City crews ready to tackle potholes on Toronto streets

City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:

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News Release:  February 28, 2013

City crews ready to tackle potholes on Toronto streets

Following the snow storm of the past two days, the City of Toronto is actively patrolling for potholes as they form on city streets.

“With the freeze-thaw cycles that have taken place this past winter, there is always an increase in the number of potholes on our roads,” said Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34 Don Valley East), Chair of the City's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.  “Our crews work hard throughout the winter, when not involved in snow operations, to fix potholes in order to prevent the situation from worsening in the spring."

City crews are ready to deal with emergency pothole situations with temporary repairs and, early next week, when conditions are expected to become drier and more favourable, crews will make more permanent repairs. In addition, the City will be doubling the number of staff fixing potholes to almost 100 (25-30 crews) over the next few weeks. 

During the last three years, the City of Toronto has repaired an average of 200,000 potholes per year. The City spends approximately $4 million per year to fix potholes.

Residents are asked to call 311 to report potholes so that crews can be assigned to fix them.  Here are some tips that will assist our staff:

• Provide the precise location of the pothole (nearest cross streets, street address if possible)
• Provide the exact location within the roadway where the pothole is located
• Estimate the size of the pothole

While city staff usually repair potholes within five days, requests are prioritized based on the amount of traffic on the road and the severity of the pothole.

Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.7 million people. Toronto's government is dedicated to delivering customer service excellence, creating a transparent and accountable government, reducing the size and cost of government and building a transportation city. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Media contact:  Steve Johnston, Senior Communications Coordinator, 416-392-4391, sjohnsto@toronto.ca