Annual problem: Pothole gets a flowery filling
It’s a pothole that’s been paining drivers on Markerville Road N.E. for months, but finally it’s been filled — well, sort of.
Instead of the asphalt that city workers commonly use, an unknown person has taken it upon himself or herself to fill the pothole with dirt and flowers.
One resident said she noticed that it’s slowed down drivers in the area.
Sean Finnigan, who lives a block from the perked-up pothole, said he first noticed it Tuesday while driving home from school.
“As I was driving by, I had to pull over and stop — I thought it was so funny,” he said.
The pothole has “been here for months, I always have to swerve to avoid it. It’s just a Calgarian’s fun take on how many potholes there are in the city.”
The pothole was about 10 inches deep before its flowery fill, said one resident.
Neighbour Brad Clarke, who noticed the arrangement Tuesday, said there was an attempt to fix the road 15 years ago, but it has since cracked up and down the road.
“The trouble with this road is they had a company that sprayed this asphalt on it instead of grinding it and paving it — like all the roads in the city, they’re falling apart,” he said.
Clarke said he found the floral arrangement funny.
Tara Norton-Merrin, a spokeswoman for the cities roads department, said there have been roughly 6,500 calls to 311 for potholes since April 1.
“Our crews are working on filling the potholes, but they work on filling the ones on main roads first, and the ones seen as safety issues,” she said.
“If we have a pothole that’s on a side street or on a busy street but off to the side, it would be a lower priority. Our crews are working to get through all of the 311 call pothole requests to fill them and they are making good progress.”
Norton-Merrin said the city saw a spike in calls once the weather warmed in the spring.
“Most of the calls came in after the snow melted … most of the roads other than the major roads were snow covered at the beginning of April,” she said.
As for the pothole in question, Norton-Merrin said it’s a creative way for Calgarians to show they want their roads fixed.
“What it is showing is people are hoping we can get around to potholes in residential areas sooner,” she said.
Troy Mcleod, roads director for the city, said at the end of May the city was on pace for their annual pothole work.
The city budget has $6.2-million set aside for asphalt repairs, including potholes.
The city has been plagued with pothole problems such as the one that caused a sinkhole to open up downtown. In the community of Auburn Bay, perilous potholes were taking out numerous vehicles.