Notably harsh winter leads to weeks of crews filling potholes

The City of Ottawa’s Roads and Parking Services team are working to address the increased number of potholes across the city.

This comes following harsh winter conditions and some of the coldest winter temperatures Ottawa has felt in years. The freeze and thaw cycles have affected Ottawa’s roads, sidewalks and winter cycling network the city on its website.

The municipality has already experienced 37 freeze and thaw cycles this winter season.

Crews began filling potholes last week, they are now redirecting additional resources and deploying more teams this week. To efficiently fill potholes across Ottawa, the city deployed two Python 5000 machines on Monday evening.

The “Python Pothole Patchers” are working 12-hour shifts — both day and night — over the next few weeks, while freeze/thaw cycles continue to occur, wrote the city.

As Python machines can fill potholes in less than two minutes, operators can work safely inside the cab and are protected from oncoming traffic, they noted.

The City of Ottawa is reminding residents to keep a safe distance from Python Pothole Patchers, and to avoid passing them while travelling.

How are potholes repaired?

Repairing potholes involves removing debris and water, packing it with asphalt and applying downward pressure, explained the city.

While water can seep back in and prevent asphalt from forming an adhesive bond with the pavement, some potholes in high-traffic areas may need to be refilled more than once.

What to expect in the coming weeks

Based on weather predictions, the City of Ottawa is expecting several freeze-thaw cycles over the next few weeks. As a result, residents should expect to see pothole crews continuing work across the city.

While Ottawa winters have an adverse effect on city infrastructure, winter 2025 has been notably harsh and the municipality is anticipating an increased number of potholes.

“We appreciate your patience as we transition between different winter maintenance activities and prioritize and deploy resources to complete our operations,” wrote Ottawa.

To report a pothole, create a service request online by clicking here.