On the same day Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada held a news conference where she described the city’s pothole problem as a “catastrophe,” she experienced the problem firsthand.
In a short video posted on social media, captioned: “When I tell you I understand, do you believe me?” Martinez Ferrada is seen standing outside a gas station.
“Two tires, two flats,” she says looking into the camera as she turns to introduce a tow truck operator standing next to her.
“She’s talking about the potholes,” he says. “She fell in the potholes.”
The mayor laughs and confirms she hit two potholes on Notre-Dame Street, as she vows to address the problem.
“We’re coming with solutions, she says, but in the meantime, “we’re getting towed.”
She concludes by acknowledging the state of city streets is unbelievable.
‘The situation is unprecedented’
On Tuesday morning, Martinez Ferrada said the incident happened on Notre-Dame Street near Dixon at around 9 p.m. She said she was thinking of her fellow citizens who have had similar experiences.
“I waited for almost two hours to get la remorque to come and pick us up, and you know the cost of the car,” she told Sean Henry on CBC Montreal’s Daybreak.
“Of course, many citizens don’t have the means to repair those cars and their cars. I hear them and I know the situation is unprecedented.”
While potholes are a known problem in the spring, a slight warming in early January created numerous, crater-sized potholes around the city.
According to City of Montreal data, calls to 311 to report a pothole were five times more numerous this January compared to last year, jumping from 825 calls in 2025 to 4,280 this year.
Pierre Barrieau, a university lecturer in urban planning and mobility, told Radio-Canada’s Tout un matin that an alignment of several unfavourable conditions contributed to the problem, including the weather.
He pointed to several freeze thaw cycles since late October and a lot of precipitation, resulting in five snow-removal operations so far this season for Montreal.
“Each load of snow causes a deterioration in road conditions because the equipment that scrapes, tears out a problematic section of the pavement,” he said.
Citing a study out of the United States, Barrieau said heavy transport trucks can also have a big impact on city streets. “One transport truck is the equivalent of 17,000 vehicles,” he said.
Cold affects quality of repairs
Meanwhile, Martinez Ferrada said part of the problem is that potholes can’t be “permanently fixed” in the winter, they can only be filled.
“When you cover a pothole, it lasts about two, three weeks, so we’re not in the best situation right now,” she said, explaining it has to do with the cold and the materials used.
Barrieau corroborated the mayor’s explanation, saying the intense cold affects the quality and duration of the repairs.
“Our roads are made of what is called bitumen asphalt, so it’s gravel mixed with a substance similar to tar. Therefore, the colder it gets, the harder the tar becomes,” he said, adding some repairs under those conditions can break again in as little as 48 hours.
Martinez Ferrada also reiterated how repair efforts are being slowed down due to a lack of equipment.
WATCH | Why potholes are worse this winter:
From potholes to piling snow, Montreal’s roads are messier than usual this winter
Freeze-thaw patterns and snow are creating tough driving conditions on the roads. The City of Montreal has received 1,591 pothole complaints from Nov. 1, 2025 to Jan. 5, 2026 — that’s nearly double the number compared to the same time last year.
No ‘magic wand,’ mayor says
Last month, the mayor revealed two of the city’s four pothole-patching machines were currently out of commission.
While promising to address the situation quickly and unveil some measures this week, Martinez Ferrada warned the situation could get worse before it gets better.
“It’s irresponsible for me to tell the citizens that I have a magic wand, that in 24 hours all the potholes in the city will be covered, which is not true,” she said.
The mayor added, however, that she’s confident the city will be able to make a difference in the next few days but in the meantime, she’s asking motorists to slow down and keep their eyes on the road.
Martinez Ferrada said her biggest concern is trying to get a handle on the situation and be ready for the official start of pothole season in the spring, when permanent fixes can be carried out.
Barrieau, for his part. said governments need to invest more money in the road network.
“That’s the only way we’re going to get out of this,” he said.
