Crews work on repairing potholes on 13th Avenue SE.--NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
‘Tis the season for road repairs, and city officials are asking for understanding from the public, as well as their help.
Since early March, city crews have been addressing ruts and damage on streets caused by ice expanding in cracks and worsened by fluctuating temperatures this winter and spring.
“Unfortunately we are having the perfect kind of weather to create potholes,” Coun. Alison Van Dyke, chair of the infrastructure committee, told council on Monday.
“I know people are not happy about them, but they can appear literally in a day or overnight because of the freezing and thawing weather.
“Please don’t assume that someone else has called in a problem area. If we don’t know about them, we can’t fix them. I know the crews are out working hard to remedy those areas.”
Operations manager Jeremy Petryschyn said as weather gradually warms, fewer problems are presenting themselves, but the switchover to spring duties creates a busy season.
“Crews have been constantly changing tasks between pothole repair, street sweeping, boulevard clearing and snow and ice control,” reads a statement. “All these tasks remain a high priority for the department and will continue to be our focus as we move through the next couple months.”
Hatters who spot a problem, or have other concerns about roads or sidewalks, can contact the roads division by phoning 403-529-8177 during business hours, or by visiting the “report a problem” section of the city’s website (www.medicinehat.ca).
