Here is how many potholes Winnipeg has filled so far

The City of Winnipeg is close to having filled 200,000 potholes in 2024, more than any previous year dating back to 2020.

According to the latest numbers from the city, 179,620 potholes have been filled in 2024, with 13,378 being done since June 21.

This far surpasses 2023 numbers when just over 98,000 were filled. 2022 was a busier year with almost 135,000 potholes being fixed.

The total repairs combined in 2020 and 2021 – 77,932 and 56,883 – are more than 40,000 fewer compared to 2024's numbers.

A spokesperson for the city said the jump in potholes is mainly due to the rain Winnipeg has seen over the last three months – noting it is about five times more rain than last year.

“The rain is really challenging us with not just the amount of potholes occurring, but for the repair process as well,” said Michael Cantor, the City of Winnipeg’s streets maintenance manager.

Cantor said crews can’t catch a break from the wet weather.

“It’s hard for us to find those windows where we can efficiently or effectively repair those potholes,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

To help curb the craters, the City plans to launch a pilot project that would see bus cameras equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.

“To identify potholes through the buses’ daily routes and also classify those potholes for priority,” said the city’s innovation and technology director Tyler Gooch. “It’ll give you a pretty good idea of which potholes are the widest and might be the deepest and might need the most servicing right away.”

Gooch couldn’t provide an exact date for when to expect the pilot project to take flight.

While drivers wait for smoother streets, they’re keeping repair shops like West Kildonan Auto Service in business.

“It has been busier,” owner Richard Porco said. “Even just like bulges on tires from hitting potholes, lot of (Manitoba Public Insurance) claims, that kind of thing.”

According to Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), there were 630 crater-related claims made in June, and 3,711 so far this year. In all of 2023, 2,438 pothole claims were made.

Porco said tire and rim damage are the most common, but repair costs vary.

“We’re seeing like $500 to $1,000 to $2,000,” he said. “It depends on what it is.”

When it comes to the cost of filling the nearly 200,000 potholes, Cantor couldn’t say how much taxpayers are paying.

“Where we have double or almost double the amount of potholes, you would expect something similar in cost,” he said.

- With files from CTV's Alexandra Holyk.