Municipal workers in northeastern Ontario have patched thousands of potholes already this spring

It's often said the only sure things in life are death and taxes. But in northeastern Ontario potholes can probably be added to that short list.

In the City of Greater Sudbury crews have patched 18,000 potholes so far this year.

Dan Thibeault, the city's manager of linear infrastructure and support services, said in 2024, workers filled some 56,000 potholes on city streets and country roads. 

"On any given day there's, you know, between five and nine crews out there," he said.

"A mix of city staff and contract staff. So depending on the weather, if it's snowing, obviously we're not filling potholes but this time of year we're either pothole patching or opening up catch basins and things like that."

Thibeault said weather so far in Sudbury this March, with warmer days and cooler nights, is perfect for potholes.

"When the snow melts, it turns into water going into our cracks, into the roads, going underneath the roadway," he said.

"And at night, when the temperature dips below zero, that water freezes, which then creates a kind of a deficiency in the road."

Thibeault said the pothole patches, made with either cold or hot mix asphalt, depending on the outside temperature, are temporary fixes at best.

"They're always a temporary solution until we can go back in the summer, cut out those areas properly and fill them with a hot mix," he said.

Thibeault said the Greater Sudbury's 3,000 kilometres of roads make it a challenge to keep up with potholes as they're reported.

In Timmins, where it's been colder this spring, crews have patched 570 potholes so far this year.

"So I actually think that's a little low compared to comparable years," said Ken Krcel, the city's director of public works and environmental services.

 "The last two years we've averaged just under 29,000 potholes in the entire year."

Krcel said the last two winters were milder than this winter, which led to an earlier start to the pothole season in Timmins.

This should be more of an average pothole season, he said.