As snow recedes, potholes become Vancouver's new traffic challenge
Contractor warns that full fixes can't be done until weather is dry for an extended period
The snow is gone — but the traffic problems aren't.
The people who maintain Metro Vancouver's roads say there are about 50 per cent more potholes this year than last.
"With the freeze thawing, it just flexes that surface and pops off the asphalt in larger chunks," said Darren Ell with Mainroad Lower Mainland, which is charge of road maintenance for much of the Lower Mainland.
Potholes form when water penetrates the asphalt surface of the road. When temperatures drop, the water freezes and expands, causing cracks.
It's meant that commuters have begun seeing more and more potholes in recent days as Vancouver's deep freeze gets replaced by deep puddles. Because of the city's typical climate, a long-term fix may be a while in coming.
"Typically for a long-term patch you need dry conditions. It's there's any moisture on the road, the material doesn't tend to stick as well. When we're out there in the rain, a lot of times we are just doing a temporary patch, and waiting for the ideal conditions where we can do a more permanent fix," said Ell.
Ell said the worst areas they maintain include Oak Street, Knight Street and north and south of the Massey Tunnel — but asked for the public's patience if they notice more potholes than normal in the weeks ahead.
"Now that the moisture is thawing out, it's moving that asphalt out and showing the weakness of the infrastructure. It's the end effect of this cold spell," he said.
- Nasty weather hits B.C., worst is yet to come
- The next winter weather challenge: fixing the potholes left in the snow's wake
- Are Vancouver taxpayers getting their money's worth this winter?
"Please be patient ... we're finding the potholes ourselves and fixing them as fast as we can."
In a statement, the province acknowledged the issue wouldn't be significantly improving in the short-term.
"Mainroad has confirmed they will be out there tonight fixing the potholes on the Oak Street Bridge, but they caution that once potholes are fixed other potholes often form, making this an ongoing process," it wrote.
ICBC says that while potholes can be a hazard particularly in the winter, people must purchase optional collision coverage in order to file a claim related to pothole damage.