Halifax crews work to fill potholes, about 500 reported so far

When people drive through the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), chances are they may hit a pothole, but officials say they are working to fix the problem.

As of Wednesday, the municipality says they have about 500 potholes on a backlog to be filled. Of that number, 25 are considered a priority, meaning they have the potential to cause damage.

 READ MORE: Potholes open up in Halifax roads as rough Atlantic winter continues

Typical year for potholes so far

It may seem like a high number for January, but city officials say 500 potholes is about average for this time of year.

“Typical winter so far this year,” said Don Pellerine, superintendent of streets and sidewalks for HRM.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Typical winter so far this year," said Don Pellerine, superintendent of streets and sidewalks for HRM.

“You know, everyone keeps going back to two years ago and what things were like with not only the pothole season that started but then the winter season that quickly followed. So we are typical, typical numbers right now and we’re liking what we’re seeing right now with results.”

READ MORE: Potholes cause headaches for drivers in Halifax

But even with the number of potholes hitting the average mark, at least two motorists have differing opinions on the severity.

“I don’t think the potholes are as big as they used to be last year,” Gail Edwards said.

“Potholes, there’s plenty of them around,”said Brian Morris.”They’re worse than any other year. I’m not sure why.”

Morris said he also had to get a wheel alignment done as a result of hitting potholes.

WATCH: Nova Scotia man, 84, fed up with dozens of potholes fixes them himself

1:34 Nova Scotia man, 84, fed up with dozens of potholes fixes them himself

Potholes can cause headaches for drivers

Mechanics say hitting just one pothole could cause serious damage to your vehicle.

“You could break a lot of the suspension components, control arms, ball joints, struts. You could even blow tires up. You could even destroy your rim and then you’re dead right on the spot and then you gotta call a tow truck,” said Sean Benoit, a mechanic with Scotia Tire.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You could break a lot of the suspension components, control arms, ball joints, struts. You could even blow tires up. You could even destroy your rim and then you're dead right on the spot and then you gotta call a tow truck," said Sean Benoit, a mechanic with Scotia Tire.

Benoit is encouraging any driver who strikes a pothole to have their alignment checked.

City making own asphalt

Three years ago, the Halifax municipality started making their own hot asphalt. Officials say not only is it more cost effective for the city, but it works well.

This year, crews anticipate using about 100 tonnes of hot asphalt throughout the winter.

“Every year we seem to do more and more because our crews are getting really good at it and the results are really positive and that’s the biggest thing,” Pellerine said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Every year we seem to do more and more because our crews are getting really good at it and the results are really positive and that's the biggest thing," Pellerine said.

WATCH: Halifax crews catching up on pothole filling

See a pothole? Report it

If you happen to come across a pothole, you’re asked to report it by calling 311 or filling out a form on the municipalities website. That way, they can add it to the list of potholes that need to be fixed in the city.

“I mean obviously we can’t fix it if we don’t know about it,” said Pellerine.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I mean obviously we can't fix it if we don't know about it," said Pellerine.

“We need the help of residents to report them because we do patrol and we do see and self identify, but the public are out there and driving the roads and we’d like them to help us.”

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