First pothole blitz of the year takes place this weekend in Toronto

As Toronto continues to be plagued with potholes, the city is sending out crews this weekend on a road repair blitz.

The blitz couldn’t come at a better time. On Thursday, a massive pothole on the northbound lane on the DVP left eight vehicles with popped tires and just last week a huge pothole on Bloor Street East left multiple drivers stranded with flat tires.

Crews will hit the streets this Saturday, February 23, to repair as many potholes as possible. It’s expected this will be the first of several weekend pothole repair blitzes from now into April.

The recent freeze-thaw weather we’ve been experiencing lately has resulted in an increased number of potholes, and so far, crews have already repaired more than 13,000 potholes this year.

In a single day blitz, crews can repair up to 4,000 potholes.

See also

• Massive pothole northbound on DVP leaves 8 vehicles with flat tires
• Opinion: When it comes to bike lanes, Toronto could learn from Montreal
• Reminder: You can be fined and towed for blocking TTC tracks when you park

On a typical day, 25 crews are out repairing potholes, however, during the blitz, there will be as many as 50 crews working up to a 12-hour day to fill potholes across the city, including parts of the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway.

Motorists are advised to expect minor delays and the public is asked to be safe by respecting work zones and giving crews space while they work.

The City has a comprehensive road maintenance program and has budgeted approximately $182 million in 2019 for road repairs, rehabilitation and maintenance work, including between $4 and $5 million to fix potholes.

Each pothole costs about $25 to repair. Since 2015, the City says it has repaired an average of 224,440 potholes annually.