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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.