Who’s still filling potholes? The Roads and Parking Services team! As a follow up to the operational update provided last week on pothole repairs, crews continue working hard applying temporary patches to potholes created by multiple freeze/thaw cycles and wet conditions the city has experienced lately.
Did you know?
- Roads and Parking Services staff maintain approximately 6,000 kilometres of roads, or approximately 13,000 lane kilometres
- Depending on the weather and temperature, our staff work around the clock to clear and remove snow, open catch basins and ditches, repair potholes, mitigate drainage and localized flooding issues, and complete spring clean-up activities – just to name a few!
- The same crews responsible for spreading salt and/or grit during freeze/thaw cycles, are also opening up catch basins and ditches to support melting and water flow during thaws
- In Ottawa, the 5-year average of freeze/thaw cycles over the winter season is 78. As a reminder, freeze/thaw cycles are the leading cause for potholes, which thrive in these types of environments
- Crews continue to use Cold Patch and Warm Mix asphalt to repair potholes as March is considered a winter month and not ideal for pothole repairs. The unstable conditions, including ice and water in the holes, as well as the cold temperatures and frequent freeze / thaw cycles, prevents the patch from adhering as well to the roadway making the repair temporary. As a reminder on what these products are made up of:
- Cold Patch asphalt is a blended asphalt material which can be stored for extended periods of time. It can be used in all temperatures, does not require special equipment to compact and can be applied directly to the roadway without heating.
- Warm Mix asphalt can be used year-round and produced at a lower temperature using different adhesives in the mix. Once the material is heated, the adhesives become thinner allowing improved workability and flow. The material can be manually compacted with a tamper, or shaped and compacted with power plate tampers or rollers.
Potholes-by-the-numbers
- The total number of potholes repaired between January 1 and March 24, 2025, is 33,701.
- The total number of potholes crews assigned to pothole repairs since March 17, 2025, is 218.
We thank residents for supporting our operations by letting us know where potholes are located! Residents can create a service request online to report a pothole.
Next steps
The team continues to keep a close eye on the forecast and in the meantime, crews will continue their work on pothole repairs as well as preparations for the transition to spring maintenance activities.
