Potholes continue to stress out Sudbury residents

Morning North6:15Taking it to the streets over potholes

They're baaack! Potholes are once again testing the dodging skills of drivers. It can costly if your vehicle is damaged by one. The CBC's Samantha Lui went to the streets of Sudbury to find out how people are coping with the annual pothole problem.

With spring on its way, potholes are forming all over roads in Sudbury and across the north. 

While this issue comes up year after year, it's something that continues to put stress on vehicles and drivers.

Myles Dumontelle relies on his car to sell solar panels in Sudbury. 

He said he used to drive a small jeep to get around, but the city's potholes became such a problem that he ended up switching his car to a 4x4 pickup. 

"They [potholes] are getting bigger by the minute," Dumontelle said. 

"It was getting to the point where I was scared to drive on the road because I didn't know how much it was going to cost me for every bump that I hit." 

Other residents like Nancy Dozzi are fed up with the situation as well.

"How can you not notice the potholes in Sudbury? You're driving over them every five seconds," she said. 

"Lorne Street is atrocious and actually has been for several years. Paris Street and the Kingsway -- they're all pretty bad." 

46 claims for pothole damage made to city

The City of Greater Sudbury received 3,000 calls about potholes in 2015. It has already received 46 claims for damage this year. The city's winter potholes budget for 2016 is $860,000. The money is used for repairs and equipment. 

Robert Kirwan, ward five city councillor and chair of the city's operations committee, said complaints have been lower this year because of the milder weather. 

He adds crews are doing their best with the current weather conditions, and said roads are being temporarily filled with a cold mix of recycled materials until asphalt plants open in May. 

"Until you can get at them in the summer time and repair them with a better quality or a large patch repair, all we can do is Band-Aid and hope that the Band-Aid stays on," he said. 
 
"A recycled mix [is] not the best, but it will work as long as we don't get that freezing overnight. If we could patch those holes, temperatures stayed warm and we didn't get any rain, everything would be perfect." 

Kirwan advises residents to call 311 immediately if they see a pothole that needs fixing.