As the weather gets warmer, potholes are becoming a common sight on Kelowna roads.
(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)
February 18, 2017 - 10:30 AM
KELOWNA - As the snow melts, drivers in Kelowna have gone from worrying about sliding on ice, to worrying about potholes.
Kelowna public works manager Daryl Astofooroff says as the temperatures get warmer, an increase in the number of potholes is to be expected.
“As soon as you get seasonal freezing and thawing, the water in the asphalt starts to freeze and thaw as well,” Astofooroff says. “This creates a gap below the surface of the asphalt and as traffic drives over it, it starts to break down.”
The City of Kelowna has two crews constantly working to repair potholes around the city. According to Astofooroff, each crew fixes about 3,000 potholes per year, 1,500 of them during the winter months. The actual process of fixing a pothole only takes around 30 to 60 minutes.
Unlike most cities, Kelowna has asphalt recycling machines that are able to reheat asphalt, he says. Excess asphalt from the spring and summer months is stored, then in the winter, instead of using a cold mix — which provides a temporary solution — the machine reheats the asphalt so a hot mix can be used, creating a permanent repair.
Back in 2003 the City implemented a new system for reporting potholes. Residents can report a pothole online, or with a smartphone app which allows you to geotag the location of the pothole.
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