Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

City creating potholes, not just filling them: resident

Prince George streets have enough potholes without city crews creating new ones, according to McBride Crescent resident Mark Webster.
GP201210303299996AR.jpg

Prince George streets have enough potholes without city crews creating new ones, according to McBride Crescent resident Mark Webster.

Webster was at his home in the 2500 block of McBride Crescent on Monday evening when a piece of heavy equipment operated by the city arrived to clear out a frozen storm drain.

The next morning he found a substantial section of damaged pavement, partially blocking access to his driveway, Webster said via e-mail.

"The users of this road, during very low traffic times, often drive quite quickly. Fifty kilometres per hour is far too fast for this neighborhood, shape of the road, and traffic patterns," Webster wrote. "Should anyone strike this new feature of the road without seeing it... they might easily become parked in one of my neighbours' living rooms."

Webster said runoff water had been pooling in the area for much of the winter, leaving a large area of ice. When snow in the area began melting, it turned the corner in the 2500 block of the street into a slippery, icy pool, he said.

"The sheet of frozen water which prevailed there was at least four inches thick, around four feet wide and extended across the entire drive way," Webster wrote.

City superintendent of operations Bill Gaal said city grader operators are trained to avoid damage to the streets as much as possible.

"The section where it was damaged was alligatored because of the frost heaving the ground," Gaal said. "A grader blade may have picked up a bit of that, that happens. [But] in this case, we would have had to repair this section as a pothole this summer [regardless]."

Gaal said at this time of year, snow plows and graders are only out responding to complaints about localized flooding.

"We are removing ice from curbs and gutters where there has been localized flooding," Gaal said. "Most of our staff are out filling potholes."