The mayor is looking for Calgarians’ help locating potholes as city roads crews work hard at patching them up.
Road crews are out repairing potholes around Calgary as part of road maintenance that kicks off this year’s road construction season.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said crews have already filled 1,000 potholes Tuesday.
“Our crews are ahead of their pace,” said Nenshi.
Potholes form during winter months in Calgary when snow melts into cracks on the roads. This snow expands the space there which becomes worse when cars drive over them.
Nenshi points out that due to the relatively small amount of snow Calgary saw this year, there are far fewer potholes.
Nenshi expects there to be at least one more snowfall which means there will still be more potholes to focus on.
There has also been less wear and tear on roads this year due the pandemic, according to Nenshi.
The proactive citizen
Nenshi notes that the City of Calgary has been proactive in locating damage on major roads but they still rely on citizens for the smaller residential roads.
He asks citizens to help the city locate potholes in residential areas.
“For our smaller roads, we really do rely on citizens to let us know where those potholes are so please use the 311 app and take a photo or call 311,” said Nenshi.
Roads crews are working around the clock to put the patch on city roads infrastructure, said the city’s roads manager, Troy McLeod.
“We tend to do [major roads] in low peak times, so we’ll do those 24-7, but typically at night,” said McLeod
“Just over $6 million will be invested in our minor repairs, such as potholes.”
Nenshi notes that there will also be major construction this year.
Crews are working on the roads along 16th Avenue and Barlow Trail.
Nenshi urges citizens to drive carefully and slow when around these construction areas.
“Take it slow. Show respect to those road construction crews whether they’re City of Calgary works or private contractors,” said Nenshi.
“We live in a place that looks after roads and builds better systems for everyone’s commute.”
