Toronto – The City of Toronto launches this year’s fifth pothole repair blitz to keep Toronto’s expressways, major roads and neighbourhood streets in a state of good repair. City crews will work from 6am to 6pm to repair as many potholes as possible. Outside of concentrated repair blitzes, crews continue to perform proactive daily patrols to repair potholes across the city and have repaired more than 135,000 potholes since the beginning of the year. 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 these sections breaks the pavement and the asphalt is forced out.
Toronto residents driving or cycling on Saturday 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. Toronto City Council’s approved budget for pothole repairs in 2023 is $4.6 million. Pothole repair blitz crews are made up of the same City staff who manage road maintenance, snow clearing, street sweeping and other maintenance and roadway safety work.
Normally, potholes can be repaired within four days of crews being made aware of them 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 or by calling 311. More about how the City manages potholes is on the City’s Potholes webpage.