**City of Timmins News Release**

As the seasonal thaw is upon us, the roads in Timmins are feeling the effects of warmer weather and the unwelcomed arrival of potholes.
Timmins experiences significant freeze/thaw cycles each winter and spring. This cycle, together with high volumes of traffic, creates holes in road surfaces. Pothole formation requires two factors to be present at the same time: water and traffic. In areas subject to freezing and thawing, frost heaving can damage a pavement and create openings for water to enter. Spring thaw of pavements accelerates this process when thawing of upper portions of the solid structure in a pavement cannot drain through the still-frozen lower layer, thus saturating the supporting soil and weakening it.

The increasing number of potholes on our municipal roads is also a sign of aging infrastructure.
Provincial government standards, outlined in the Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways, require the City to fix a pothole within a prescribed period, depending on the size of the pothole and whether it is on a paved or unpaved road. It is important to note that the City’s obligation to fix a pothole is triggered only after the municipality becomes aware of the problem.

While the staff is aware of many potholes created across the City, citizens can also report potholes by clicking on the Service Timmins quick link on the City’s website, going directly to service.timmins.ca, or calling 705-264-1331.
Public Works understands that potholes may pose a hazard, and crews are out working to fill them on a daily basis. We ask the travelling public to slow down when approaching road maintenance crews, use caution when navigating a work zone, and travel with caution until potholes can be repaired.

Filed under: Local News