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Multiple potholes appearing as Montreal weather fluctuates

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Potholes appearing as Montreal weather fluctuates
WATCH ABOVE: Potholes are appearing across Greater Montreal due to the erratic weather – Feb 6, 2019

The City of Montreal has relaunched its pothole repair operations as the erratic weather leads to more and more cracks in the roads.

“When the water melts, then freezes, that creates a cavity in the asphalt,” said Philippe Sabourin, a spokesperson for the city.

READ MORE: Montreal road conditions deteriorate as southern Quebec hit with more winter weather

The road repair blitz had been put on for a few days during snowfall over the weekend.

“We have as much as 12 trucks. Those trucks will fill the potholes and we have some workers working manually,” Sabourin said.

WATCH BELOW: Wet winter weather wreaks havoc on Montreal roads

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Wet winter weather wreaks havoc on Montreal roads

Residents across the city, including downtown Montreal, Anjou, the Sud-Ouest and NDG, are noting just how bad the roads have gotten due to the fluctuating weather.

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“I still think I’m going to fall into one and never come out,” said commuter Toni Swetland.

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“The potholes come back year after year after year, no matter how much they fix them.”

READ MORE: Frigid weather continues in Eastern, Central Canada — bringing snow, rain and wind

Last year, the city filled in 175,000 potholes, with an even greater number expected this year.

“It’s often very difficult to see the potholes, so you have to kind of swerve left, swerve right.”

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says this could mean injecting more money into roadwork.

“I’m probably going to have to make those difficult choices,” she said.

WATCH BELOW: Winter weather hits Montreal streets

Click to play video: 'Winter weather wreaks havoc on Montreal streets'
Winter weather wreaks havoc on Montreal streets

Tuesday, Environment Canada issued a flash freeze warning as temperatures plummeted dramatically from -5 C during the day to -22 C overnight.

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“So far, we have had 10 of these and there’s another one coming for Friday,” said Alexandre Parent, a spokesperson for the public weather agency.

He noted this is double the usually expected amount — between December and February, there are usually about five days of significant rainfall with temperatures about zero.

READ MORE: Slushy mess greets Montreal commuters after onslaught of freezing rain, snow

Any potholes or road problems can be reported to city officials by calling 311.

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