Calgary is trying to keep up with pothole repairs

The City of Calgary has filled more than 6,700 potholes year-to-date, following a record 33,489 pothole repairs last year.

“For comparison, this time last year we were doing about 5,800 jobs. So we're a little bit higher than what we filled last year,” said Chris Hewitt, City of Calgary's mobility manager.

“If you look at the service requests coming into the city, it's in the 4,000 range this year. Last year we were around 3,400 this time, so it's not a big difference in the region of 15 percent.”

These numbers were updated on May 5, 2024.

As temperatures warmed toward the end of last year, the city traded snowplows for pothole repairs after a dry start to winter.

“What was difficult in this winter and last winter was that we saw a lot of freeze-thaw. So there are many above and below zero. And that's when you see the potholes start to appear,” Hewitt said.

“You have all that snow and ice that melts when it's warm and gets into the cracks in the roads. Then we freeze again. It expands. It creates potholes.”

Hewitt said some winters have about a dozen freeze-thaw cycles, which minimizes the impact on roads.

“I'd be surprised if we had less than 30 or 40 this year,” he said.

“We've had a lot of water get on the roads and then freeze, which usually leads to more potholes in the spring.”

The city says it considers prioritizing potholes based on the speed limit on a particular road, how many vehicles are traveling and where it is located.

“Is it on the right wheel track, or on the side where it can be bypassed?” Hewitt said.

“We try to work on the main roads at night and avoid the roads when they are busy during the day.

The city's annual pothole repair budget is $6.9 million, and Calgary's pavement quality index is 41/100, below the Canadian average of 61/100.

Rain on Tuesday slowed progress as conditions were not conducive to mixing the water with the boiling oil and pitch.

However, the city plans to not have crews out for one day every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and weekends to keep repairs on schedule.

OK Tire Northmount in the Northwest says they are busy with spring maintenance.

“Right now it's mostly tires, 90 percent tires,” manager Martin Kasinsky said.

According to him, the repairs are repairs in case the drivers are hitting potholes.

“Especially with low-profile tires and high-end cars like some German cars, a single tire can be a little expensive,” Kasinsky said.

“You can see bent wheels, you can also see shock brakes on tires or suspension components. Usually, if it's hitting a pothole hard, the first indicator is that you notice a vibration or jolt when you're driving, or pull to the left or right depending on where it hits.”