Pothole repairs a priority for the City of Vancouver

Winter is almost over and spring is only a few days away, and with it comes potholes.

The City of Vancouver held a demonstration this morning showcasing how road crews repair damage, maintaining safe road conditions for drivers and cyclists.

“Potholes are caused by the freezing and thawing during seasonal changes and they usually occur on our older road surfaces,” said Ken Brown, branch manager of streets, traffic, and electrical operations for the City of Vancouver. Due to the mild conditions over the winter months, Brown says he isn’t anticipating an increase in the amount of potholes for 2016.

On average the city repairs  32,000 potholes with an annual budget of $350,000. Typically, it cost $13 to repair a pothole, with a turn-around time of 48 hours after it has been reported. Crews are staffed around the clock for emergencies and regularly survey the road conditions throughout the city.

The City is hoping to work with residents to quickly report and fix potholes. If you come across a pothole or road damage, you can call 3-1-1 or use the City’s VanConnect app on their website or your mobile device. The app allows you to add photos, map location, and a detailed description, giving crews the ability to asses and schedule repairs in a timely manner.

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“Once the request is submitted, VanConnect will provide you a number that you can use to track your request and also receive updates and progress on how the pothole is being completed and fixed for you,” said 3-1-1 Contact Centre manager, Richard Traer.

Since the launch of the app in May 2015, there have been almost 14,000 downloads with approximately 400 service requests submitted each week. The City is hoping that the ease of VanConnect will encourage residents to be proactive in maintaining safe road conditions.

With spring road repairs on the horizon, Brown is urging motorists to “slow down, follow the directions that are given to them by the traffic control people, this way we can safely and quickly preform our work.”

For information on how to get the VanConnect app or to use the desktop version you can visit the City of Vancouver’s website here.