Toronto – The City of Toronto will begin this year’s sixth pothole repair blitz to keep the City’s expressways, major roads and neighbourhood streets in a state of good repair. City crews will work a 12-hour shift, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., to repair as many potholes as possible. The City will have dedicated crews to repair bike lane infrastructure, including pothole repairs, which allows cyclists to have a safe cycling experience throughout the city.
City crews perform proactive daily patrols to repair potholes outside of the concentrated repair blitzes across Toronto. Since the beginning of the year, City crews have repaired more than 135,000 potholes. Residents driving or cycling tomorrow are advised to expect minor delays around pothole crews. The public is asked to be safe by respecting work zones and giving crews space while they make repairs.
The City has a comprehensive pothole repair program with a Toronto City Council approved budget of $4.6 million for 2023. Pothole repair blitz crews comprise the same City staff who manage road maintenance, snow clearing, street sweeping and other maintenance and roadway safety work. Potholes occur when water penetrates the top layer of asphalt through cracks in the road. After the moisture freezes and expands, sections of the pavement are forced up. The weight of vehicles going over this section breaks the pavement, and the asphalt is forced out.
Potholes can normally be repaired within four days of crews being made aware through proactive patrols and 311 service requests from residents. When there are large numbers of potholes to be repaired, they are triaged based on size and repairs are prioritized on major roads first. Members of the public can report potholes to 311 via the 311 Toronto mobile app, online at www.toronto.ca/311 or by calling 311. More about how the City manages potholes is on the City’s Potholes webpage: www.toronto.ca/potholes.
Date: Saturday, September 16
Time: 9:30am
Location: Bloor Street and Ossington Avenue