Potholes expected to be 'more frequent' in 2023: B.C. Transportation Ministry

They're back. They're not welcome. And you're about to see even more of them.

Potholes are again plaguing Lower Mainland roads and highways and the problem is going to get worse before it gets better, according to the province.

"Potholes are expected to be more frequent this year due to the recent snow and sub-zero temperatures followed by heavy rain, which increased cracking and allowed additional moisture under the surface of the asphalt," said the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in an email to CTV News.

The City of Surrey has received hundreds of complaints since the recent cold weather created more pothole problems.

"Our crews are well prepared in advance of this season and we've been stockpiling material in anticipation of it and we've been repairing roads since," said Matt Brown, Surrey's streets manager.

"At this point we have well over twenty staff working on potholes, repairing them across Surrey."

In a single year, Surrey can receive close to 6,000 public complaints about potholes, Brown added.

Next door in Langley Township, potholes can be seen on many roads including Fraser Highway.

Crews have been inspecting the damage and doing emergency repairs, but other repairs won't begin until next week, said Aaron Ruhl, Langley's manager of engineering operations.

He said the township spends about $200,000 annually on repairs.

Drivers are also paying a steep price for the unwelcome potholes.

"Over the last few months we’ve seen a significant increase in wheel damage and tire damage at our location," said Luke Raymond, the store manager for Fountain Tire in Aldergrove.

He said in addition to tire and wheel damage, potholes "can also cause some damage to front-end and suspension components on the vehicle."

"The potholes suck," said motorist Travis Legasse. "They're extremely bad."

"With all the cars that are getting flat tires, espeically on the Second Narrows (bridge), that's horrible," he said.

Potholes on that bridge were being repaired last week, leading to lengthy back-ups for drivers trying to cross.

In Surrey, crews were again out repairing potholes Tuesday.

Brown said anyone who sees a pothole should report it.

"We understand the frustration with it but we do encourage residents, if they see a pothole, put in a service request through our app, website or telephone," he said.

"Once we receive those, we're pretty quick. I'd argue within 24 hours we get a lot of our potholes fixed," he said.

Abbotsford received 367 pothole reports in 2022 and spent about $178,000 on pothole maintenance.

“After a snow and ice event, in order to keep up with potholes, the City of Abbotsford has 1-2 crews daily working to fill them,” said an email from a city spokesperson.

The Transportation Ministry, in an email, said repairing potholes at this time of year "can be more challenging," adding "the ministry’s maintenance contractors still repair potholes as quickly as possible to ensure safety for drivers."

The ministry says provincial routes are maintained by 28 contractors throughout the province. To figure out who to contact, the province recommends using the online "Report a Problem" tool.