After a chaotic freeze-thaw cycle wreaked havoc on Saskatoon’s roads, crews are now hitting the streets to do damage control.

Saskatoon’s City Roadways Manager Cam LeClaire says this process usually begins a few weeks earlier, but crews are now getting a late start due to the rain we say throughout May. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is a heatwave forecast for this week.

“The sun is shining, and we’ll be patching potholes. We do ensure that our crews are working safely and staying hydrated during these periods, but this is the best time to patch potholes, so we’ll be out.”

He adds that there are 3700 potholes across the city, which is about 2000 more potholes this year than there were last year at this time. They will be addressed in order of importance, with “emergency potholes” first on the list.

“An emergency pothole is about 60 centimetres (in diameter) on any street, and then a pothole that would be about a foot in diameter in the driving lane on a high-traffic street.”

Last year, about 2200 tons of asphalt were used to address potholes. Given the current number of reports, LeClaire is expecting to see that number climb in 2026.

For those who have damaged their vehicle as a result of hitting a pothole and hope to make a claim, you can head to saskatoon.ca/claims.