Montreal pothole repairs delayed until August 3 despite months of planning
City says contracts awarded this month but work won't start after construction holiday. Crews have filled 148,000 potholes since mid-April.
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Montrealers will endure bumpy streets a few more weeks: the City of Montreal says summer pothole repairs won't begin until August 3, despite the city launching a bid for repair work in May and Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada announcing a pothole strategy months earlier.
The contracts for repair work were not awarded until this month. City spokesperson Hugo Bourgoin said officials met with the two selected bidders mid-July and work would begin after the construction holiday. "The standard timeframes applied for opening the bids, assessing their compliance, and awarding the contracts," Bourgoin wrote.
City crews have filled nearly 148,000 potholes between mid-April and July—an average of 12,000 potholes per week. An emergency contract last winter covered manually filling nearly 15,000 potholes. Officials also launched a bidding process to buy two pothole repair machines expected to be delivered next year for use in fall 2027, allowing fixes in temperatures as low as minus-10 Celsius.
The facts
When will Montreal's pothole repairs begin?
August 3, 2026. The City of Montreal delayed the start of summer pothole repairs until after the construction holiday, despite awarding contracts in July 2026.
How many potholes has Montreal filled since mid-April?
Montreal city crews filled nearly 148,000 potholes between mid-April and July 2026, averaging 12,000 potholes per week.
When will Montreal's new pothole repair machines be available?
Fall 2027. The city launched a bidding process to purchase two pothole repair machines expected to be delivered in 2027, enabling repairs in temperatures as low as minus-10 Celsius.
