City crews tackling pothole repairs

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on April 18, 2023.

Crews have been working to fill potholes on city streets. Herald file photo

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

They appeared seemingly out of nowhere almost everywhere and have been the focus of numerous complaints from city residents.

Yes, we’re talking potholes.

This year they may be more noticeable than previous springs due to the numerous freeze-thaw cycles Lethbridge experienced last winter.

But with warmer weather and the availability of hot asphalt, City crews have been working since last week to fill the tire-jarring craters that have appeared on major thoroughfares and residential streets alike.

A night shift started on Sunday doing the work as well as the crews in daylight who motorists will see making repairs.

The City transportation department has three crews which are dedicated to asphalt repairs during the summer season with one exclusively dedicated to filling potholes.

The City says during winter several techniques are utilized to make driving surfaces suitable for vehicles while in the summer permanent repairs are done when that asphalt is available.

Doug May a Civil Engineering Technology instructor at Lethbridge College recently told The Herald pothole numbers are proportional to the number of freeze-thaw cycles.

The City of Lethbridge website says dramatic temperature drops will cause upheaval of the ground below roads and asphalt to crack. Melting snow fills cracks with water and when temperatures plummet again, the freezing water expands, doing more damage to the asphalt.

Those dreaded potholes are caused when material is loosened as cars, trucks and other vehicles drive over the damaged areas.

Transportation Operations manager Julianne Ruck said Friday the City has a claims department for people to contact if they’ve experienced vehicle damage because of potholes. People can get information from the City’s website or contact 311 for details.

“They can put in a claim in that will be investigated if it’s warranted,” said Ruck.

How long pothole repairs last depends on various factors, said Ruck.

“That depends on where they’re located, how frequently the road is used, what the weather conditions are like. So we have areas where we have to go every year.”

Scenic Drive, for example, is patched in both winter and summer, Ruck said.

This past winter was challenging, Ruck said, because of the significant temperature fluctuations which caused more potholes in the city.

When drivers see crews repairing potholes, they need to slow down, she said.

“Be mindful of our crews. We try to do our best to have signage up for those areas so slow, be careful,” added Ruck.

Pothole repair priority is based on several criteria, says the City website. That criteria includes location, “priority class of street and how hazardous the pothole is for drivers. Locations are developed for the crew’s area that allows them to repair the potholes in an orderly manner.

Each day a City foreman visits and rates potholes that have been reported. Only those that cause concern in the driving lanes of Priority 1 and 2 streets will be fixed with a temporary fill. Those that have the potential for causing damage will be filled first because they are considered an emergency, says the City.

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