March 9, 2015 

 

With spring approaching, the City of Toronto is actively patrolling for potholes as they form on streets. City crews are ready to deal with emergency pothole situations by making temporary repairs. When conditions become drier, crews will make more permanent repairs.

 

The City will be doubling the number of staff fixing potholes this year by assigning almost 100 workers to 25 to 30 crews over the next few weeks.  

 

Over the past five years, the City has repaired an average of 230,000 potholes annually. The City spends about $3.5 million a year to fix potholes.

 

Residents are asked to use the City's online service at http://www.toronto.ca/311 to report potholes so crews can be assigned to repair them. On that web page, click on "roads" to create a pothole service request. Residents also have the option of clicking on "open 311API and mobile apps" to download a mobile app to a smartphone, enabling them to report potholes from a mobile device.

 

Following these three tips when reporting a pothole will assist with expediting the repair work:

- Provide the precise geographic location of the pothole – the nearest cross streets and a street address if possible.

- Provide the pothole's exact location on the roadway – in the eastbound centre lane or in the westbound curb lane, for example.

- Estimate the size of the pothole.

 

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

 

In addition, the City will have crews out clearing catch basins in order to prevent flooding on city streets. A catch basin is part of a storm drain designed to trap debris to prevent it from entering a storm sewer. Crews will be addressing expected problem locations as well as areas around bus stops, crosswalks and key intersections.

 

Residents are asked to help by clearing ice and snow from the catch basins in front of their homes to prevent slush from stopping water from draining off the road. Residents who see flooding on streets in their community are asked to contact 311.

 

This news release is also available on the City's website: http://bit.ly/1A8Xczc

 

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

 

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Media contact: Steve Johnston, Strategic Communications, 416-392-4391, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.