Pothole season prompts warning signs from city and citizens alike

Provincial road crews are reporting "a few" potholes turning up in recent days. The damage seems to be evenly spread around the Island, according to the Department of Transportation.

"You get that freeze-thaw cycle, and that's when potholes appear," said Stephen Szwarc, director of highway maintenance.

It's something that happens every year around this time, said Scott Adams, Charlottetown's manager of public works. As water gets under the road, it starts to get weaker.

"What happens, just as traffic goes over it, it just starts flexing to a point where it just breaks and then pops out, and that's why you see a lot of potholes are quite deep," Adams said.

He said the city has also begun putting signs in front of larger potholes to alert drivers.

'I just laughed'

But according to an unofficial sign posted in the Sherwood neighbourhood of Charlottetown, some of the divots are apparently bad enough to rattle teeth.

"Caution rough road. Remove dentures and tighten bra straps," reads the yellow and black placard on Duncan Drive.

The sign appeared in recent days, and neighbours get the joke as well as the message.

"I just laughed. I thought it was hilarious," said D.J. McCullough, who lives nearby. "It's certainly accurate."

McCullough isn't sure who put up the sign. She figures it was likely a neighbour.

But Adams didn't find it as amusing.

"It can be funny but it can be distracting to drivers. As people are trying to read it, they may not be aware there is a pothole there," he said.

"So we don't recommend it, as it can be a distraction to people going by."

Sherwood isn't the only community feeling the bumps and ruts.

'Staff on 24 hours a day'

Adams said Charlottetown is working diligently to make sure as many of the potholes are filled as possible.

"We have a couple of crews going around during the day, we have staff on 24 hours a day," he said. "And so when they're not out clearing snow they are focusing on ... filling in potholes."

Provincial crews have also begun making repairs, and will continue to patch holes as they pop up.

Car mechanics are seeing the damage. One mechanic in Charlottetown repaired two vehicles last week and on Monday, they had another car up on the hoist, with damaged rear shocks and struts.

"They get weak, they hit a pothole and that snaps them off," said Mike Ramsay, at Carline Muffler. "It starts when the frost comes out of the ground, and the potholes get bigger."

'I slow down absolutely'

Drivers are taking evasive action.

"I slow down absolutely," said Barbara Woodhead, a resident of Sherwood.

"I only have one car and I like to look after it as best I can, and I know the potholes are going to play havoc with it."

That is something that the city of Charlottetown encourages drivers to do.

"If you're on the road and you see a puddle maybe go through it a little bit slower. We don't know what's under it," Adams said.

"It could be a pothole, it could be just water. But to be on the safe side, you know, slow down when you're in areas like that, when you're not quite sure what's under that water."

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