Regina's Christmas pothole fixed, but what about the others?

Christmas came early this year for a Regina neighborhood that decorated a sinkhole with a Christmas tree. The hole has now been patched by the city.

Residents in the Normanview neighborhood first noticed the hole this past summer at the intersection of Nollet Avenue and Berenson Avenue. 

Residents say it started as a smaller pothole, but grew to a full-on sinkhole. 

In November, while waiting for the city to repair the ground, they decided to get a head start on Christmas festivities. They placed a Christmas tree over the hole, complete with decorations. 

WATCH: Residents decorate pothole with Christmas tree: 

Christmas tree set up inside pothole while residents wait for a fix

1 year ago

Duration 1:00

Potholes are common in Regina, but they're not usually this festive. Months ago, the city put up warning barriers around the pothole. A resident who lives nearby says it has been there for a couple of months. The city is aware of the pothole and says it plans to fix it early next month.

While drivers in that neighbourhood have one less pothole to worry about, data shows that the number of pothole related calls made between January and November this year was higher than in 2022.

The city says it received 1,457 pothole related calls between January and November of this year, a slight increase from 1,446 calls made last year during the same period. The city says it received a total of 1,460 calls in 2022. 

Pothole patching season typically runs from May until the end of October, the city said.

"During that season or that time of the year, we would have crews repairing potholes every day. Whereas once we get outside of that timeline or that time of the year, we have to look at the seasonality," said Mike Ede, roadway maintenance operations manager for the City of Regina.

Ede said priority is given to potholes in high traffic areas and roads where larger buses and trucks run. Repairs overall tend to slow down during the winter months due to staffing.

"What a lot of people don't realize, it's the same crew that does the potholes that also pushes snow, puts salt down, puts sand down and clears the sidewalk," he said. "So if winter comes in heavy and hard, all of a sudden that crew that was just patching ends up turning into a winter crew."

Ede said potholes are formed when freezing water is introduced to an already expanding and contracting ground. He said the mix of warm and cold temperatures lately can potentially lead to more expansion and urged drivers to be mindful. 

"So just to be careful, reduce speeds a little bit, be cautious and keep an eye out for them," he said.