Potholes are in season

By Scott NeufeldThursday, January 25, 2007 http://www.dailycourier.ca/article_911.php

As Vernon streets thaw from the recent snowfall, the melt water is tearing holes in the asphalt and causing headaches for motorists.Sam and Agnes Nicholl say they have been forced to swerve around more potholes than ever this year.“They’re all over the place,” Agnes said. “Certainly it’s worse this year.”Some of the worst spots for potholes have been Okanagan Landing Road and 25th Avenue along Polson Park, according to the Nicholls. Although they said some of the holes on Okanagan Landing have been patched.“The best way to deal with a pothole is go around it if you can,” Sam said. “Otherwise you have to drive right through it.”

Public works manager James Rice said that city crews have been working hard to fill the holes in the road as they spot them. With asphalt plants shut down until March, he said they fill the craters with a temporary mix.Potholes are most common toward spring, when the road freezes and then thaws. Rice said that asphalt is porous and when ice and snow melt they can drag chunks of the road with them.“What happens is you get a freeze-thaw that does some damage to our asphalt,” he said. “It’s been a busy year for potholes.”Last year, the City of Vernon spent roughly $30,000 on cold mix asphalt during the winter and $40,000 on hot mix asphalt during the warmer months. Rice said that the money was spent on patching not only potholes but also some larger road repair projects.

During a heavy snowfall, the works department is forced to put road repair on hold in order to keep the roads clear. “Once the snowfall is done we send a patching crew out,” he said. “There can be about two or three guys out patching holes.”Large holes in the road are a hazard for motorists but works crews don’t always know when a pothole has opened up. Rice said that residents can help the works department by reporting any holes that they find.“It never hurts to have citizens advise us when they come across a pothole,” he said.To contact the public works department call 549-WORK.