Potholes are an inevitability in Regina, but they usually don’t start appearing in the city in February.
City of Regina winter road maintenance manager Chris Warren says his crews have had a mixed bag of jobs over the past few weeks.
Usually the winter road crews are more focused on plowing snow at this time of the year, but Warren says they were able to switch equipment quickly to handle the potholes for now.
“Before we have an opportunity to get our hot mix asphalt out, which is a more permanent repair, the process is called a cold-mix asphalt,” he explained.
“It’s an asphalt type material that is pliable and workable in colder temperatures.”
The city won’t be able to get hot-mix asphalt until the spring because that’s when their supplier begins production.
Until then, Warren says they expect to fill some potholes and utility cuts from winter water main breaks multiple times.
Warren says the unseasonable warm temperatures have resulted in some backed up catch basins. Large puddles have formed in some areas due to ice building up and below the grates.
When the ice is below the grate, the city deploys a crew with a steamer to melt the ice.
How do potholes form?
When the snow starts to melt, water will seep into cracks in the pavement. If the water freezes it will expand and loosen up the pavement above the base of the road.
When the ice melts, vehicles drive over the loose pavement, causing potholes.
You can report potholes to the Service Regina Call Centre by calling 306-777-7000.
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