In the aftermath of two major snowstorms this winter, potholes are popping up across Toronto but the city says it only has “limited crews” to fill them.
A City of Toronto spokesperson told Global News the weather so far this year has not allowed for effective pothole filling, even though requests for repairs are piling up.
By March 6 last year, 61,888 potholes were repaired across the city, its own data shows. This year, 36,890 potholes have been repaired as of March 6.
“In 2024, the weather was more favourable and allowed for the early filling of potholes,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“So far in 2025, City of Toronto staff have been focused on snow removals with limited crews on pothole repairs.”
Many parts of Ontario, including Toronto, got hit with a serious dumping of snow stemming from two February storms that hit the province in a short period of time.
The systems, which moved through the region on Feb. 12 and Feb. 15, dumped at least 45 centimetres of snow in Toronto. The Saturday before those storms hit, 10 centimetres of snow was estimated to have fallen.
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When all was said and done, the city estimated it would take at least three weeks for the accumulation to be cleared as a cold spell settled in, prolonging the opportunity for the accumulation to naturally melt away. On March 5, the city got hit with significant rainfall that helped clear some of it.
In the weeks since those storms, from Feb. 16 to March 5, the city has received more than 1,800 requests for pothole repairs between regular roads, the expressways and in bike lanes, data from the City of Toronto indicated.
Potholes are formed when water penetrates the top layer of asphalt through cracks in the road. After the moisture freezes and expands, sections of the pavement are forced up, the city said on its website.
The weight of vehicles going over the section of road breaks the pavement and the asphalt is forced out. Potholes are more frequent in the spring, after the freeze/thaw action following winter.
The total number of potholes repaired could vary year-over-year given winter conditions, the city said on its website.
If it is freezing all through the winter, fewer potholes are likely to form. But a milder winter will have higher number of freeze-thaw cycles where temperature falls below freezing, and then quickly rises above freezing resulting.
Aside from the snowfall, Toronto has seen a swing in temperatures this winter. Next week, the city will be in for a spring-like warm spell, Global News meteorologist Anthony Farnell said.
City crews filled more potholes this past January than they had over the previous five Januarys, the spokesperson shared.
But a change in temperatures in February – and accumulation – has slowed that process down. Just after the month began last year, the city launched its first pothole blitz – assigning crews a 12-hour shift to repair as many potholes as possible in one day.
City data shows 30,975 potholes were repaired in February 2024, compared to 11,253 this past February.
It only takes 15 to 20 minutes to repair a pothole, the city said on its website. Crews simply place asphalt and rake it into the pothole, tampering it down and smoothing it over until the road surface is improved.
But during the winter months – when temperatures are low and pavement is covered with snow and/or ice – the city said it’s difficult to work with hot asphalt because it cools quickly.
Instead, potholes are temporarily patched with cold-mix asphalt until the weather improves, when crews can make more permanent repairs.
The city spokesperson did not say when Toronto’s first pothole blitz would begin.
“A pothole blitz will be scheduled as soon as the spring weather arrives,” they said.
“The city will be sure to keep the public updated as a concrete date becomes available.”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.