As the sun shines and ice melts, motorists can put the pedal to their normal commuter speeds except for one prominent hazard – the jarring jolt of hitting a pothole.
They can puncture tires, knock steering out of alignment, damage suspension and even bend a wheel rim.
And with this wintry weather hitting the Lower Mainland, cities are seeing more of them.
Walter Oleschak, City of Maple Ridge superintendent of roads and fleet, said crews try to stay on top of the problem, but “in this kind of weather, it’s a lot harder.”
The problem is that water seeps into any cracks in the pavement and freezes, expanding and further crumbling the asphalt.
The past three-week cycle of freezing and thawing, combined with the pounding of vehicle tires, destroys the integrity of the road surface.
The problem is particularly bad along bus routes.
A water main break on New Year’s Day, in the 23100-block of Dewdney Trunk Road, spilled a lot of groundwater onto the road and created a massive pothole. It has since been repaired.
He didn’t have a complete count of the ongoing work, but on Wednesday afternoon Oleschak was looking at a list of 15 reported pothole locations that were priorities to fix.
“As it’s starting to thaw out, we’re going to see more,” he said.
Crews “cold patch” potholes, filling them with a mix of asphalt material that is only temporary, but prevents damage.
Warmer weather is needed to make permanent repairs.
“As soon as the weather gets better, we’ll be out there hot mixing,” Oleschak said.
City crews have 479-kilometres of road to maintain, and won’t discover all road damage on their own. The city asks the public to report pot holes. Staff are on duty 24 hours.
“Generally, within the hour we’ll have a pothole filled,” said Oleschak. “Be our eyes out there.”
The situation is the same in Pitt Meadows, said Forrest Smith, the city engineering and operations manager. He said the recent cold snap opened up between 40 and 50 potholes, including 10 to 15 big ones.
Drivers are also advised to reduce their speed and leave a larger gap between their vehicle and the one they are following, so they can see potholes and avoid hitting them.
• In Maple Ridge, call 604-463-9581 to report potholes. In Pitt Meadows, call 604-465-5454.