Montreal launches blitz to repair ‘catastrophic’ number of potholes plaguing roadways

The City of Montreal says it’s launching a blitz in the coming days to fill the numerous potholes that are plaguing the streets.

Claude Pinard, chair of the city’s executive committee, says this winter is one of the worst for potholes since 2018, calling the state of the roadways “catastrophic.”

Pinard told reporters the city has awarded 10 contracts without public tenders to three companies to repair the roads within eight days.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

He says the contracts, totalling roughly $500,000, do not stipulate how many potholes have to be filled.

Over the past few weeks, Montreal drivers have been grappling with difficult road conditions after a January warm spell led to the rapid formation of potholes across the city.

Earlier this week Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada posted a video on social media standing next to a tow-truck driver and describing how she had just blown two tires driving over potholes.

CAA-Québec, a non-profit road-assistance organization, has said flat-tire service calls in Montreal and its Laval suburb jumped 75 per cent from Jan. 9-20 compared with the same period last year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2026.