THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay drivers have definitely noticed how many more potholes are on the roads after a season that made it difficult for city crews to keep up with the mix of snow and rain wreaking havoc on the road surface.
“We’ve had a hard winter on our roads with the continual freeze-thaw, as well as when you consider the same people that are plowing our roads are also looking at drainage concerns, [and] are the same staff that are also fixing the potholes for us,” said Kayla Dixon, director of engineering.
“So it is a bit of a prioritization project and we’ll continue to address the potholes more, but until we see asphalt plants open up, really the patching that we’re doing is a very temporary measure.”
The condition of the road has caused frustration for local drivers who are constantly forced to slow down or swerve to avoid large craters in city streets, sometimes leading to damage that needs to be repaired.
"This year especially there has been a lot of pothole damage, basically front end damage on cars especially, rims, tires, ball joints mechanically, so I've definitely seen more frequent customers coming in, more frequent damages to their cars. Ultimately it's just the result of the current road conditions," said Kyle Jacklitch, service advisor at Done-Rite.
Currently, the city is only able to carry out short-term fixes to roads until asphalt plants open and the weather starts cooperating.
"Really the patching that we're doing is a very temporary measure. The roads are still wet and that material just has a tendency to pop out very shortly after the work is done, so it's a bit of a make-work project at this time,” said Dixon.
“We've heard that there will be an asphalt plant open next week, so we're very excited about that.”
While asphalt plants will begin opening up soon, it may still be a while before the city can make solid progress addressing the issue and until then, the public is being reminded to know what signs of damage to look for in your tires, and be extra cautious around potholes.
“If you see a pothole, you want to slow down as best you can, try to avoid it. I know there’s a lot of other potholes around so it kind of makes it a little harder but you just have to do your best to try to stay safe for other drivers,” said Jaklitch.
“If you do hit a pothole, try to pull over right away, and try to take a look at your tires and rims. If you see any bends, cracks, breaks, bulges, immediately try and get it resolved, otherwise it’ll potentially be worse down the line.”
