Small hole can cause big road problems

Asphalt could collapse into cavity if it appears next to a storm drain

A hole in the road is like a cavity in a rotten tooth; it will never heal itself or get any smaller.

So when a small hole suddenly erupts in the road, and in close proximity to a storm drain, it’s a portent of bigger trouble that needs to be drilled and filled right away.

Alexa DeWiel sent us an email about a hole in the pavement at the northeast corner of Hogarth Ave. and Bowden St., along with a photo of the golf ball-sized hole.

“This is a case where remedial work now could save a lot of problems and money later, when freezing and thawing has taken its toll and the road buckles,” DeWiel said. She hit the nail on the head. When a hole forms right next to a storm drain, it is a certain sign of a much larger cavity beneath the pavement, caused by a washout of the road bed.

The chamber beneath the grate on the drain will occasionally develop a leak, and when it fills during a hard rain or by melting snow, water spurts through the weak spot and erodes the gravel under the pavement.

As the washout process continues, the cavity grows.

If it happens to be in a spot that a lot of traffic passes over, the asphalt is susceptible to collapsing into the hole.

We went there and found the hole in the approximate spot where the right front wheel of vehicles headed west on Hogarth come to a stop at the intersection.

If it’s not fixed soon, a heavy truck could pull up to the stop sign and sink into the cavity, with the driver oblivious to the problem because he didn’t spot a small hole that was about to become a big one. Status: Lyne Kyle, who deals with media for Toronto Water, which is responsible for storm sewers, emailed to say that staff has been sent to check on it and figure out what needs to be done to fix it. Update: Last Saturday we reported on road signs and pylons heaped along the edge of the sidewalk on Eglinton Ave., east of Yonge St.

Bernard Katz told us that he tripped over one of the signs and skinned his elbow. Katz emailed Tuesday to say that the signs and pylons had been moved and the sidewalk is now clear. What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To contact us, go to thestar.com/yourtoronto/the_fixer or call us at 416-869-4823 email jlakey@thestar.ca. To read our blog, go to thestar.com/ news/the_fixer. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.

If it’s not fixed soon, a heavy truck could pull up to the stop sign and sink into the cavity, with the driver oblivious to the problem