They're here!
The City of Prince George is cautioning drivers to take care on the roads as warmer temperatures are unearthing potholes that had gone into hibernation for the winter.
"Potholes are formed when water gets into small fractures and cracks in the asphalt, and then freezes and expands, which causes the asphalt to break apart," said city transportation manager Flavio Viola in a press release. "The freeze-thaw cycle that characterizes this time of year exacerbates the situation quite a bit."
The melting of four of five months worth of snow and ice complicates matters more since crews must first remove any water from a pothole before repairing it with hot or cold mix.
"Hot mix is longer lasting and better repairs the road, but we have thousands of potholes at this time of year and awe can't get to them all right away with the hot mix," Viola said. "Using the cold mix gives us a good, quick, short-term fix for bad spots that can't wait until the hot mix is ready."
Much like snow clearing, the city's primary and secondary routes are top priority for patching, followed by collector roads and residential areas.
Pothole can be reported on the city's website (via the "Report a Pothole" link on the left sidebar) or by calling 250-561-7600.
