Spring Operations

Street Sweeping Operations

Street sweeping typically begins as early as the weather will allow, which means temperatures must be above freezing consistently during the day and overnight before operations can fully begin. As soon as the temperature consistently remains above zero, City crews will be ready, and operations will begin. It’s not time yet, but soon! Stay tuned for more information next week.

City crews will also be ready for a winter weather event as there remains a possibility of snow or freezing rain in the forecast. It is important that we keep that in mind while preparing for spring maintenance. Did you know that the sidewalk machines used to clear snow are the same machines used to sweep the active transportation network? The blades are replaced with broom attachments and the team must carefully balance preparing for spring operations and what is needed to effectively respond to a winter event.        

Potholes

This winter has been one that Ottawa has never seen, with only 108cm of snow so far, 117mm of rainfall, 63 freeze-thaw cycles and unseasonably warmer temperatures, the City has been able to steadily work on potholes.

Since January, pothole crews have been working on temporary repairs, over 500 crews have been assigned and filled over 28,500 potholes. This is an increase of 38% compared to last year where the number of potholes filled between January 1 and February 28, 2023, was 17,503.  

Potholes are filled by cleaning the hole of debris and water, then packing it with asphalt and rolling or pounding it down. At this time of year, some potholes in high-traffic areas may need to be refilled more than once. This happens because water works its way back into the hole preventing the asphalt from forming an adhesive bond with the pavement.

Next steps

There should be an update next week on when street sweeping operations and the installation of temporary traffic calming measures will begin as well as the progress on potholes.

In the meantime, for residents wishing to report a pothole, a service request can be created online here.