As any Saskatchewan resident knows, the arrival of good weather means the arrival of monstrous potholes, and they are unavoidable once again this year.
Pothole season in Moose Jaw is in full swing, and although the pleasant temperatures and gentle sunlight make it feel like everything is thawing for the better, the reality below the ground is a bit different.
Steven Lopston, Transportation Services Manager for the city, says this year’s cold winter saw frost penetrating the ground almost 8 feet down, and while the top layer is all puddles and mud, below is still frozen and causing the root of our roadway problems.
“It may seem like everything's melting, but it's only melting in the top 6 inches right now, so the water that's melting is going down and actually freezing below the ground level,” said Lopston. “So we're still getting frost — they call it frost lensing, it actually helps to push the potholes up.”
The problem with that frozen layer underground is that it gathers water and pushes it up through the asphalt, which then breaks and pushes the gravel layer upwards. The ideal is for that water to drain off into the gutters, but until it has reached the surface, it remains a problem for repairs.
There are two road crews already on the job, earlier than expected, and they are doing what they can to alleviate the situation. The problem, Lopston says, is that it is still melting and those are not favorable conditions for any longterm fixes.
“We've been hitting them with gravel, and cleaning them out with grating, and hitting them with cold mix. But cold mix won't survive if you put it in water, it'll basically become gravel by the end of the day, and then it blows out the same,” said Lopston. “We will be switching over to hot mix once the conditions are more favourable, once the frost has come out of the ground and we're in a position where we can actually go in and create a proper base to put the asphalt on.”
Lopston doesn’t think this spring is going to be any worse than usual for road conditions, and the quick melt is really only relevant in terms of how quickly the crews can be on the job.
“This wasn't expected to come this quick, and so we've had a number of guys who've come back from time off and days off and being able to come in an start working,” said Lopston. “ know it seemed a little dicey there for a little while, but they're working hard in the background.”
Lopston askes residents to be patient with the repair crews, as they’re doing the best they can with the current conditions, and reminds drivers to use caution when on the roads. Pylons surrounding broken concrete are there to indicate hazards and he urges everyone to slow down when passing them.
If there is a particularly nasty pothole in the city, it can be reported to the department by calling (306) 694-4550, and the road crews will compile a list of reported areas and prioritize their patching as quickly as they can.
