Great weather for the potholes

Photo: Martin Knight
Viger Is.

Catherine Montambeault

Monday, 15 January, 2018 23:31

UPDATE
Monday, 15 January, 2018 23:31

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We are only in mid-January, and the drivers are already in the zig-zag on the streets and on the highways to avoid the potholes on that stretch. The winter may be a long one for them while another rise is announced this week.

“Last week, we had some customers with tires burst and the wheels bumpy. It may well be several more this week, ” said Réal Potvin, owner of the garage Auto-Satisfaction.

While the end of the week was marked by the extreme cold, the mercury is expected to rise gradually over the next few days. The temperatures above zero degrees Celsius are even expected to Montreal from Friday.

This is the second time since the beginning of the year 2018 as a wave of cold and warm spells follow one another quickly. The potholes and cracks multiply, therefore, on the roads of the province, as found by many motorists.

“Because of the potholes, you will often see tires cracked rims poquées, and the parallelism of the wheels is going to be disturbed. Sometimes, you will also see the shock absorbers broken, ” said Charles Bernier, owner of the Garage Yvon Vanier.

Photo Catherine Montambeault

Boulevard Saint-Michel

Not to slow it down

“It is not unusual to have bills over $ 1,000,” notes for its part, Réal Potvin.

If it is impossible to avoid a hole in the floor, Mr. Potvin advises especially not curb before rolling over.

“The damage could be even worse if it slows down before the hole, because the wheel will have time to drop down to the bottom, and the impact is therefore going to be more important,” he explains.

For its part, the ministry of Transport says it is monitoring the situation closely, in particular through its network of 48 thermal probes that measure the temperature of the soil up to three meters of depth. This week, they have calculated that the gel was 1.2 m deep in Montreal, a figure 40% higher than it is normally at the same time.

Floor weakened

Photo courtesy

On Saturday, a user has shared on Facebook a video showing a huge cavity on highway 25, at the exit of the tunnel Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine. The armature of the floor was even visible. The hole has been clogged up since.

“It is certain that with the contrasts of temperature than we know at this time, the pavement is weakened. But our patrol officers are carefully monitoring the emergence of potholes to make interventions if necessary, ” says Martin Girard, spokesperson for the ministry.

When a deep cavity is formed on a track on which the speed of movement is important, a clogging of the temporary is made to protect motorists, ” says Mr. Girard.

Temporary works

The City of Montreal performs the same operation on its territory. “If it was a pothole that endangers motorists, cyclists or pedestrians, we are going to the butcher right away. But to do a real blitz of repairs, it is necessary to wait until you have a dry pavement, ” said the spokesperson Philippe Sabourin.

It states that from 1 December 2017 15 January 2018, the City has received two times fewer reports of potholes than in the same period last year.

► If you see a large crater in a street of the metropolis, you can report it by calling 311 or using the mobile app ” Montreal – Service to citizens “.