Potholes popping up more across the region due to winter weather

Extreme cold weather, an increase in snowfall and quicker melting cycles are creating the perfect equation for more potholes in Waterloo Region.

The City of Waterloo is noticing an increase this year. In a statement, it said it has had 20 requests for repairs to potholes since 2025 started.

It’s similar over in Kitchener, whose city crew can repair up to 120 a day. But those are only temporary fixes, reminds Scott Berry, Kitchener’s manager of maintenance for the roads and traffic division.

“Motorists may run over the same pothole on the way to work everyday, thinking that maybe the municipality hasn’t repaired it. In fact, it’s very likely repaired but because of the time of year, and the moisture on the road and the materials available to us, we can’t do a permanent repair this time of year.”

Permanent repairs come later in the spring when the weather stays more predictable and warm. When the frost on the ground melts, it creates cracks in the roadways which after being run over by traffic creates potholes.

“The same crews that plow the snow also repair the potholes so we can do one or the other. But whenever we’re not plowing snow, we’re actively repairing potholes,” added Berry.

He encourages people to report any potholes they see to either the City of Kitchener’s website or the City of Waterloo’s website. The region looks after roads in the townships.