City of Windsor says it's been a bad year for potholes

If you've noticed more potholes on City of Windsor streets this winter, you'll have to blame the weather. 

The city said it's been a particularly bad year for the small pits peppering city streets. 

"In the last three weeks, we've had some pretty large temperature swings between 10 C to -10 C in a 24-hour period, followed by a big snowfall, and the combination of all of those three events has opened up a lot of potholes across the city," said Roberta Harrison, maintenance co-ordinator for the city.

Water that penetrates the road in a divot or crack will freeze when temperatures drop, causing the pavement to expand, explained Harrison. When it melts, it leaves a gap and a piece of the road will "pop out" she said. 

With snow on the roads, navigating the missing chunk of asphalt can be difficult, and dangerous. 

Harrison said crews are out 24 hours a day patching the potholes.

She says many residents have been calling the city to report the damage. 

"We do appreciate them because it helps us to get out there quicker, to know exactly where they're at," said Harrison.

"It's pretty obvious when you drive around that there is quite a few potholes at this time of year, and we are out there getting them, and we try to start with some of the busier roads first, and then we'll get into the lower-speed roads after that."

Resident Bob Stewart tells CBC News he thinks he's found Windsor's worst pothole. 

He spotted it last week on Langlois Avenue just south of Ottawa Street, and thought that it was so bad that he was compelled to stop and take a few photos. 

"I literally stopped to stare at it, it was like flying over the Grand Canyon or something I was just transfixed by how big this pothole is," said Stewart.

CBC News caught up with Stewart at the site of the hole Friday, and this time he brought his measuring tape. 

According to Stewart, the pothole is about 17 cm deep, 88 cm wide, and 1.5 metres long