Cold, snowy weather did a bit of a number on streets in Saskatchewan. (Rob Mahon/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Pothole Pandemonium

Harsh winter leaves SGI dealing with busy pothole season

Jun 4, 2022 | 6:00 AM

An especially cold and snowy winter has paved the way for pavement problems in the spring and summer, and Saskatchewan drivers are now dealing with the effects of it.

SGI doesn’t keep data specifically related to potholes, but they do have a category called roadbed collisions of which potholes are a part. Thanks to some digging from their statisticians, they were able to eliminate a few claims they knew weren’t pothole related, and a rising trend of roadbed collisions emerged.

“For 2022, year to date… provincewide, we have seen an increase in these types of claims,” said Tyler McMurchy, SGI’s manager of media relations. “We’ve got 197 so far this year. That’s actually more than the last two years combined.”

Drivers in Prince Albert may have gotten off relatively lightly, especially considering all the snow here this winter. It’s still been a comparatively busy pothole season, however.

“From Prince Albert, there hasn’t been a huge number,” McMurchy said. “It’s eight from this year. But the previous year, to this point, we had two and the year before that we had three. Again, it’s more than double the amount that we have seen previous years.”

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It’s no surprise that this year would be worse for potholes. After all, winter was longer, colder, and snowier than usual, and that’s a perfect pothole recipe.

“When you look at the causes of potholes, it’s moisture that freezes and melts and freezes and causes those cracks in road surfaces,” said McMurchy. “I think anyone who’s driving, you’re definitely noticing that there are potholes out there. It’s one of the things that drivers need to be aware of.”

Anecdotally, McMurchy said he personally has seen more potholes than he remembers seeing in years past. In addition to general road awareness, he had some tips on the best ways to avoid them.

“Leave some space between you and the vehicle in front of you so you can see the road surface and give yourself time to adjust where you’re going so you can avoid that pothole,” said McMurchy. “Increase that amount of space, and obviously pay attention.”

McMurchy added another piece of advice on top of that one: don’t drive through puddles if you can avoid them, as you have no way of knowing whether a pothole is under the surface of the water or exactly how deep that pothole may be. He also said if you see a particularly dangerous pothole, you should warn your local civic government so they can get to work on it.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP