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The City of Kenora continues to turn its attention to the growing amount of potholes around the city.
The spring-like temperatures seen in recent weeks have melted a fair amount of the snow in and around Kenora, which in turn has begun exposing many potholes on roadways.
Kevin Gannon, Director of Engineering and Infrastructure says crews are doing the best they can to address the priority areas within the community.
“We have a new road patroller that goes out and takes a look at the conditions within the roads,” said Gannon. “We also have our pothole line. The patroller that’s out there will verify which ones need attention quicker than others.”
When residents call the pothole reporting line they will need to provide their street name, street address, direction, and the type of pothole or other road deficiency.
Another factor when it comes to filling potholes Gannon mentioned is this wet spring weather that creates difficulty.
“You can fill it up and as soon as a couple of vehicles go over it it’s open again. Being able to torch it, being able to take care of it, and compact it in, and hopefully, it lasts for a few more days. Sometimes it feels like a job of insanity for our staff.”
Gannon noted that with over 300 kilometres of roadways within the Kenora boundary, the hotline and the patroller are ways to prioritize which areas need attention and provide safety to motorists.
Potholes form as moisture seeps into the pavement and sub-base, which then freezes, expands, and then thaws.
The ‘freeze, thaw’ cycle along with constant traffic weakens pavement, which in turn allows the pavement to crumble and form a pothole.
They can develop on a daily basis when temperatures begin to hover around zero degrees.
The city says they will fill potholes within a 12 to 48 hour period and are addressed on a priority and scheduling basis.
Pothole hazards are rated on the location of the hole, class of street, and degree of hazard for drivers.
If a pothole is located on a main road or priority route, it will be repaired quicker than others on a residential street or secondary road.
In the majority of cases, the city will not accept liability for damages caused by hitting potholes. As long as the city is meeting the Minimum Maintenance Standards - as set out in legislation - there is no negligence on the part of the city.*
Option two is to make an insurance claim or pay for the damages out of pocket. To file a claim you need to make sure you have collision insurance. Going this route, getting as much information as possible, including taking photos of the damage and pothole, is always the best idea. Photos could help your claim.
A pothole claim is classified as a single-car accident as it comes under collision. Insurance providers consider the damage caused by hitting a pothole as an at-fault accident. Your collision deductible will apply, and your rates could go up at your next renewal due to filing an at-fault claim.
Sometimes the damage sustained is a lower dollar amount than your deductible, which would make filing a claim irrelevant, and you may be better off paying for the repairs out of pocket.
According to a CAA survey, Canadians pay $1.4 billion a year in pothole damages.