Potholes plague Metro Vancouver roadways after wicked weather

It’s been a bumpy ride on Lower Mainland streets and highways in recent weeks thanks to an unusually high number of potholes that have opened up, keeping municipal crews and tire shops busy.

“I see it myself driving and definitely a lot of my customers have seen it as well,” said Sterling Arndt, owner of OK Tire on Kingsway in Vancouver.

A large-enough pothole, hit at a high-enough speed, can blow out a tire’s sidewall, which is not usually repairable.

The rims can also be dented, and in some cases a vehicle’s suspension can be damaged.

One of the cars at Arndt’s shop waiting for repair is an Audi sports car that lost both right-side tires to a single pothole.

“Average repair for one wheel and a tire? Probably $500 to $1,000,” said Arndt.

ICBC said it received 163 claims related to pothole damage between Sunday and Wednesday this week.

In most cases, drivers with optional collision insurance will be covered for pothole damage, but it could impact their premiums.

The weather is to blame for the large amount of damage to local streets.

“With the water and the snow, we are seeing an increase in the number of pothole reports,” said Brian Carter, Burnaby’s director of public works, roads and utilities.

Vancouver, North Vancouver, New Westminster and Surrey have also seen a spike in reports.

The cities are mostly working from the same playbook to address the issue by prioritizing repairs for the largest potholes, along with those on the busiest routes.

Vancouver said it has redirected crews to focus on the problem and expects to have most of the major potholes patched by next week.

According to Carter, ongoing wet conditions mean the first patch is often temporary.

“Especially when it’s raining or we still have residual snow,” he said. “We’ll typically clear an area and patch it temporarily to make it safe. It’s cold patch product.”

Crews will then return in the spring or summer to finish the job with a permanent fix.