Potholes are a frequent enough topic of conversation in Calgary, but in the past year city crews have been repairing them at a record pace, filling and repairing nearly 36,000 in 2024.

That number surpassed the previous year’s high of 33,000, and well above the average number of repairs per year which ranges between 22,000 and 23,000.

The cause of the need for increased repairs comes as Calgary’s road system is beginning to see degradation, alongside more freeze-thaw cycles in winters that create potholes in the first place, said Chris Hewitt, Manager of Mobility Maintenance for the City of Calgary.

“Last year, we were doing pothole repair into December, which was fantastic. This year, we’re hoping for the same, if the weather holds. Traditionally, we’ve had seasons where we’ve had to stop as early as September,” he said.

The cost to Calgary taxpayers so far has been $6.3 million out of a $6.9 million budget, which is roughly the same as in 2023, said Hewitt.

He said that city crews repairing more potholes this year means less damage in years to come.

“Really, the more the merrier. There’s less places for water to get into the roads and cause damage. But we also have to consider the winter that we’re going to have. If we see a winter with a lot of freeze-thaw cycles, that’s when we will typically see more potholes forming come spring,” Hewitt said.

“Now, certainly, if the overall quality of the road increases, we will see less potholes.”

New Calgary piloted pothole repair tool offers the possibility of more cost-effective repairs

One of the tools that the city is piloting is a new infrared asphalt heater, which, when used, allows crews to use less asphalt to repair holes and create seamless connections to existing roadways.

That means less chances for water to get into repairs, and to reopen potholes, said Hewitt.

It works by heating up road asphalt to the same temperature as it would have been when it was first laid down, allowing city crews to add in smaller quantities of extra asphalt to fill the missing amount needed for the pothole, before being tamped down with a roller.

“There’s a few benefits with this piece of equipment. Basically, we can use a slightly smaller crew. We’re typically going to be running two or three people to get this equipment working, and you’d be looking at probably up to 20 potholes a day repaired with this piece of equipment,” said Hewitt.

“Again, not just smaller potholes. We can be doing some of the larger cracking on the surface, some lengthy cracks along the road. (It’s) Really good for fixing that type of defect.”

Currently, the city owns one infrared heater, with an option to purchase more.

Hewitt said that with the combination of those smaller crews, and more permanent repairs, there was a hope that the new technique would lead to cost efficiencies over the coming years.

“With a tool like this infrared heater, the more tools we have to deal with the different types of road and the kinds of defects that we find, the more effective we can be.”

Potholes can be reported by Calgarians to 311, or through the city’s website at www.calgary.ca/roads/maintenance/pothole-repair.html.