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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.