51-thousand potholes have been filled on Ottawa roads so far this year.
The city says the number of potholes filled each year varies depending on weather conditions.
Crews have had to deal with Ottawa’s exceptional weather patterns this year.
Since January, Ottawa has been hit by 287cm on snow, 85 hours of freezing rain and 48 free-thaw cycles, according to Luc Gagné, Director of Roads & Parking Services.
The cold temperatures and snow can delay progress.
As well, free-thaw cycles can lead to more potholes.
“We have nice warm temperatures during the day, where the road gets nice and warm and we see a lot of snow and ice melting, and then at night time it is dropping down below freezing,” said Bryden Denyes, Program Manager with the city.
51-thousand is below average compared to other years.
Here it the city data on potholes collected annually from January 01 to March 19.
|
Year |
Potholes filed |
|
2018 |
72,210 |
|
2017 |
63,955 |
|
2016 |
64,308 |
|
2015 |
28,152 |
|
2014 |
62,588 |
The city says this winter crews have also been working around the clock to clear snow off roads, sidewalks and bus stops.
The same crew is responsible for spreading salt and grit during freezing conditions, and opening catch basins to support melting and water flow during thaws.
