News Release
February 21, 2020
City of Toronto announces another pothole repair blitz on Saturday
City of Toronto workers will take advantage of warmer, dry weather this Saturday, February 22 by planning the second pothole repair blitz of the season. Crews will repair as many potholes as possible on Toronto’s expressways, major roads and neighbourhood streets.
On a typical week day, 25 crews are out repairing potholes. During the blitz, there will be as many as 50 crews working on Saturday to fill potholes across the city. Some crews will begin on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway starting at approximately 5 a.m. Saturday morning to take advantage of lower traffic volumes. Others will be on all city streets as early as 6 a.m.
People who drive and bike are advised to expect minor delays. The public is asked to be safe by respecting work zones and giving crews space while they make repairs.
Pothole repair blitz crews are made up of the same City staff who handle important work such as road maintenance, snow clearing, street sweeping and other ongoing work.
There have been numerous freeze-thaw cycles over the past few weeks resulting in an increased number of potholes. City crews have already repaired more than 29,000 potholes this year. City workers annually repair more than 200,000 potholes in Toronto.
Recent 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
• investment in new asphalt equipment to repair potholes, such as the introduction of 18 new asphalt hotboxes in 2019
• annual local and major road resurfacing projects as part of the City’s road maintenance and resurfacing program
• ongoing review of the City’s approach to potholes and allocated resources (including maintenance and claims)
Potholes are created when water penetrates the top layer of asphalt through cracks in the road. When the moisture freezes and expands, sections of the pavement are forced up. The weight of vehicles going over this section of road breaks the pavement and the asphalt is forced out.
The City has a comprehensive road maintenance program and has budgeted about $220 million in 2020 for road repairs, rehabilitation and maintenance work, including between $4 million and $5 million to fix potholes. Each pothole costs about $25 to repair.
Learn more about how Toronto manages potholes or report one that needs to be repaired at http://www.toronto.ca/potholes. The public can also report potholes by calling 311 or emailing 311@toronto.ca.
Potholes can usually be repaired within four days. When there are large numbers of potholes to be repaired, they are triaged based on size, and repairs are prioritized on major roads first.
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 http://www.toronto.ca or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/CityofToronto, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.
– 30 –