Above watch: City crews are hard at work filling potholes after this year’s harsh winter. Ray Bradshaw reports.
HALIFAX – It’s been a long tough winter and spring for people in Halifax, and it hasn’t been much easier on cars.
From potholes in the pavement to streets covered in thick ice and deep ruts, motorists have been faced with countless mechanical and safety hazards. But work crews are now out in full force trying to take the streets back from winter’s grip.
A backhoe and work crews were busy digging up potholes and cracked pavement on Astral Drive in Cole Harbour on Wednesday. They’ve been going all out for three weeks.
But why Astral Drive before some main streets?
“The work is prioritized by the depth of the pothole,” says Donnie Pellerine, Superintendent of Halifax Streets and Sidewalks. He added that there are time restrictions for doing work on some major streets.
As quickly as crews finish paving one pothole, they’re on to the next one.
“We have about 2,800 still on our backlog so we do about 1,500 a week,” says Pellerine. “So just as fast as we can do many of them, a lot of them get re-identified again or new ones get reported.”
There are still some major craters causing major troubles on the streets. As of April 1st of last year there were 357 pothole claims filed, totaling a $23,000 pay out by the city. This year that number is up.
“The city has received 542 claims for damage to vehicles caused by potholes,” says City of Halifax Communications Director, Jennifer Stairs. “So our staff are investigating those, a lot of those files remain open, but I can tell you about $6,500 has been paid out to date.
According to Pellerine, the high costs won’t stop them from completing this year’s pothole work.
Provincial highways have also been dangerous for driving. But there’s good news for people that use the Magazine Hill extension, it’s being paved today. Potholes on the overpass above highway 102 were also filled in.
With ice melted from curbs, sweepers have also hit the streets. The fast-twirling bristles of the broom on the street sweeper could also be heard on Barrington Street in Halifax.
“We put down probably triple the sand load this year,” says Pellerine. “It’s in excess of 14,000 tons of sand, so there’s a lot of sand to clean up and it all takes time.”
The city asks that anyone who sees a pothole to report it by calling 3-1-1.
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