How bad will pothole season be in Waterloo region? We asked the experts
City of Kitchener repairing 100 potholes a day
Spring has arrived in Waterloo region, and with that comes the arrival of potholes, but public works crews acrross the region say the 2019 pothole season is not as bad as in previous years.
"Due to the prolonged cold spells and limited freeze thaw cycles, potholes have not been as prevalent as previous winter seasons," a Region of Waterloo spokesperson said in an email to CBC News.
In 2018, pothole season arrived early in Waterloo region, forcing crews to patch them up as early as January.
Scott Berry, operations manager for the City of Kitchener, told CBC News last February saw more freeze and thaw cycles compared to 2019 when colder days were more consistent.
This year, the region issued numerous cold warnings as temperatures lingered at –35 to –40 with the windchill.
"Because of those factors, this pothole season is not as severe as others we've experienced," Berry said.
Christine Koehler, director of transportation with the City of Waterloo, also told CBC News potholes have been less severe this year, with the city receiving fewer than five pothole complaints a day.
Crews out fixing potholes
Even though this pothole season is not as bad, crews have already hit the ground running responding to complaints and actively looking for potholes to fix, Berry said.
"We're repairing over 100 potholes a day," he said.
Similarly to Kitchener, the City of Cambridge has crews working day and night to fix potholes. Susanne Hiller, with the city, said there were 750 potholes identified this season — which is still fewer than in 2018.
In Waterloo, Koehler said crews were able focus more on winter maintenance this year because there were fewer freeze and thaw cycles.
She added City of Waterloo roadwork crews have also been out fixing potholes, prioritizing main roads and roads that are owned by the region. She said they are currently responding to pothole complaints on Weber Street, Westmount Road and Albert Street.
To mitigate potholes, Berry said the City of Kitchener does thorough crack filling on city streets to prevent water from getting in the asphalt.
The City of Waterloo also does crack filling, primarily in the summer, in addition to repaving the first layer of asphalt.