Pothole complaints up tenfold in 2022: City of Chilliwack

If you think there are more potholes around Chilliwack recently than in past years, you’re absolutely right.

More than 10 times the number of pothole complaints have been reported to the city over the past week compared to the same week in 2021.

Between Jan. 7 and 13 this year, 136 service requests were made to city hall (most between Jan. 10 and 13), either by phone or by the City of Chilliwack app. During that same time last year, 13 pothole repair requests came in.

Over the past several days, the city has had two pothole repair trucks out with crews working 24/7 to patch the potholes.

Roads with the most and/or worst potholes are: Vedder Mountain Road, Vedder Road, Luckakuck Way, Hope River Road and Prest Road.

Potholes form when water seeps through cracks in the pavement and sits underneath the road. When the water freezes, it expands and pushes the pavement up. As temperatures get warmer, the ice melts leaving a void underneath the pavement. Then when vehicles drive over these sections, the asphalt crumbles and potholes are formed. The more vehicles that go over the weakened sections of road, the worse the pothole gets.

To report a pothole, call the operations department at 604-793-2810, or email operations@chilliwack.com.

RELATED: City asks folks to help clear snow from catch basins to prevent pooling water on Chilliwack roads