hardworking road repair crews will be working extended hours this week to tackle potholes and to keep our roads in a state of good repair for all road users ahead of the Easter long weekend.”
– Mayor John Tory
“We are committed to maintaining a safe and reliable road network for residents and visitors, and this means deploying additional resources this week to ensure a smooth commute for all.”
– Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park), Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee
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